Photographers honored at Mt. Kisco exhibit

There were lots of amazing pictures from both veteran and newbie shutterbugs to ponder and enjoy at the village’s ninth annual photography exhibition, “The Nature, Culture & People of Mount Kisco.”

Folks crowded into the opening reception and awards ceremony on Sunday, Oct. 4, at the Mount Kisco Public Library.

The free exhibit ran through Oct. 23 in the library’s Community Room, with photographs also on display through Nov. 3 during early voting and Election Day.

Of the 201 photographs submitted, 84 were selected for the exhibit; 16 received five stars from the selection committee.

Winning photos could be seen at kiscophoto.org.

Certificates of merit went to two children, Gabriella Gonzalez and Ryan LaMothe, and 14 adults. The photographs were unanimously selected by a five-member panel based not necessarily on technical skill, but on their ability to evoke an emotion or tell a story.

The adult recipients were David Bedard, Robert Beringer, Debra Guida, Nicola Kent, Jean Lachaud, Renée Lomax, Maria Lundström, Bridget McNamee, Mark Mendelson, Alison Milonakis, John Pappas, Janet Nappi Roider, Danielle Stoveland and Nicole Sturomski.

The exhibit was organized by the Mount Kisco Conservation Advisory Council, the Mount Kisco Historical Society, the Mount Kisco Arts Council and the village’s Tree Preservation Board.

Members of the selection committee were Ralph Vigliotti, Shonan Noronha, Linda McCartney, John Rhodes and Aviva Meyer.

Refreshments were provided by the Mount Kisco Historical Society. Members of the refreshments committee were Linda McCartney, Diane Nicosia, Janet Nappi Roider and Zachary Strauss.

County Legislator Erika L. Pierce said she felt like she had gotten “whiplash” because she just wanted to race around the room looking at every one of the pictures.

She thanked participants for sharing their “incredible vision of this beautiful village with all of us.”

Mayor J. Michael Cindrich told photographers he was very proud of them for “taking part in preserving and perpetuating what Mount Kisco is and was.”

He added that he was glad there were still “hard copies” being made instead of digital photos because “too often cell phones just end up in a pile and nobody looks back at the pictures.”

He said every photo in the exhibit, when viewed “in depth,” allowed viewers to take away their own feelings about it.

“It’s just like a piece of artwork,” Cindrich said.

He especially liked a photograph of a child holding a payphone with the caption “What is this?”

“That picture, in my opinion, is priceless cause that may be the only payphone left in Westchester County,” he added, drawing chuckles from the crowd.