What started out as a hobby has recently earned a local resident some statewide recognition and a little spending money.

Brantley’s Haley Mitchell Ramer won first place in the Alfa Farmers Federation “We Care“ photo competition.

Ramer entered the contest at the urging of her mother.

“She talked me into it,” Ramer said. “I had taken the picture about four months before we saw the contest, and that was the first picture that came to mind.”

The winning shot features her daughter, 3-year-old Kamryn Mitchell-Ramer squatting over beside a tree with grandpa in the background working on a fence.

Ramer said that her father and her children are two of her favorite subjects, so it was a good opportunity.

“She likes to help ‘poppa,’ and she’d been telling me that she was going to work on a fence,” Ramer said. “That’s when it was taken.”

Not long after entering the contest, Ramer received a letter from Jeff Helms congratulating her on winning the land category.

“The panel of judges, which included a veteran news and theater photographer, a university relations publications director, a veteran Extension System photographer and a member of the Federation’s Communications Department, was very complimentary of the caliber of competition,” the letter read. “You should be very proud of your award-winning photograph.”
Photography is just one of many hobbies for Ramer, who is a full-time college student and mother who also works from home.

She’s also involved in genealogy and collecting stories and oral histories from family members.

“I also love to get old pictures, and that helps me relate these stories to people,” she said.

While Ramer doesn’t have any formal photography training, she said it’s something she’s always loved.

“I’m so excited about winning,” she said. “I’ve been doing it for a long time, but to win and get paid is a bonus.”

An article featuring all the winners can be found in the January issue of Neighbors magazine.