COURTESY PHOTO
Take photos of nature, dogs, wildlife and possibly more for the Winter Photo Contest at Breakheart Reservation.
By BRIDGET TURCOTTE
SAUGUS — Nature lovers with an eye for photography could see photographs they take in Breakheart Reservation end up on display in the local nature preserve.
Breakheart is holding a Winter Photo Contest, sponsored by the Friends of Breakheart Reservation, the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) and Hunt’s Photo & Video of Melrose.
In its second year, the competition has changed its categories to include a wider array of scenery options. Winners will be chosen in Wild Breakheart, Seasons of Breakheart and People and Pets categories. All photos must be taken at the park.
Last year, photos were strictly of nature, dogs and wildlife.
“I believe they have places at Breakheart that they wanted to expand the contest to include, like the visitors center,” said Peter Rossetti, chairman of the Friends of Breakheart. “For the animal one, they are trying to see if they can get something other than mostly dogs. A lot of people liked taking pictures of their dogs last year, that was probably the most popular category.”
Susan Tremonte of Melrose took first place in last year’s nature photo contest. Her photo depicts a walking path surrounded by tall trees with light peeking in between them. It was taken while on a hike with her parents, she said.
“I’ve always liked photography and I’ve been starting to work with some of my students on taking pictures with their iPhones,” said Tremonte, a recreational specialist at SEEM Collaborative, a Stoneham-based organization that provides educational programming services to students with moderate to severe disabilities in public schools. “I’m teaching them that they don’t need to have a lot of equipment, they just need to have an eye for it.”
When she won, the photo was printed and framed for her by Hunt. She showed it to her students to show them that they don’t need to be professionals at something to enter a contest.
“I want to encourage them to try something new and test the waters,” she said. “I encouraged them to enter the contest this year.”
After the competition was over, Tremonte chose to attend other events at Breakheart and volunteered for Park Cleanup Day. She has joined the Friends and, this year, will help judge the contest.
Submissions can be made by amateaur photographers from now until Feb. 28. First place winners will be awarded a $50 gift card to Hunt’s and all winning entries and a few chosen honorable mentions will be printed and framed by the store and displayed in their gallery.
Rossetti said he would also like to see the photographs on display somewhere at Breakheart, like the Christopher P. Dunne Visitor Center.
A gallery opening featuring contest winners will be held at Hunt on March 22.
“For people who want to get pictures in the snow, it’s a perfect time to get up there,” said Rossetti. “They have quite a bit of snow. For all the kids looking for things to do during their day off from school, a day up at Breakheart might not be such a bad idea.”
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Bridget Turcotte can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @BridgetTurcotte.
