Thomas, WV – The Cortland Foundation is thrilled to announce the launch of our annual Photography Contest, inviting talented photographers from all backgrounds to showcase their creativity and vision. The submission window for entries opens on May 1, 2024.

The Photography Contest aims to celebrate the beauty of life and the resilience of the human spirit through captivating images. The theme chosen for this year’s competition is “Changes”.   Fourteen winners will be selected by our esteemed judge, Frank Ceravalo, a prominent West Virginia photographer based in Martinsburg, WV. Selected photographs will be transformed into stunning 45 x 30-inch prints and prominently displayed in the Cortland Rehab wing for one year, offering inspiration and joy to residents, staff and visitors alike.

“After a challenging period, we believe in the power of art to uplift and inspire,” says Crystal Boone, Foundation Director. “Through this Photography Contest, we hope to foster creativity, community, and connection, while also supporting the vital work of the Cortland Foundation.”

In addition to large-scale prints, a concentrated display area will be added to the Pendleton Lounge situated in the Blackwater Short-Term Rehab Center common area. The Gallery will include twenty-two feet of wall space and showcase different sizes and  orientations to allow for even more local images and regional talent to be on display. There is no specified number of images to be selected and The Gallery will be curated by this year’s contest judge and the Cortland Foundation.  

Following the one-year exhibition period, the prints will be offered for sale with all proceeds benefiting the Cortland Foundation’s mission to enhance the quality of life for residents and support essential programs and services.

Photographers interested in participating are invited to submit their images through the Cortland Acres website at http://blackwater.cortlandacres.org/. Submissions will be accepted through May 31, 2024. Participants are encouraged to review the contest rules and guidelines available on the website.  Questions may be directed to David Johnston at dsjohnstonWV@gmail.com.  Photographers of the winning images will be notified by mid-July. Unveiling of the exhibition will occur during the ARTober Fest at Timberline Resort, October 4 – 6, 2024.  

Judge Ceravalo chose the theme “Changes” with hope of seeing images that reflect transitions, movement, contrasts or evolutions.  The full description for the theme is located within the Rules and Guidelines on the Cortland Acres website.

Ceravalo’ s passion for photography and keen eye for detail will undoubtedly enrich the judging process.  All photographs submitted will be judged on criteria such as creativity, composition, technical proficiency and adherence to the contest theme.  Ceravalo’ s expertise will play a pivotal role in selecting the winning photographs. 

“We are excited to see the diverse perspectives and stories captured through the lens of talented photographers,” adds Boone. “Together, we can create a gallery of beauty and inspiration that celebrates the human experience.”

Cortland Acres Long Term Care and Rehabilitation is a leading provider of long-term care, rehabilitation (in-patient & out-patient) and skilled nursing services in Thomas, WV.  With a commitment to compassionate care and innovative programs, Cortland Acres strives to enhance the well-being and quality of life for residents and their families.  The Cortland Acres campus includes a 94-bed long-term care facility, a new rehabilitation center, inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation programs, independent living units at Pineview and The Pines. The campus also houses a health center and pharmacy as well as offices of visiting medical specialties. For more information on Cortland Acres or to set up an appointment or tour call 304-463-4181 or visit www.cortlandacres.org.

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Some say a picture is worth a thousand words, but a Texas-based professional photographer fills novels with each click of the shutter.

Scott Foley, a photographer known for his work with the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo, spoke to a small group of students in Classroom Hall at Texas A&M University-San Antonio on April 3. The presentation included a PowerPoint that showed pictures from his career and an opportunity for students to ask questions.

Foley developed a passion for photography at 8 years old while working with his dad. Because his father was often busy running two camera stores and a restaurant, developing film in the evenings became the one time of the day where they could consistently spend time together.

“We would spend 3,4,5,6 hours in the darkroom at night, and that was the only time I had with him,” Foley said.

This work with film has had a significant influence on his photography.

Foley joined the Air Force after graduating high school and retired as a lieutenant colonel in 2015 after 27 years of service. During his service, he spent his free time working as a freelance photographer.

