The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Photo contest honors Edward Friedman
MIDDLETOWN — A photography contest in honor of the late Edward Friedman is being held at the Buttonwood Tree Performing Arts Center, 605 Main St.
According to the Buttonwood, Friedman came to center in 2017 with the idea that he wanted to share his images of the North End of Middletown with others. “His mission was to reveal the beauty and diversity of our neighborhood over the course of a year through his photographs. An amateur photographer, he worked with Buttonwood’s executive director, Anne-Marie McEwen, to choose photos to display from the hundreds he had,” according to the Buttonwood.
“He held a showcase, his first ever, in the summer of 2018. His friends and family came and it brought great joy to Ed to experience his work being seen,” McEwen said. “He came in after the photo exhibit and donated an image of daffodils to TBT, expressing his gratitude for what we had provided for him. It still hangs above the desk, a reminder of his gentle spirit and love for Middletown’s North End community.
“Friedman died in 2019. It was a great loss for our community and we are honoring him with this photo contest and exhibition,” according to McEwen.
The contest is open to all. To enter send a .jpg or ,png, no larger than 5 megabytes, by email to TBTphotocontest@gmail.com. Title every image with your First initial, underscore, Last name, underscore, name of photo. For example: B_Jones_cat. or R_Davis_sunset. In the email also include your name.
Fill out a registration form on our website and submit with your payment. No photos will be accepted without properly filled-in registration or identification. The contest is open to all age 18 and older: entry is $10, 3 photos for $25, or 10 for $50. (per individual).
Ages 17 and Under, entry is $5 per entry, 3 for $10. Or 10 for $35. Photos must have been taken by the youth. Scholarships are available to residents of Middletown, thanks to a grant from the Middletown Commission on the Arts– contact us for details. There are awards in each age group (1st, 2nd and 3rd place) in each of the following categories:
People, Places (landscapes, buildings …), Things (living or not, includes animals). Particular consideration will be given to photographs taken in Middletown. A special gift
will be awarded for an image voted best for “Finding The Light in Middletown” – taken in Middletown, in both the adult and youth age groups.
All winning images will be printed and framed by TBT and will become the property of TBT. An exhibition of winning photographs will take place in the spring of 2021.
Entries will be judged based on: Relation to theme, Originality, Creativity and Composition. Winners will be announced by email, and then to the general public via our website, Social Media pages and newspaper. The deadline to enter is March 1.
No photos will be accepted without proper registration, payment and properly identified images.
There are no fee refunds. If you have questions about the registration form, or anything, please contact us at TBTPhotoContest@gmail.com, or call 860-347-4957. You can also upload your photos via the links below.
Chief Judge is Matthew Kabel. Other judges: Cassandra Day, Bill DeKine, Paul Horton and Barbara McCane
Kabel has been a photography buff for over fifty years, receiving his 1st camera at 13. He has been a freelance photographer for the Middletown Press and adult educator at Middletown Adult education for over 40 years [night school] as well as 10+ other adult education programs around the state. Heworked at Midtown Photo for 32 years and has been photographing weddings and other social events professionally for more than 40 years. He is the superintendent of the photography department at the Durham Fair. He also collects cameras and Viewmaster 3d items.
Go to buttonwood.org for more details and to submit photos. For information, email TheButtonwoodTree@gmail.com. Visit www.buttonwood.org, or call 860-347-4957, 860205-4303.