About Bob Story

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"I wanted to get a shot that expressed what the surfer experienced," said Bob Story about his first-place photo, "Stoked."

To accomplish his goal, Story went to Pillar Point, north of Half Moon Bay.

There, huge boulders extend from the beach out into the bay to protect the marina. Story went to the end of the wall to photograph surfers from the side, instead of head on.

"I had several shots of surfing that day, but I particularly liked that one. His arm was out. I could move right with him. That was the whole purpose of going out there, to get that feeling instead of static movement, frozen in time. I wanted something where you could feel the water spray."

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Story, who lives in Los Altos Hills, has been taking pictures most of his life. "It's something that I've always done," he said. "I started out to make photography a profession about 25 years ago but decided it was more fun to keep it as a hobby. It lost the fun."

Recently retired from the Wall Street Journal to Palo Alto, Story likes to go on exotic trips and take pictures. He went on a snowmobile trip to Yellowstone in January.

"Anytime I go anywhere the camera is with me. I purposely go to photograph things fairly regularly -- when I'm ignoring things I should be doing."

Story is the only photographer to take away two prizes in this year's contest. He also won honorable mention for his manipulated image of the Grand Canyon.

-- Katharine Miller