The death of his father led to a reflective period of his work: Was there something there that he just wasn’t able to see? Were his photos missing a part of the story?

“When I lost him in 2000 when he passed away, that’s when I started seeing emotion in photography and people. I didn’t see it growing up,” Foley said.

Foley described the importance of storytelling through photographs. When he was younger, capturing action was his main focus in photography. However, through experience he has learned the value of capturing emotion in his pictures and showing the observer what it was like to be there.

In the years since his retirement from the military, he fine-tuned his skills and became an accomplished professional photographer who dabbles in all commercial photography.

Since then, he has worked on multiple contracts with both the U.S. Department of the Interior and, most recently, the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo.

“I fell in love with rodeo,” Foley said. “That is probably now my favorite sport to photograph.”

His work at the rodeo has been featured in promotional material for the rodeo, including one particular picture that was used for a Wrangler’s ad campaign.

Foley’s recent contract with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service helped him log nearly 25,000 driving miles as he photographed the wilds of Alaska.

Foley’s campus visit was organized by Enlace, a student-run digital media studio that aims to prepare students for a career in communications.

“I appreciate him being honest with his thoughts, especially when it comes to the career field,” said Jesus “Trey” Delgado, general business senior and executive producer for Enlace Media Lab. “I just appreciate how real he was about the industry and giving experience to everyone who was there.”

Jenny Moore, A&M-San Antonio’s professor of clinical communications and an adviser for Enlace, said students can learn lessons from professionals that they may not receive from the faculty, which is important in a collaborative, interconnected field such as communications.

Enlace provides “presentations that expose students to the field that they are pursuing” said Christopher Valdovinos, one of the student workers in the group. 

Valdovinos said the Enlace Media Lab team is a sponsored club run by four student workers overseen by a faculty adviser, that provides hands-on learning to create alternate styles of media.

Delgado, who attended the event, said he gained a different way of looking at things: There is no need to rush, to take your time and see where to get the best photos and to just get creative when photographing any subject.

Delgado plans to apply techniques learned from this presentation toward an upcoming competition at the annual convention of the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association (TIPA), a collegiate journalism association in Texas.

The audience remained engaged throughout the presentation, asking questions and laughing at stories that Foley shared.

One student asked for advice for beginning photographers who want to make a living off of their work.

“You gotta commit,” Foley said. “You have to go all in.” He also recommended finding photo styles to specialize in that could be regular sources of income, such as weddings or portraits.

Although this is only the second industry professional speaker the Enlace Media Lab has hosted this spring, Delgado looks forward to being able to host more guest speakers in the future. They may even see a return of Foley himself.

For more information, visit https://enlace.tv/.

To view Foley’s professional work, visit https://www.scottfoleyphotography.com/.

Our Correspondent

Palampur, April 15

Visitors will now enrich their experience with some new additions and modifications at the Sobha Singh Art Gallery at the famous art village Andretta, 11 km from here.

The gallery management has yielded to the long-standing demand of visitors to allow clicking of photographs and making videos of the famous paintings by Sobha Singh and artifacts associated with him. However, commercial photography and filming will not be allowed to honour the copyrights of all displayed works.

Four original paintings — Lord Krishna, Guru Teg Bahadur, martyr Flight Lieutenant Harjit Singh Kahlon and American writer Lilian Bishoff — have been displayed in the gallery for the first time.

As per the expert advice of the UK-based internationally renowned art restorer Ian Barrand and visual artist Bhajan Hunjan, the invaluable paintings have been encased in toughened glass to protect these from wear and tear.

The visitors who do not want to remove shoes will be provided shoe covers to enter the gallery, museum and the studio where famous original paintings and artifacts have been displayed.

Another facility that has been added is the demonstration of various art forms, like Lipan art, Mandala art, Kangra folk art “Likhnu” and traditional paintings to contemporary sculptures, quilling craft, etc. to visitors by experts.

#Palampur