August 21, 2007 PRESS RELEASE

Winners in “Art In Agriculture” Photo Contest
Retired Police Captain Wins Popular Vote

About 60 photographs of the black dirt region were submitted by local photographers for the contest, held during Summer Fest last weekend. Summer Fest was organized by the PLAV (Post 16) and the Pine Island Fire Department.

From 60 submissions, 45 were chosen for display. The quality of the photos was outstanding. Almost 250 members of the public voted and many of them said choosing was almost impossible because so many pictures were excellent. Almost every picture got at least one vote. The theme was “Art in Agriculture” and a criterion for top choice was whether they would be suitable for reproduction as Pine Island post cards – that is, promote the black dirt region.

A dramatic panorama of onions in the black dirt with Mount Adam and Mount Eve in the background, taken by retired police captain Robert Breese of Pine Island, won the popular vote in the “Art in Agriculture” photo contest run by the Pine Island Chamber of Commerce.

Breese, whose hobby is photography, won the $100 First Prize, donated by the Pine Island Branch of the Bank of America. A police officer in Saddle River, NJ., for more than 20 years, he moved to Pine Island almost two years ago.

Another onion fields landscape taken by Carol Mindnich near her Merritt’s Island home in Pine Island, won the $75 second prize. Mindnich, a photographer specializing in beach scenes, captured a double rainbow in her moody photo.

 
Both the $50 third Prize and the Special Mention of $25 went to Jerry Kalogeratos, a retired cinematographer, who lives in Pine Island. Both his winning pictures were onion fields dominated by dramatic skies, one at sunset and the other filled with clouds.

All the prizes were awarded by the Bank of America, which will also display the winning photos in the Pine Island branch starting next week. The Pine Island Chamber of Commerce will issue several of the winning pictures as post cards later this year.