A Winning Shot

Always on the lookout for an interesting picture, Carolyn Lagattuta rarely leaves the house without her camera.

“I’m an obsessive photographer,” said Scotts Valley resident Lagatutta, who added, “I’m not really into nature shots.”

While Lagatutta prefers lifestyle and other styles over nature photography, she just won first place in the R&S Landscaping Summer Hummingbird Photo contest.

In a statement announcing Lagatutta’s win in the national contest, company president Robert Schucker wrote, “We received so many impressive photographs; it was very hard to pick winners, but Carolyn Lagattuta's photograph, taken at UCSC Arboretum in Santa Cruz, California, really stood out.

“We are pleased to be part of an event that encouraged people to exercise their creative talents to understand this small, but beautiful part of nature.”

Lagatutta snapped the winning photo while touring the arboretum with her mother, but she has her own daughter to thank for getting her involved in photography to begin with. While staying home to raise her daughter, Lagattuta began taking pictures of her daughter and then emailing them to her husband while he worked.

Now, over five years later, Lagattuta views daily life through her camera’s lens, and has even been able to incorporate some of her photography skills into her work at the UC Santa Cruz public affairs office.

“Photography has completely changed the way that I view the world. That may sound cheesy. Before I noticed stuff, but now I notice everything,” Lagattuta said. “I was really inspired by other photographers, and just saw different angles and a whole new world opened up to me.”