Arlington Students Capture Local History in Photo Contest

Middle and high school students fine-tuned their photography skills as they explored the perfect Arlington locations to enter in the recent Capturing Arlington photography contest, sponsored by Central Library’s Virginia Room, the library’s local history collection.

“The rapidly changing face of Arlington was the inspiration for the contest. One of the missions of the Virginia Room is to document these changes, and we saw this as an opportunity to ‘capture’ images that reflect these changes while also engaging students in the process,” said Judith Knudsen, Virginia Room manager.

Entries were judged on composition, as well as on the site and subject matter selected. “Hopefully by inviting students to contribute to the ‘historical record,’ it will stimulate their interest in learning about the history of their community,” Knudsen commented.

First, second and third prizes were awarded to the top photos in both the middle and high school categories. First-prize winners won $150, while second prize was $100 and third prize was $75. The Friends of the Library generously provided the money for the prizes.

Middle School Winners

First Prize: Alice Naland, Kenmore Middle School, 6th grade

Mario's Pizza House, 3322 Wilson Blvd.

Naland was inspired to photograph Mario’s Pizza House “because it has been in business for more than 50 years, and it could be in jeopardy of being torn down because it is near the Metro and could be replaced by apartments.” She explained that her family enjoys going to Carvel, in the same building as Mario's, and they would be disappointed if the space became used for an apartment building that looked like many others in Arlington.

Second Prize: Jessica Troup, Swanson Middle School, 8th grade

Public Shoe Store, 3137 Wilson Blvd.

Public Shoe has always caught Troup’s attention, she said. Because more of the nearby landscape is increasingly brand new, “it makes you notice the things that don't change,” she noted. Even with all of the changes, “Public Shoe is still there, tucked away. It's the type of thing that can be easily overlooked if you quickly pass it,” she said, adding that one reason she wanted to enter the contest was for the opportunity “to shed light on things that may usually be ignored.”

Troup decided to enter the contest after seeing an ad in the Sun Gazette. She shared that she has always loved taking pictures and decided to give entering a contest a try. Of her win, she stated, “It’s an amazing feeling to get the first bit of proof that you are actually good at what you love.”

Third Prize: Elana Margosis, Swanson Middle School, 8th grade

Rick's Tattoos, 4818 Lee Hwy.

Rick’s Tattoos appealed to Margosis as a location to photograph for the Capturing Arlington contest because “I thought it fit the theme perfectly. It is part of a strip of one-level shops, the sides of the building were peeling off and there was a remodeler's sign next to it,” she said.

After hearing about the contest from a friend and looking it up online, Margosis thought that participating “sounded like fun.” She also received encouragement from her grandmother, a photographer, and her mother, an artist.

High School Winners

First Prize: Peyton Wilson, Yorktown High School, 10th grade

Rosewood Imports, 4050 Lee Hwy., formerly The Family Tea House, a

Chinese restaurant

Of the motivation behind his choice to photograph Rosewood Imports, Wilson said, “It is across the street from the Toyota service garage where my parents take their cars. When I looked at it more closely, I noticed that the architecture was intriguing because I had never seen a building with that kind of round piece at one end. It is a very cool looking building.”

Wilson has enjoyed taking photos during the past couple of years and thought that he would try his hand at entering a contest that didn’t require artistic photos. Of his experience taking photos to submit for the contest, he said, “It was interesting to try to find places that might not have been photographed before and to think that maybe my pictures would be added to history records for Arlington County.”

An interest in local history runs in Wilson’s family. His late grandfather, Ernie Golden, was a draftsman for Arlington County in the 1930s and 1940s who worked on county maps and painted a picture of Washington-Lee High School that hangs in Central Library’s Virginia Room.

Second Prize: Natasha Sheppard, Yorktown High School, 12th grade                    

T.A. Sullivan & Son Monuments, 3023 Washington Blvd.

After learning about the Capturing Arlington contest from her photography teacher, who created an assignment for students to enter the contest, Sheppard chose T.A. Sullivan & Son Monuments to photograph because “I remember when I was little driving by this place and noticing how tiny the store was and then noticing that all the buildings around it were so big. It’s still there, even though smaller shops are being torn down in that area.”

Sheppard, who said she likes photography, enjoyed entering the contest because “I liked the idea that someone other than my photo teacher will be seeing my photography.” She also appreciated the opportunity for other people to see her work.

Third Prize: Matthew Welborn, H.B. Woodlawn High School, 12th grade

Green Valley Pharmacy, 2415 S. Shirlington Rd.

While completing an architecture assignment for his photography class, Welborn used black and white film in a borrowed Nikon camera to photograph the Green Valley Pharmacy. “It stood out to me, as it looks very different from most of the buildings in Arlington. It is much more local and quaint and old-fashioned, and I thought that it would be a good example of what should be preserved in Arlington,” he explained.

Welborn emphasized the importance of preserving Arlington’s history. “As a suburb of the nation's capital, Arlington has an interesting past. While it is a much more urban place now, I enjoy learning about and seeing images of when Arlington was much more rural. I think it will be interesting for people to look at the photos from this contest and see a part of their hometown that is disappearing,” he noted.

Honorable Mentions

Because of the number of impressive submissions for the contest, the library also awarded 10 honorable mentions.

Elio-Alejandro Collantes, Washington-Lee High School

I-66 at Virginia border with Rosslyn in background

Erin Daniell, Washington-Lee High School

Westover Market, 5863 Washington Blvd.

Maya Giacobbe, Wakefield High School

Cherrydale Hardware, 3805 Lee Hwy.

Helen Land, Yorktown High School

Tops Cleaners, 5210 Lee Hwy.

Adrianna Mitchell, Kenmore Middle School

Wilson Boulevard and George Mason Drive strip mall

Dario M. Mitchell, H.B. Woodlawn High School

Watch & Clockworks, N. Florida Street and Wilson Boulevard

Stephen Moran, H.B. Woodlawn High School

Lyon Hall, formerly Dan Kain Trophies, 1020 N. Highland St.

Jeremy Nussbaum, Yorktown High School

David M. Brown Planetarium, 1426 N. Quincy St.

Haley Tymeson, Yorktown High School

First Baptist Church of Clarendon, 1210 N. Highland St., in transition as it is rebuilt to include a section of affordable housing, 2010

Markus Wolf, Williamsburg Middle School

United Bank, 5335 Lee Hwy.

The prints will be exhibited on the first floor of Central Library in April. All photos will become part of the Virginia Room's permanent archival collection.

For more on the contest, visit http://arlingtonvalib.blogspot.com/2011/02/meet-winners-of-capturing-arlington.html.