Last Celebrate Michigan photos selected for finals

“I was driving home from Frankfort when I stumbled upon this directional sign,” said Regina Abraham of Livonia. “I often see these around beach towns, but this one in particular looked so authentic. Each sign looked liked it was carved by a different person, which added to its authenticity.

“When I look at this photo it makes me think of travels to those different cities and what adventures there might be.”

Abraham’s “Which Way Do We Go?” is one of the finalists in the last week of the 10th annual Detroit News Celebrate Michigan Photo Contest, which seeks photos that capture our favorite Michigan scenes.

She upped the saturation levels of the photo, brightening the colors, thereby making it a finalist in the digitally enhanced category.

Other finalists named this week

■“Bond, Bond Falls,” by Darin Luehrs of Champlin, Minnesota: Luehrs and his son, a Michigan Tech student, had a tough hike through fresh snow to get to Bond Falls in Ontonagon County. “It was gorgeous!” he said. “I could not get over the contrast of the new white snow and the dark, almost black-colored water. “

■“Feel the Power,” by James Timmer of Troy: An enormous roosterail of water trails a hydroplane at Detroit Gold Cup races practice. “Seeing a wall of water six stories high is something special,” Timmer said.

■“I Can’t Wait,” by John Xu of Novi: After waiting three hours staking out an osprey nest at Kensington Metro Park, “It was a great moment to see the mother osprey flying back (to her chicks) with a fish,” Xu said.

The contest’s entry window has now closed. The judges, however, have their work cut out for them. Of the 56 excellent finalists, four will be chosen as the prize winners, to be announced next Wednesday, Sept. 14.

The prizes are

■First prize: A two-night stay for two at Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, plus a 16-inch-by-20-inch framed print of your photo.

■Second prize: A waterproof GoPro HERO4 Session camera, for capturing on-the-go video and photos.

■Third prize: A $100 gift card to etsy.com, where you can find handcrafted Michigan products and more.

■Best digitally enhanced image: A 16-inch-by-20-inch print of your photo, plus four tickets to any Emagine theater.

■In addition, the Michigan Wildlife Council has donated a 10 x 25 pair of digital camera binoculars to every photographer who has a photo in the finals.

To see a photo gallery of the finalists, go to detroitnews.com/celebratemichigan, where you also can view all of the entries.