Skeptical Beaver, Spider At Work Among Izaak Walton Calendar Winners

HOMEWOOD, IL — The 14 winners of the fifth annual “Seasons of Izaak Walton” photo calendar competition for Homewood Izaak Walton Preserve were announced last week.

The contest attracted more than 200 entries from about 50 area photographers.

"The Izaak Walton Calendar Crew has done it again—five years in a row," said John Brinkman, president of the Homewood Izaak Walton Preserve. "We are so pleased to offer a 2024 Calendar featuring beautiful photos from our preserve. Many thanks to the volunteers that made this happen and to all of the participating photographers and judges.”

The winning entries are:

• January: “Unknown Pleasures” by Ryan Patrick, Homewood.
• February: “Rain and Snow” by Paul Reis, Oak Park.
• March: “Bridge View” by Byron Morgan, Crete.
• April: “Weaving in the Evening” by Tina Ray, Homewood.
• May: “Cuteness Overload” by Adan Martinez, Blue Island,
• June: “Young Buck” by Howard Wolinsky, Flossmoor.
• July: “Beaver Side Eye” by Kenneth Dalton Pangburn III, Homewood.
• August: “Golden Hour on the Pond” by Dawn Coen, Homewood.
• September: “Honeybee on Snakeroot” by Joseph Thomson, Oak Forest.
• October: “October Afternoon” by Linda Ferguson, Homewood.
• November: “Glowing Sunset” by James Shover, Homewood.
• December: “December” by Ingrid van Drongelen, Flossmoor.
• Front cover: “The Arrival” by Laura Barnoski, Flossmoor.
• Back cover: “Seeing Double” by Dave Hirschfield, Homewood.

Orders for the calendar can be made in the Homewood Izaak Walton office starting Saturday November 4 at 10 a.m. to noon in Senior Hall, 1100 W. Ridge, Homewood, IL 60430. Or online at: https://www.homewoodizaakwalton.com/calendar.

The cost of a calendar is $12 if picked up at the preserve and $15 if mailed. Proceeds will benefit the Preserve.

Judges included professional photographers from around the state.

“Another year, another wonderful collection of photographs from the Homewood Izaak Walton Preserve," said judge Richard "Camera 2" Chapman, an event and portrait photographer who works with his father Rich. "Each entrant shares with us a glimpse of their communion with nature. It's a gift I always enjoy. When selecting images, I find myself ultimately focusing on subject matter, composition, execution and the "wow" factor. When those elements combine in a fraction of a second, that's something special and it deserves to be celebrated."

Contest judge Henry Matthiessen III is a landscape photographer and owner of the Stoned Art Gallery and Premiere Photography Galleries of The Driftless Region, Mississippi Valley, Galena, Illinois.

"I was proud and honored to have been selected for the extremely difficult task of choosing from the vast body of beautiful works of so many talented Chicago area photographers to create the 2024 calendar," Matthiessen said.

--Mat Zook is a nature photographer from Plainfield-based nature photographer and contest judge Mat Zook is the founder of the 9,400-member Facebook page "Illinois Photography."

"This year’s photos were fantastic, and the process was very tough with all the great photos," Zook remarked. "I really enjoyed seeing so many entries this year. I enjoy it when a photo can capture a moment and tell you a story. I also look for photos that draw you in to the subject and your eyes can easily be drawn through the photo."

The Calendar Committee is made up of local amateur photographers who often take photos at HIWP. They are: Kathie Hazlett, Heather Marcum, Kenzo Pan, Tina Ray, James Shover, Penny Shnay, and Howard Wolinsky.

Francis Fullam and Wolinsky, both of Flossmoor, created the photo calendar in 2019.