Nov. 28, 2008

Congratulations to Stephen Oachs of San Jose, Calif. His image of Emerald Bay on Lake Tahoe received the most votes in this week’s "It’s A Snap" travel photo contest.

Oachs captured his stunning image from a lookout on Highway 89. Snapped in the spring, Oachs said he was actually traveling to the Sierra Mountains, but ended up in Lake Tahoe due to a storm rolling in. “There was a lot of luck involved in that shot because of how the weather was changing,” he said.

It might be hard to believe that Oachs has been taking pictures for just five years. “Photography is a serious hobby,” he said. “The first four were just playing around. The last year I’ve gotten more serious about it.”