When Park City-based photographer David Winegar took a trip to New York City with his wife last year, he snapped off a photo of a guy walking by and looking up at a giant poster.

Little did he know that photo would win First Place for Outstanding Achievement in the ninth annual International Color Awards Professional Division People Category.

Winegar, who lives in Silver Springs, followed the competition online March 26.

"They give out first, second and honorable mentions and when they announced the winner and I saw my image, I nearly fell off my chair," Winegar said during an interview with The Park Record. "This is the first time I have ever taken first place. I was stunned by it. Frankly, I didn’t think my image would go that far."

The International Color Awards is one of the leading international awards honoring excellence in color photography, according to its mission statement. It shines a spotlight on the best professional and amateur photographers worldwide and honors the finest images with the highest achievements in color photography.

This year’s jury included representatives from Contrasto, Rome; National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne; Whitechapel Gallery, London; DDB, Berlin; Forsman & Bodenfors, Gothenburg; Art Beatus, Hong Kong; DB Agency, Milan; InStyle Magazine, New York; and Kunst Haus Wien, Vienna.

For more information, visit http://www.colorawards.com.

There were approximately 5,700 entries from 78 countries this year, Winegar said.

"There are 18 categories and within those categories, you can enter as an amateur or professional," he said. "I found that there were a couple of superstars like Rodney Lough Jr., whose work is at the Smithsonian and has a gallery at Fisherman’s Warf in San Francisco, and Annie Katz, who is known for her images of African wildlife also entered this year.

"I thought it was cool that these people, who I’m certainly not on their level, entered the contest," Winegar said.

Winegar’s photo, titled "Better," was praised by Basil O’Brien, the Color Awards creative director.

"It is an incredible achievement to be selected among the best from the 5,678 entries we received this year from 78 countries," O’Brien said in his statement. "[David Winegar’s – ‘Better’] is an exceptional image and represents contemporary color photography at its finest. We are pleased to present him with the title of First Place Outstanding Achievement in the category of People."

"I remember walking down the street in New York and saw this huge poster of a woman in a dress, which I got quite a kick out of," Winegar said. "I noticed many times when guys would walk by it they would look up. I thought it was so funny that I stood on the opposite side of the street with my telephoto lens and shot 100 pictures.

"This particular image, to me, was perfect because the guy was in perfect stride and placed right underneath the dress," he said. "I thought it was kind of funny, but didn’t think it would win an award."

Winegar has been interested in photography for 15 years and has been taking professional photos as Park City Photography for the past 12 years.

"My uncle was a photographer for the Deseret News in the 1970s and my father was also a photographer," Winegar said. "I kind of got into it late in life, but I’ve always enjoyed photography. I never took it seriously where I tried to get some formal education."

That changed in 2000.

"I’ve been to probably a couple hundred workshops and seminars and recently graduated from the New York Institute of Photography," he said. "I’m also a member of the Intermountain Professional Photographers Association and Professional Photographers and compete in their international competitions as well."

Winegar has submitted entries to the International Color Awards over the past six years.

"I discovered it through some subscriptions and wasn’t quite sure what it was all about," he said. "I did some research and found that it was something I wanted to enter."

Since he started pursuing photography, Winegar, who has shown at the Right Angle Framing, Park Silly Sunday Market, the Park City Farmer’s Market, and the Salt Lake City Farmer’s Market, found he enjoys "snapping off photos of life unrehearsed," he said.

"When I can take a shot without violating someone’s personal space, I love to grab the opportunity," Winegar said. "My real passion is wildlife and landscapes, and there is something about my brain. I’m always in awe of God’s creations. Even when I’m driving down Parleys Canyon, I have to sometimes pull off the road and enjoy what I’m seeing."

One of his works, "Leap of Faith," shows a red fox with two ground squirrels in its mouth jumping over a swelling brook. It is one of the main wall images at the Swaner EcoCenter.

"It’s a very lucky shot and it was one of the first photographs that I ever entered into a contest held by Art Wolfe," Winegar said. "Shortly afterwards, my phone rang. It was Art Wolfe and he said I won first place in wildlife."

Winegar said he would eventually like to open his own gallery one day, but he has seen how challenging that is.

"I’m not a very good marketer and I’m currently trying to rebuild a new website," he said.

In the meantime, the public can contact him at Park City Photography by calling 435-640-5123.