Feature opportunities can happen indoors or outdoors

Toledoan Joyce braves the elements to take her dog Raxr for a walk. Photo by Sydney Sawkins.

     When you live in Toledo, you get used to Ohio's random weather. It can be cold and storming one day, then warm and sunny the next! However, during either of these situations one can find an activity to do, whether it be indoors or out.
     Joyce, who lives in my neighborhood and declined to give her last name, didn't let the rain keep her from walking her dog. Though it wasn't freezing out, it was still chilly and the rain kept starting and stopping. However consideration for her dog, Raxr's, needs made it quite an easy decision.
     I was not as inclined as Joyce to spend a lot of time in the horrible conditions, so I attended the Findlay Art League's Photo 30 contest opening reception indoors. The Photo 30 show is open to residents of Northwest Ohio who are allowed to submit three photos, four for those who are members of the Art League.
     Those submissions are then judged and either accepted into the show or are rejected. If accepted they are hung in the Findlay Art League's gallery in Findlay for the month of March. The opening reception took place on March 9, 2012 from 7-9 p.m.
The judge this year is fine art photographer Darlene Yeager-Torre and it was through her decisive choices that awards were handed out to certain pictures.
     The coveted Best of Show award went to Kaitlyn Jo Smith's photo Poison (picture at right), which utilized varying depth of field and leading lines and angles. Kaitlyn was unable to make it to accept her award in person.  

     The other coveted award of First Place went to the photo Charleston Light, photographed by Jane Vanden Eynden. This photo imposed different contrasts between light and shadow and focused upon leading lines. Jane was present to receive her award from co-chair of the show Andrew Crow.
     Though not all photos in the exhibit received awards, all were a fine example of some of the creativity and technique that shows what local photographers of all ages have to offer.

Jane Vanden Eynden poses by her first place photo Charleston Light. Photo by Sydney Sawkins.

Jane Vanden Eynden accepts the first place award from co-chair of the show Andrew Crow. Photo by Sydney Sawkins.