Idaho Outdoors photo contest first-place winner: Jim Shane | Idaho Statesman

Jim Shane earned a degree in photography in 1970, but he went 25 years without taking many pictures. But eight or nine years ago, his interest was piqued. “I was really interested in digital photography,” Shane said. “I went out and bought a little digital point and shoot, and I was absolutely hooked from that point on.” His first-place photo is a prime example of his recent obsession. “That was shot at the Fort Boise Wildlife Management Area just outside of Parma,” Shane said. “I go there for the goose migration in the spring.” Shane didn’t know when he took the shot that he had a keeper. But when he got it home and loaded it on his computer, he had an instant admirer: “When my wife saw it she said, ‘Oh, I want to make that our Christmas card.’ ”