Winning Izaak Walton Preserve Wall Calendar Photos Picked

HOMEWOOD, IL — The Homewood Izaak Walton Preserve has selected 14 images taken by local photographers to be included in the 2020 Izaak Walton Preserve wall calendar, 12 for the months of the year and one each for the front and back covers. Calendars can be preordered here.

“The calendar committee was impressed with the number, quality and quantity of entries for our first calendar photo competition,” said Todd Wittenberg, the Izaak Walton board member who coordinated the event.

The Preserve expected modest participation - maybe 10-20 entries, according to a news release. However, nearly 60 photographers submitted almost 200 images to Homewood Izaak Walton’s Facebook page.

Four fans of photography at Homewood Izaak Walton, Howard Wolinsky, Kathie Hazlett, Heather Marcum and Penny Schnay, made the initial plans to hold a contest to help pick the photos.

Wittenberg began an online call out for nature photos of Izaak Walton. The public was then invited to submit as many as 12 photos on the preserve’s Facebook page.

Wolinsky invited three independent judges with no connection to the preserve to select 20 of their favorite photos, taking into account the seasons represented on the calendar and artistic merit.

The judges are Ken Carl, a Chicago-based freelance photographer, Richard Chapman Sr. and Richard Chapman Jr., who run a photo studio in the northwest suburbs.

“The magic of photography is conjured by the unlimited vision of each and every photographer," Carl said. "That magic is played out here in the photographs submitted.”

The calendar committee combined the picks of the judges and the Facebook “likes” of the public to make the final decisions.

They chose the following photographer's images to appear in the calendar.

• Kathleen Hazlett “Welcome” (Cover)
• Jade Fuentes “Frost Bite” (January)
• Jeff Maharry “Brisk Morning Beauty” (February)
• Jason Baldauf “Summer Sunrise” (March)
• Ryan Patrick “Our Love to Admire” (April)
• Bev Feldt “On Walton Pond” (May)
• Howard Wolinsky “Elderberry Tweet” (June)
• Rebecca L. Slagle “Christmas in July” (July)
• Laura Halfman “Rebirth” (August)
• Kate Robertson “Cali Girl” (September)
• Heather Marcum “HEROn (remix by the Great Blue)” (October)
• Michael MacDonald “I Can See You” (November)
• Dawn Leader- Pelosa “Twigsicles” (December)
• Chris Blomquist “September Morning Reflection” (Back Cover)

The charge is $12 for calendars picked up at the Walton cabin beginning on Oct. 26 when the preserve’s annual Art Show opens. The charge for calendars ordered for mail delivery is $15.