From brightly colored birds to foggy vistas, the nine photographs recognized as winners of Go Laurel Highlands’ annual photography contest reveal the beauty of the region.
The winners are all local, from veteran photographers to hobbyists just starting out. Alex Byers, the lead photographer and videographer for Go Laurel Highlands, said that the tourism agency received more than 600 submissions for this year’s contest.
“The Laurel Highlands spans nearly 3,000 square miles, making it almost impossible to capture everything in a single year. That’s why this photo contest is so valuable,” Byers said. “It helps expand our content library and allows us to better showcase the region to individuals and families through our marketing efforts.”
“We are fortunate to have so many talented photographers in this area,” he added.
Go Laurel Highlands awards first, second and third place in three different categories: landscape and cityscape, nature, and attractions and events. First place in each of the three categories receives $500, second place receives $200 and third place receives $100.
The winners are determined by a panel of judges who each have to select their top 10 images. Byers then tabulates how well the judges’ choices match up.
“This year, all three of them had the same file, which has never happened before, for one of the winners, Clare Kaczmarek,” Byers said.
He said that if the judges can’t agree, the Go Laurel Highlands marketing team weighs in.
“The judges, I should say, 90% of the time agree on the winners,” Byers said.
This year’s images, he noted, contain both variety and some common themes. For example, in the Attractions and Events category, photos representing each of the three counties — Westmoreland, Fayette and Somerset — comprising the Laurel Highlands were chosen.
Denise Eidemiller, of New Alexandria, scored second place in that category with a high-flying photo of the Westmoreland County Airshow, a winning subject for her in the past.
“When the air show comes to town, that’s a big deal, so I try to go over there every year when they have it,” she said.
In the nature category, birds feature in the first and third place entries, while the second place photo contains an unusual sight. “Second place was a mink. I’ve never seen a mink in this area,” Byers said.
The furry friend was photographed at Jacobs Creek in Mt. Pleasant Township.
Alex Busato’s bird photo landed at first place in the nature category, a rare shot of a scarlet tanager in the Great Allegheny Passage north of Connellsville.
“The bike trail there, it has this really steep hillside and it happens that you can get almost eye level with some of the canopy trees on the downhill side,” he said. “It was just foraging right along the trail.”
Fog was popular in the landscape and cityscape category, where two of the three winners featured creative use of obscured views. One of those three was taken at Bushy Run Battlefield in Penn Township.
“It was on a late November morning at Bushy Run, and I thought it was a really cool-looking scene with the fog. I took my camera because I was kind of taking a little walk in the morning. And I liked the picture,” said David Glaser, who took second place in the landscapes and cityscapes category on his first time submitting.
The contest is an opportunity for photographers to get more exposure.
Glaser said he would definitely submit again in the future.
“If I get a decent picture that I think it’s worth it to send in, why not,” he said.
Featured Local Businesses
