The Detroit News

“I was heading to Sunset Point at Belle Isle, but I was too late for the sunset itself,” said Chadd Horanburg of St. Clair Shores. “So I decided to check out the fountain and saw it was lit. I love the Ren Cen in the background, and I loved the fountain lit up, so I wanted something to show both.”

Horanburg’s photo, “Sunset Over Detroit,” is one of this week’s finalists in The Detroit News’ 10th annual Celebrate Michigan Photo Contest. The contest, which continues throughout the summer, rewards images that reflect the unique character of our state — the people, animals, scenery, places and events that make it special.

“I wanted a long exposure for the smooth water,” Horanburg said. “I never expected it to turn out like it did due to the very difficult lighting differences.” His photo is a finalist in the digitally enhanced category, since he used software to adjust the exposure on some areas of the photo and increased the vibrancy of the colors to get the look he wanted.

Each Wednesday through Sept. 7, Detroit News judges will select four photos to become eligible for prizes to be awarded on Sept. 14.

Other finalists named this week:

■“Face to Face” by Peter Luea of Diondale: A fisherman jokingly puckers up as he holds up a beautiful fish on the opening morning of bass season on foggy Portage Lake in the Upper Peninsula.

■“Taking a Dip” by Norm Preo of Genoa City: Preo and his family were hiking the U.P.’s Tahquamenon River Trail on a hot day when he spotted a young man cooling off in the falls. “Had I been younger, I may have joined him!” he said.

■“King of the Mountain” by Jim Ridley of Brighton: A male red-bellied woodpecker tries to scare off a northern cardinal over a stump at Kensington Metro Park. “The cardinal refused to give up his spot. He ruffled his feathers and spread his wings to look more intimidating,” Ridley said.

Contest prizes are:

■First prize: A two-night stay at the 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.

The contest is open to all nonprofessional photographers who are 18 years or older, except employees of The Detroit News, Michigan.com and their immediate families. For the complete contest rules, go to detroitnews.com/ celebratemichigan, where you can view all of the entries, share them on social media, browse a photo gallery of the finalists and enter your own Michigan scenes.