Bender Puts Small Dot on World Map

SEELEY LAKE – A photograph taken at Seeley Lake Campground by Laurie Bender made the #YondersOfTheYear2016 for the month of December. Bender, who was raised in Seeley Lake, was excited to see her photograph place a small dot on Seeley Lake amongst all the other photos from around the world.

Bender, daughter of Addrien Marx, grew up in Seeley Lake. She said she spent countless days at the beach at Seeley Lake Campground and has always enjoyed hiking.

While she is relatively new to photography, having only pursued it for the past two years, Bender has always been fascinated with it.

"[While] the idea of a "perfect" picture was enticing, I quickly discovered that photos aren't "perfect" but rather a snapshot of a memory I wanted to hold on to," wrote Bender in an email.

 A couple years ago, Bender began solo hiking.

"I started taking pictures of my adventures for proof to my loved ones that I did indeed climb to a mountaintop alone or that I dove into a high-mountain lake," wrote Bender. She indicated that photography quickly turned into a means of preserving a memory for herself. She wrote that photography allowed her to "capture a moment the way I feel it, not the way I see it."

Bender downloaded the Yonder app as a place to share her photos with other like-minded outdoor adventurers from all over the world. Her Yonder name is @Lobulu.

Thanksgiving Day Bender and some of her family went for a walk at the Seeley Lake Campground. They stopped at the beach where she took a photo that she shared on Yonder.

Benders photo was selected as #YondersOfTheYear2016 for the month of December because according to Yonder, her photo "had the most engagement from other users in a given month."

"I was excited. To me, it placed a small dot for Seeley Lake on a great big map of the world," wrote Bender. "This picture is my childhood, the way I felt it 20 years later."