Photography contest held at Ogdensburg school

Ogdensburg — Seventh- and eighth-graders took part in the 1st Annual Ogdensburg School PhotographyContest and Exhibit on Tuesday, May 30.
The event, which showcased 22 images from the students was designed as a fundraiser for Ogdensburg’s Class of 2018.
Prior to the event, professional photographer, Paul Michael Kane, visited the school and talked with the students about photography and using their creative vision to create an image, not just take a picture.
Kane, one of four class parents for the class of 2018, envisioned fundraiser that didn’t turn students into salespeople — but rather earn funding for the various events taking place during the kid’s final year at the Ogdensburg School with their creativity and singular vision.
“These kids took the event very seriously and generated some wonderful imagery,” said Kane.
Family members and residents turnout in terrific numbers, supporting both the arts and the students. The fundraising aspect came in the form of voting ballots, which could be purchased at the start of the exhibit. Patrons of the show then dropped any number of ballots into a collection bag alongside the student’s individual images. At the end of the show, the ballots were tallied and winners announced.
There was a “Best in Show” award presented to Gia Bonard, for her image entitled “The Girl Next Door.” Bonard was awarded a set of LightBox Photography Cards and a year-long, Family Membership to the Sparta Camera Club.
Two Runner-Up awards were given to TJ Ward for his image “Tunnel Vision” and Peyton Kane for her image “Going Green.”
One last image was honored and given the Paul Michael Kane Award for Photographic Excellence. This was awarded to Kendra Conaway for her image shot along the train tracks in Ogdensburg and was left as “Untitled.” Kane presented this award to Conaway as the professional photographer curated this award himself and picked the image that best represented the concepts he lectured on during his visit to the student’s art class. Along with the trophy and gift bag, Conaway will receive individual photographic instruction from Kane, who hopes to further develop her creative vision.