Local winner in River Clicks photo contest combines love for photography and paddling

[CouldnoT]

 

On an average day, Mark Oberle, 77, can be seen paddling down a river with his trusty camera in hand.

 

Oberle said he has been doing photography on and off for about 50 years. The hassle that came with photographing and developing film caused him to take a 10-year break, he said. After coming back from the decade-long hiatus, Oberle dived straight into digital photography.

 

“About the time I retired 12 years ago, I got into digital and joined the photography club, and it got back to when I enjoyed it again,” Oberle said.

The San Antonio River Authority hosted their fourth annual photo contest from February to May. The contest aims to highlight the beauty and features of the San Antonio River basin, which includes Goliad County.

 

The contest consisted of 12 winning categories with outdoor recreation prize packages valued up to $500 and a special category prize package valued up to $1,000.

Oberle, of Victoria, took the winning image for the Judge’s Choice category for Goliad County.

 

“I was surprised; I was quite excited,” Oberle said through a chuckle when he found out his photo won. “It’s always nice to get some recognition.”

The photo shows two egrets resting on an island at the Coleto Creek Reservoir in Goliad County, Oberle said.

“I paddled around this little island and took about 50 pictures of various birds,” Oberle said. “And that one ended up being my favorite.”

 

Now happily enjoying his retirement, Oberle also has found a new love in paddling and has managed to combine that with photography by floating down rivers to capture wildlife.

 

Oberle said he experiments with different types of photography, so he doesn’t label himself a wildlife photographer. However, paddling down a river naturally lends itself to wildlife photos, he said. Besides photographing wildlife, Oberle said he also enjoys photographing fireworks and events.

 

For Oberle, photography allows him to take his mind off of things and lets him live in the moment.

“It’s the variety of photography that I really like,” Oberle said. “I’m always looking for something new and different.”

 

victoriaadvocate.com

 

Edited July 26, 2021 by CouldnoT