This past summer, Sandy Peacock was out on a photo safari in Halibut Point State Park when she spotted the perfect subject for a photograph, a bright orange starfish. Not liking the tide pool the starfish was lazing about in, she plucked him out of the water and relocated him to a more picturesque pool, then snapped the photo.

"A lot of people weren't down in the tide pool," Peacock said of the Essex Heritage-sponsored photography seminar. "I was the only one who actually took my shoes off."

Her photograph, shot with a macro lens, recently won third place in the "On a Photo Safari" category in the Essex National Heritage Area photo contest.

The contest, also sponsored by Hunt's Photo and Video, challenged photographers to capture scenes in Essex County. The winning photos ranged from sunsets to historical farms. Many of the photographs were taken during photo safaris, a program where participants can experiment with professional camera equipment at an Essex National Heritage Area site.

Peacock, of Boxford, considers photography to be just a hobby, but she is intrigued by the creativity it can inspire.

"We can all look at the same thing and take so many different photos," she said.

Amanda Levy, also of Boxford, won second place in the "National Historic Landmarks" category with her photo of the Derby Summer House at Glen Magna Farms in Danvers.

Levy explored many historical sites before choosing to shoot the summer house.

"It was my first time being there," said Levy, who has a minor in photography from the University of Hartford. "I'm really big on symmetry, and I tried to center it the best I could."

The winners will receive their awards on Dec. 10 at the National Park Service Regional Visitor Center in Salem, where the 13 winning photographs will be exhibited for one year.

Other winners from the region are June Rhodes of Marblehead with first place in the "National Historic Landmarks" category, Susan Plutsky of Beverly with third place in the "My Space" category and Joseph Carlin of Ipswich with second place in the "General Images of the Essex National Heritage Area" category.