Brown has been doing photography since 2011. Photo by Nicolas Brown

DIXON, CA (MPG) - A stunning photo of the sun setting over the vineyards of the Jess Jones Winery here in Dixon has won newspaper photographer Nicolas Brown a $100 first place award. The organization that sponsored the competition is called Turning Point Community Program and is funded through North Bay Transitional Support Services. 

The organization began in 1976 with the unique vision to offer care, hope, respect, and support on the path to recovery and mental health. According to their website, they serve approximately 17,000 individuals annually. Brown, who is a person with autism, has been a part of the program for several years and his photos are often placed in the Dixon Independent Voice newspaper. He has also won three Dixon May Fair awards and three Solano County Fair awards.

He submitted three photos for the Turning Point competition, but the winery photo was chosen and will be placed on the organization’s website: tpcp.org/about/.

“I captured the view during ‘golden hour’ and put it in a high dynamic range in that I typed it at three different values and combined all three to make one picture. That is how I got the sun rays clear,” he explained.

“I have been out there twice and went out in the evening. The time before this shot was of the Ice Bucket Challenge a few years ago and I got a picture of the person getting hit with the ice water,” he said.