MERIT AWARD 
Humor in Nature 
David Russell Miller 
While visiting a hospital treatment 
center one day, David Russell Miller 
began taking photographs of a man 
at work in his garden next door. 
After a few minutes, the man 
stopped working and slowly climbed 
the stairs. He was not aware of the 
photographer until he turned and sat 
down, whereupon he smiled and 
doffed his hat. Miller, a chemical 
engineer who lives in Oakland, 
California, titled his work “Ascent 
of Man.” 
HONORABLE MENTION 
Plants and Their Environment 
Ruth Freedman 
Ruth Freedman likes to experiment 
with close-ups of flowers, leaves, and 
other natural forms. Here, the inner 
sections of a bell pepper are aglow 
with transmitted light. Freedman, a 
housewife in Stockton, California, 
has long enjoyed photography as a 
hobby. 
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