Stephanie Sheffield’s photo of an anole snoozing in a flower beat out 2,795 other images to win Grand Prize in the Wildlife in North Carolina Magazine Photo Competition, according to the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission.
Facebook screengrab of Stephanie Sheffield photo
A strange sight in the front yard led a Gastonia woman to win top prize in Wildlife in North Carolina’s annual photo competition.
Stephanie Sheffield says she typically focuses on landscape photography, but was charmed by a lizard “sleeping” in a flower planted by her husband, Michael.
Her comical photo beat out 2,795 other images to win Grand Prize in this year’s Wildlife in North Carolina Magazine Photo Competition, the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission said in an Aug 5 social media post. The competition is open to the state magazine’s subscribers.
“It (the lizard) was there for a number of days and I easily took 50 to 100 shots, trying to target light on it,” Sheffield told The Charlotte Observer.
“It kind of blew me away that I won the Grand Prize the first time I entered the contest, and the photo was taken right here in my own front yard. I was shocked.”
The photo was taken with a 100-400mm telephoto zoom lens, and shows the anole giving her the side eye at being spied on. Anoles are harmless lizards of 5 to 8 inches that thrive in the southern Piedmont and coastal plain, the state says.
“This photograph stood out from the rest of the competition for its extraordinary color, sharp focus and intimate portrait of an anole,” Wildlife in North Carolina Art Director Marsha Tillett said in the release.
“The composition leads your eye to the vibrant anole and beautiful background, while the dramatic lighting highlights the animal’s texture. This image transformed a small reptile into a compelling wildlife subject. The combination of artistic beauty and technical quality is what made this a Grand Prize‑winning photograph.”
Sheffield says she took up photography as a hobby 10 years ago, focusing on landscapes to use in a business calendar. Photography is now a full-time passion, including a website www.momentsbystephanie.com.
“I’m a natural light photographer and I aim to capture scenes as I truly experienced them,” Sheffield said in the state’s news release. “I process them in a way that reflects what I saw and felt in the moment. My goal is to convey the emotion of a scene and draw the viewer into it.”
Gastonia is about a 22-mile drive west from uptown Charlotte.
This story was originally published August 10, 2026 at 5:08 PM.
The Charlotte Observer
Mark Price is a state reporter for The Charlotte Observer and McClatchy News outlets in North Carolina. He joined the network of newspapers in 1991 at The Charlotte Observer, covering beats including schools, crime, immigration, LGBTQ issues, homelessness and nonprofits. He graduated from the University of Memphis with majors in journalism and art history, and a minor in geology.