Pictured, from the left, are the Best of Show Winners: Becky Nicholl, Hazel Rutan, and Dennis Schaub. (EXAMINER PHOTO | NIKKI BURKHAMER)
By Nikki Burkhamer
Examiner Contributor
Kelly Sage, owner of Kelly’s Photography, had an afternoon full of deciding where more than 180 photos would place in this year’s competitive open class photography contest Sunday, July 7, at the Logan County Fair.
“I hope I didn’t upset anybody. It was ridiculously hard to choose,” Sage said.
Three local young people represented the Youth Class categories. Hazel Rutan was “feeling pretty happy” when she was awarded Best of Show for her photo of A Highland Cow from Pfarr Farms.
“This was the first trip that I was on that I used a digital camera,” she beamed. Hazel will be a sixth-grader at Bellefontaine Middle School this fall.
Malory Vickery was one of the two Reserve Best of Show winners in this youth category. Though she has only been practicing photography for a couple of months, her photo of a deer that was taken outside of her own home, garnered quite an award. This made the student, who attends St. Ignatius School of Cincinnati, very happy. Also awarded a Reserve Best of Show Ribbon-Youth was Max Noe.
Becky Nicholl won the Best of Show-Color for the pink rose with two bees that she captured. Becky has been taking pictures for over 40 years.
When asked how she felt about winning Best of Show, she answered, “I’m pretty proud. I had six ribbons, and my husband had five. I beat him by one ribbon. So, we did pretty good together,” she giggled.
“Just keep trying and you’ll win a ribbon,” she added.
Gary Kauffman was awarded Reserve Best of Show-Color for his owl entry. When asked where he took his photo, he said he wanted to keep that a secret, but it was taken in a wooded area in Logan County.
“I’ve been entering photos in the Logan County Fair for over 30 years,” he said.
Also, the Best of Show-Black and White was given to Denis Schaub. Reserve Best of Show-Black and White was awarded to Tanner Hurley.
Photography Judge Sage stated, “I’m feeling pretty emotional because I was looking for a story,” and she found that story in Tanner’s poignant photo that was taken during his grandfather’s funeral.
“When I made that picture the Reserve Winner, I knew I wanted to talk to that photographer,” Kelly said.
Tanner, who will be a junior at Calvary Christian, this fall, had much to say about the man he memorialized in this award-winning picture. Ernie Sharp passed away after suffering with cancer for over a year.
“He meant a lot to the community. He was really fond of his ‘Hot Rod’,” Tanner stated with dignity. “When he left family events he would always burn out as he was leaving. His final ride was really great,” Tanner shared.
Mr. Sharp’s casket was placed in the back of his vintage truck, and he was transported to his burial place by his beloved vehicle. This is what Tanner photographed with his own phone.
“It meant a lot to everyone because he loved his truck so much. They burned out in front of his house, too. It was sentimental.”
