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Two Haverhill women with an eye for capturing evocative images excelled in this year’s Essex Heritage Commission’s photo contest.

The contest encourages photographers of all levels to capture the living landscapes, unique places and vibrant communities of Essex County.

In 2021, Kathy Diamontopoulos took the grand prize for her photo of a plover chick in a clam shell. She entitled her image “Beach Baby” and captured it at Sandy Point State Reservation in Ipswich.

She won the grand prize again this year for her photograph of a parent plover with chicks under its wings. She titled it “Precious Plovers” and also shot it at Sandy Point. The grand prize includes $300 in cash plus a $75 gift card to Hunt’s Photo.

“I was stunned when I was informed that I’d won a second grand prize, and again with an image of plovers,” Diamontopoulos said, adding piping plovers winter in the Gulf Coast and other southern areas and spend their summers in this part of New England and other northern areas.

A customer service representative for Middleton Electric Light, Diamontopoulos considers photography a “fierce hobby” and one that is very therapeutic.

To capture her 2021 winning Beach Baby image she used a Nikon Coolpix 1000 with a telephoto lens, but for this year’s winning photo she used a Nikon D7500 with a 500mm lens.

“The zoom lens allows me to get a close up photo without disturbing the birds, which is my number one priority,” she said. “Last summer I laid flat on the sand and waited for the plovers to pass by and hoped for the best. I kept a safe distance, as they are a threatened bird.”

She said oftentimes people who are walking the beach will ask her what she’s doing, and a conversation about the plovers will often ensue.

“Education is a good way to help us coexist with nature,” she said.

People’s Choice Award

This year’s People’s Choice Award winner, Alison Colby-Campbell, has been entering the contest on and off for the last 10 years with great success.

Her winning photo for this year’s contest, titled “All is Calm,” shows a rabbi checking the operation of an electric menorah in downtown Washington Square during the past Christmas season.

“I liked the image as it represented what I think is one of the best parts of Haverhill, and that is multiple cultures being able to share space peacefully,” said Colby-Campbell, a marketing and advertising professional who founded the Heartbeat of Haverhill on Facebook. “Haverhill is an underestimated city that has a lot to brag about.”

Her first entry in 2014, a first prize winner in the downtown category, showed ice flows on the Merrimack River with a backdrop of the former Woolworth Building. Also in 2014, she was honored with a People’s Choice Award for an autumn photo of Winnekenni Castle.

She won a People’s Choice Award in 2023 for an image of the Basiliere Bridge at night and taken during a riverboat sunset cruise.

“This year there were more than 30 images up for the award,” Colby-Campbell said. “I put the word out and people in Haverhill were very responsive and supportive of my images.” Her prize, to be awarded March 6, includes a $50 gift card to Rockafellas in Salem, Mass, and a one-day pass for admission and half day canoe rental ($30) at the Ipswich River Wildlife Photos courtesy of Essex Heritage

Sanctuary.

“I would not have won this contest for a second time if it had not been for friends and family,” Colby-Campbell said.

Her 2014 images were captured with Canon and Nikon digital cameras, while last year’s and this year’s images were taken with a Samsung smartphone.

From rocky coasts and rural farms to historic downtowns and parks, photographers vividly captured a variety of special places in Essex County for this year’s contest. All photographs were taken within the Essex National Heritage Area in 2023 and fell into the categories of “Buildings, Blocks, and Neighborhoods,” “Celebrating Our Communities,” “Four Season,” and a themed youth category which asked young people to show us why they love where they live.

2People’s Choice Award Winner

“All is Calm,” by Alison Colby-Campbell of Haverhill, taken in Haverhill

Photo Contest Reception and Exhibit:

The public is invited to attend an in-person Essex Heritage Photo Contest Reception on Wednesday, March 6, at 6 p.m. at the Salem Armory Visitor Center, 2 New Liberty St. The reception is free, open to the public and light refreshments will be available. The 14 winning images are on display at the Center through the end of March.

See winning photographs on the Essex Heritage Facebook page or at essexheritage.org/programs/photo-contest/.

Support for the Photo Contest was generously contributed by North Shore Bank, DeIulis Brothers Construction, Geller MicroAnalytical Labs, Groom Construction, and the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission. Other prize sponsorships were donated by Hunt’s Photo & Video, Ipswich River Watershed Association, REI, SEE Shore Photography, The Trustees, Mass Audubon, Harbor Sweets, Rockafellas Restaurant, and Atomic Café.

023 Essex Heritage Photo Contest Winners:

Grand Prize Winner

“Precious Plovers,” by Kathy Diamontopoulos of Haverhill, taken in Ipswich

Category: Buildings, Blocks, and Neighborhoods

1st Place – “Man at the Wheel,” by Jason Kennedy of Nashua, N.H., taken in Gloucester

2nd Place – “Pink House, Half Moon,” by Catherine Grassello of Wakefield, taken in Newbury

3rd Place – “Lollipop Trees,” by Karen Hosking of Salem, Mass., taken in Manchester-by-the-Sea

Category: Celebrating Our Communities

1st Place – “Ice Breaker,” by Francisco Urena of Marblehead, taken in Boxford

2nd Place – “Jackson Cup,” by Mark Katz of Marblehead, taken in Marblehead

3rd Place – “Enjoying the Show,” by Rick Matthias of Salem, Mass., taken in Salem

Category: Four Seasons

1st Place – “Springtime Eaglet — It’s Your Turn to Feed,” by Carin Macnamara of Wakefield

2nd Place – “Cygnets Amidst Fall Hues,” by Deric LePard of Salem, Mass., taken in Andover

3rd Place – “River Snowfall,” by Brian Searles of Topsfield, taken in Topsfield

Youth Category

1st Place – Merrimack River in Lawrence,” by Dante Cutietta of Tewksbury, taken in Lawrence

2nd Place – “Grasshopper,” by Georgana Cauthers of Gloucester, taken in Gloucester

3rd Place – “Mushroom Meadow,” by Jameson Dick of Ipswich, taken in Topsfield

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