Winning Images Announced In Phillips’ Mill Photographic Exhibition

NEW HOPE, PA — On a warm spring evening, the historic gristmill that houses the Phillips’ Mill Community Association was brightly illuminated and filled with photography aficionados. About 200 attendees gathered both indoors and on the back lawn for the artists’ reception that opened the Mill’s 32nd Photographic Exhibition.

Showcasing 150 contemporary works across many genres, from portraiture to nature to abstraction, the 2025 Phillips’ Mill Photographic Exhibition was selected by a panel of three jurors: Jennifer King, an internationally acclaimed landscape and fine-art photographer; Kristen King, a veteran photography instructor in Bucks County high schools; and Nora Odendahl, co-chair of the Phillips’ Mill Photo Committee, whose members are responsible for putting on the exhibition.

As part of the jurying process, these judges also chose images for ten special awards. Sue Ann Rainey, a longtime Bucks County resident and the other co-chair of the Photo Committee, presented the prizes to recipients on Saturday evening.

Bucks County resident Harold Stetson won “Best of Show” for "Number 40," a classic black-and-white photograph of an engineer working on an antique steam locomotive.

Best in Show, “Number 40” by Harold Stetson.

“I'm fascinated by old tools and old industrial technology,” says Stetson. “I like to concentrate on the men and women working on a locomotive, for example, getting it ready for the day's work or, in the case of Number 40, putting it to bed for the night. The skills, tools, and experience needed haven’t changed much in 100 years and it's still just as difficult and dirty as it was then. My goal was to make a photograph that demonstrates this to the viewer while at the same time bringing out the beauty and power of the locomotive.”

“Best Body of Work” went to New Jersey resident Richard Van Fleet for his series of moody figurative images, including a ghostly double exposure and a screen of water droplets. He notes that using a studio setting “provided controlled lighting, environment, wardrobe — and imagination.”

Two other Bucks County residents won jurors’ awards for very different subject matter. Myhanh Bosse’s "Blues" portrays a pensive young Hmong girl living in Laos, and Susan Kott’s "Time’s Up" is a photo collage that melds organic and mechanical symbols of mortality. The latter image is featured on the PMPE’s poster.

Myhanh Bosse's "Blues" won a Junor's Award.

Both "Number 40" by Harold Stetson and "Old Timers" by Philadelphian Linda Hollinger, a portrait of an antique-record collector, which took second place in the show, exemplify the best of black-and-white photography. Other award winners are paeans to the emotive qualities of a colorful palette.

In "The Margaret Todd," which won a juror’s award, John Bohnel of New Jersey creates a serene view of a four-masted schooner at anchor in Bar Harbor that is infused with the glowing hues of dawn. J. J. Raia, another New Jerseyan, captures fleeting magic in Pastel Fog, Jordan Lake, NC, a painterly image chosen for the Rodney Miller Memorial Award.

"The Margaret Todd" by John Bohnel won a Juror’s Award.

Recalling the moment of shooting this photo, Raia muses that “it’s a rare occurrence when the intersection of light and atmospherics generates a broad symphony of color that can dazzle the mind and touch our soul.”

A complete list of award winners and their photos are posted on the Phillips’ Mill website, but these images represent only a small fraction of the works on display. In addition to the framed photos on the walls, multiple portfolio bins provide a secondary photo show in themselves.

Photo Committee co-chair Rainey is very pleased with the current show. “The exhibition is always impressive, and I enjoyed curating and hanging the images in sections that fit together like a puzzle. Every year we get many returning artists and some first-timers who are full of excitement and enjoy seeing what their fellow artists have created.”

Adds co-chair Odendahl, “Behind the scenes, our volunteers have conceived and executed every aspect of this exhibition. The result is professional in quality and amply demonstrates their love for the art of photography.” New volunteers are always welcome to join the Photo Committee. For information, email photo@phillipsmill.org.

The Photographic Exhibition will be on view at Phillips’ Mill, 2619 River Road, New Hope 18938, through April 18. Hours are 1 to 5 p.m. on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays, and 1 to 8 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. A donation of $5 is requested, and all works are available for purchase, as well as Phillips’ Mill Photo tees and totes.