John Scarffe, Peak to Peak. The Mountain-Ear Reporter and Photographer Dave Gibson won two first place awards from the Colorado Press Association during a virtual awards presentation on Thursday, May 20, 2021.

The Colorado Press Association (CPA) partnered with the Kansas Press Association for a virtual convention on May 20 to May 21 with this year’s theme: Succeeding Through Collaboration.

As part of the convention, CPA conducts an annual awards ceremony, and during the 2020 Better News Media Contest awards, Gibson won First Place for a Best Sports or Events Story and First Place for the Best Photography Portfolio.

Gibson said he wasn’t expecting it. In the contest, The Mountain-Ear is a Class 3 newspaper, and he was competing against 33 papers in our category. The contest gave out 122 awards. 

“It was a pleasant surprise,” Gibson said. “I was hoping I would win something, but it doesn’t matter if I get any other awards.” 

Gibson was born in North Carolina, and raised in Illinois. He moved to the Nederland area in 1982 and has been here for 40 years. He got serious about photography 25 years ago and was mainly taking wildlife photography.

When he first started taking pictures, he went on eight safaris, went to Costa Rica and the Galapagos Islands and went to Alaska eight times. His biggest adventure was to India in search of wild tigers. He was 50 miles from the Taj Mahal, and didn’t go there, but he got some tigers.

“I take the time to get those pictures,” he said. He started shooting with film and could get six good pictures a year. “When digital came along, I started to have a clue.” He could get six good pictures for every shoot. “That was a godsend.” 

Gibson worked for the Weekly Register-Call in Black Hawk for 13-1/2 years. He had seen a wolf photograph on the cover of the Call, and said he can do better than that. He called Publisher Aaron Storms and met him at the Teller House.

After that, the Register-Call ran his photos. Gibson has now written 400 stories and has 2,100 photos published. “It all started with the pictures. If I don’t have a photo, I don’t have a story. The story springs from the photos."

Gibson also has taken wildlife photos for the Mountain Neighbor and did a monthly feature called the Wild Side. He has been with The Mountain-Ear for two years. 

He enjoys events like football games, and he is happy to be with The Mountain-Ear and an editor who cares about the paper. “I’m really surprised how much I enjoy the writing, which has evolved over the years. To be recognized for writing is good.” Gibson can be found at davegibsonimages.com. 

A proud observer of Colorado history, the Colorado Press Association has been working for the newspapers of Colorado for over a century. Founded in 1878, CPA has evolved from a fraternity to an organization with over 150 members.  

Today, the Colorado Press Association continues to serve the state’s news media outlets. Along with upholding the good work of past presidents, in the ever-changing media landscape, CPA evolves to champion media rights, press freedoms and professional development across the state. 

For more information go to https://coloradopressassociation.com/.

(Originally published in the May 27, 2021, edition of The Mountain-Ear.)