By Chris Caraveo

Independent Newsmedia

Pamela Parker thought she would start her journey in photography with images of dancing.

She needed to practice and decided to begin taking photos of wildlife.

“I fell in love with it,” she said.

So much so the Mesa resident entered an Arizona photo calendar contest in 2016 and 2017, and won the latter year.

“I’m still in shock,” Ms. Parker said.

Other people with a knack for capturing wildlife on their cameras could also have their photo in a calendar for next year.

All they have to do is get their photo in by Aug. 10.

The Arizona Game and Fish Department is collecting submissions for its 12th Annual Arizona Wildlife Photo Contest.

Arizona’s diverse wildlife provides ample opportunities to snap deer, elk or bighorn sheep minding their own business or a colorful hummingbird drinking from a feeder right in a backyard, a release states.

Monica Enriquez, associate editor for Arizona Wildlife Views magazine, which produces the calendar, said the contest usually receives about 700 photographs. Some people submit as many as three photos.

While the judges receive many great photos, only 12 are chosen to make it on the calendar.

Photos are evaluated solely on creativity, photographic quality, effectiveness in conveying the unique character of the subject, and whether or not submitted images meet basic size and formatting requirements.

The judging process is “blind,” meaning entries are assigned a number and evaluated anonymously. Personal information is not attached to images or revealed during judging.

The top photo and 11 other winners will appear as a photo of the month in the calendar. Previously, the top photo only appeared on the cover of the calendar.

But now, the winner will get two spots.

The calendar is part of the November-December issue of Arizona Wildlife Views, an award-winning magazine about wildlife and outdoor recreation.

Ms. Enriquez said photographers should respect the wildlife while out and about. Also, people should be familiar with the location where they will take photos or the animal. Get as close as you can get, but don’t move wildlife, like baby birds, to pose a photo.

Ms. Parker said it took her nearly three months to get her winning photo of the cactus wren while out at a preserve in Gilbert.

“Patience, practice, practice and more patience when it comes to wildlife,” she said of how to go about the contest. “Never give up.”

People can share their photos by emailing photocontest@azgfd.gov or submitting through a file-sharing website like Dropbox.

The contest accepts free entries through Aug. 10 at 5 p.m. Cash prizes are also awarded, with money funded through publication sales.