Before submitting his entry to the Waukegan Public Library’s January photography contest depicting winter, Caden McFadden, a student at the Christian Life School in Kenosha, snapped approximately 50 photos with his new camera.
Looking at squirrels gathering food in the middle of winter around his Waukegan home, Caden took a walk into the neighborhood. He had a number of pictures already and his mother, Meghan, had a suggestion.
“We were taking a walk in a park in our neighborhood and my mother said, ‘You should take a picture of that tree and the sunset,’” Caden said. “I liked it best and (other) people said it was the best.”
Judges at the Waukegan Public Library liked Caden’s sunset picture depicting squirrels’ nests and snow-covered roofs in Waukegan best as well, as it recently took first place in the library’s winter photography contest for its creative depiction of a winter scene.
Rosario Colin, a children’s reference associate at the library who helped organize and run the contest, said Caden’s photo showing a variety of winter elements at once was a contributing factor to his winning effort. He wins a $25 gift card for his effort.
“He captured nature and wildlife, which was very impressive looking up at a tree and seeing the squirrels’ nests,” Colin said. “It was easy to see all this in the shot.”
During a visit to the library in December, Caden said he saw a poster for the contest, told his mother about it and decided to start taking pictures for the contest. He did not look for just one. He took a lot, with a focus on squirrels.
With a month to take pictures and select the right one to enter in the contest, he said he decided to seek counsel from family and friends. He took the initial array of photos and created a form on his computer so he could share all the photos and get opinions.
“We set up a Google Form so our friends and family could vote,” Caden said. “It showed all the pictures. I kept adding pictures. After a while, we saw a lot of people loved the squirrels.”
Patience was part of Caden’s effort, too. He said he stood 30 feet away from the squirrels. He used a zoom lens to get close-up pictures. Meghan McFadden said he patiently waited for the right moment as he held his camera.
After taking the sunset picture he eventually entered, Caden said it was his favorite. As people kept voting on his Google Form, there was consensus and he uploaded the eventual winner to the library’s website.
Each year, Colin said the library looks for a different type of contest to get young people involved. In the past, the youngsters submitted written work, and last year it was a “mini canvas.”
“The goal is to find all different media of art for the kids of Waukegan,” Colin said. “Most kids have a camera at their fingertips with their phone, so this was something accessible to a wide range of families.”
With the contest open to all third through eighth graders in Waukegan, Colin said, “Hopefully some kids will discover a hidden talent.”
Caden said he plans to continue working on his photography, combining it with his technology skills. He is already into film editing. He hopes to take a class offered in the high school at Christian Life in digital photography.
