Award winners in the 5th Annual Plein Air–Easton! Photography Competition were announced on September 2 to a crowd of about 150 people during Easton’s First Friday Gallery Walk. Winning entries will be exhibited and available for sale at the newly-opened Easton Gallery of Photographic Arts on an ongoing basis. More than 300 entries were submitted to the contest by photographers from throughout the Mid-Atlantic region and beyond.
The 2011 Plein Air–Easton! Photography Competition was open to any photographer. The competition was judged by Tony Sweet (tonysweet.com), an award-winning fine art nature photographer from Maryland. Sweet is also an author, workshop leader, and educator. His articles and images are featured in Shutterbug and Rangefinder magazines, and he is a contributor to Nikonnet.com. Sweet is a staff writer for Nikon World magazine. He was honored as a Nikon “Legend Behind the Lens” in 2006 and a Lensbaby Guru in 2008.
Entries were judged on photographic merit, considering aspects of composition, lighting, use of color, subject matter, visual quality, and overall appeal.
Winners are as follows . . .
BEST IN SHOW John Werry, Tilghman MD “Making a Living”
First Runner Up James T. (Ted) Mueller, Easton MD “Concentration”
Second Runner Up Charles Riter, Easton MD “Last Local Produce Stand”
BLACK & WHITE
BEST B&W (A. Aubrey Bodine Award):
Jeffrey Nicklason, Grasonville MD “Jumping the Bridge”
Honorable Mention Katherine Sevon, Easton MD “Determination”
Honorable Mention: John Peck, Arnold MD “107”
Honorable Mention: Morris Ellison, Easton MD “Abandoned”
LANDSCAPE CATEGORY
BEST LANDSCAPE (Garden Treasures Award):
Diane Blake, Queen Anne MD “Talbot County Farm”
Honorable Mention John Richard Coulby, Jr., Easton MD “Crash”
Honorable Mention John Richard Coulby, Jr., Easton MD “Brittle”
Honorable Mention Katherine Sevon, Easton MD “Between Trees”
MARINE CATEGORY
BEST MARINE (Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum Award):
Christopher Ranier, Easton MD “Lightening Ferry”
Honorable Mention Dee Marvin Emeigh, Milford DE “Maritime Museum”
Honorable Mention Lin Layton, Easton MD “Maritime Sunrise”
Honorable Mention Royce Ball, Easton MD “Old Point”
SPIRIT OF PLEIN AIR CATEGORY
BEST SPIRIT OF PLEIN AIR (Tidewater Camera Club Award):
Jennifer M. Hunter, Easton MD “Mind’s Eye”
Honorable Mention Anne W. Whaley, Centreville MD “Addie’s Sunflowers”
Honorable Mention Royce Ball, Easton MD “Hand to Canvas”
Honorable Mention Joseph H. Soares, Taylor’s Island MD “The Couple”
Honorable Mention Charles Bandura, Greensboro MD “Artists & Spectators”
STUDENT CATEGORY
BEST STUDENT ENTRY (Sponsored by the Carney Family):
John Richard Coulby, Jr, Easton MD “Crash”
Honorable Mention John Richard Coulby, Jr., Easton MD “Brittle”
Honorable Mention Conor Satchell, Trappe MD “Painting Carefully”
JUDGE’S CHOICE FOR RECOGNITION OF CREATIVITY
HUMOR AWARD Dawn Phillips, Easton MD “A Kiss to Build a Dream On”
BEST NIGHT SHOT Kirk Larsen, Hicksville NY “Spark of Inspiration”
CUTENESS AWARD Jacquelyn Taylor MD “Anticipation”
Easton Gallery of Photographic Arts is located at 21 N. Hanson St. (a.k.a. One Mill Place), Suite 100. Gallery hours are Thursday through Sunday 10am to 4pm.
The Plein Air-Easton! Photography Competition is the work of the Avalon Foundation, and supported by the Talbot County Arts Council and the Easton Gallery of Photographic Arts. Awards were contributed by A. Aubrey Bodine Galleries, the Carney family, Chesapeake Maritime Museum, Garden Treasures, and Tidewater Camera Club.
For more information on the Plein Air-Easton! Photography Competition, visit www.pleinaireaston.com, email photocontest@pleinaireaston.com, or call 410.822.7297.