Fifteen-year-old Gabrielle Giesler of Elmore earned Best of Show in the Sandusky County Fair with this floral photograph. (Photo by Sheri Trusty)

BY SHERI TRUSTY

Back in 2020, Gabrielle Giesler, now 15, started taking photos with an old camera. Gabrielle and her family live on an Elmore farm that is home to goats, rabbits and chickens, so Gabrielle dressed her rabbits in costumes and did barnyard photo shoots.

Today, Gabrielle is a skilled photographer who earned many ribbons at the Sandusky County Fair with her photography, including a Best of Show photo of flowers. Her old camera was put away long ago, and now she uses a Canon 7D with a Tamaron 18-400mm lens.

Gabrielle was surprised her floral shot was chosen for Best of Show.

“Personally, it’s not my favorite photo. I think it’s oversaturated,” she said.

Gabrielle Giesler talks about the process of taking this photo of kiwi. (Photo by Sheri Trusty)

The judges, obviously, disagreed and hung it on the Best of Show wall where fairgoers could vote for their favorite. Gabrielle was inspired to take the photo by a 4-H project she completed last year. As often happens, 4-H projects help encourage lifelong skills and hobbies.

Gabrielle submitted five other photos and earned two first place and two third place ribbons. Her subjects were the April 8 eclipse, a sunflower, a snake, kiwi and, her favorite shot, a portrait of a horse. The kiwi photo is an artistic piece with whispers of shadow across the fruit.

“I put it in a completely dark room and used a flashlight, but the shadows were too strong. So I took it into a room with the curtains pulled, so there was a little natural light coming in, and that worked perfectly,” she said.

Gabrielle was first inspired to take photos by her mother, Becky Giesler, who is also a photographer. Both women gained more inspiration and skill for their art from friend, Kenda Lentz, who gave them one-on-one classes out in nature.

Of all the photos she entered in the Sandusky County Fair, Gabrielle Giesler’s favorite is this portrait of a horse. (Photo by Sheri Trusty)

“We met her during COVID, when we were out trying to photograph short-eared owls,” Gabrielle said. “She spent time with me and time with my mom, and we learned a lot.”

Gabrielle also placed third in showmanship in Broiler Pen 1 and first in the poultry Skillathon, a contest that judges a competitor’s knowledge in areas like animal anatomy and breed. Skillathon returned to the Sandusky County Fair after a several-year hiatus.

“I thought it was really neat. They asked a lot of questions pertaining to birds,” she said. “I won $25 and a Bluetooth speaker.”

As much as she enjoys exhibiting at the fair, it is the people there that Gabrielle likes most about the week.

“I like hanging out with my friends,” she said. “And I love seeing the little kids work at the fair. That’s our future. They learn so much. That’s always the highlight of the fair for me.”