Parks photo contest winners at QMA

Images captured of Queens parks that were selected as finalists of the “A Salute to Queens Parks Photo Contest” are now part of an exhibition that opened at the Queens Museum of Art on Sunday, December 2.
The contest was a collaboration between New York City Parks & Recreation and The Queens Courier. Publisher Victoria Schneps-Yunis got the idea after seeing a book that featured photographs of the Grand Canyon and decided that a similar project should be done in Queens.
“As a believer in the clich/, a picture is worth a thousand words, I know that Queens has unique vistas. Our photo contest proved that,” said Schneps-Yunis. “We’re delighted to have enjoyed over 350 people sending in entries and appreciate the sponsorships of Con Edison and New York Community Bank that enabled us to exhibit these works at the Queens Museum of Art.”
The entries were divided into three categories - nature/landscape, places/landmarks and people/individuals. In each category 12 finalists and one winner was selected.
“Everyone who submitted a photo really did a wonderful, wonderful job. There’s over 7,000 acres of parkland in Queens and people really caught their individual expression of themselves in their photos,” said Queens Parks Commissioner Dorothy Lewandowski. She continued, “I can’t thank everyone enough for really taking the time to go out and explore our parks and try to find that perfect spot.”
Photos from the contest are now on display in the panorama at the Queens Museum of Art. The museum’s executive director, Tom Finkelpearl, said that there are two types of photos in the contest - those that look like they are in Queens and those that look like they are not. He also said that both types are important.
During the exhibition opening, the three winners were recognized. The grand prize was awarded to Flushing resident Spiros Fourniotis for his photograph of Oakland Lake in Alley Pond Park.
“I was completely shocked,” said Fourniotis, who received a $75 voucher from Olympic Camera & Video. “I think it’s a great concept for Queens (and) it’s a great concept for photographers.”
Ridgewood resident Xiao Ying Shi received second place honors and a gift card to Best Buy for a photograph of the Unisphere titled “Loves the Lights.” He said that the first time he drove by the Unisphere he thought it was beautiful. He also said that he was very excited to have been selected as one of the winners.
Third place honors went to Brian Walters’ photo “Summer in the City,” which featured his son in Forest Park.
“I thought it was great because there are so many wonderful places in Queens,” Walter said. “A lot of them are overlooked.”
Joseph Aranha, a resident of Richmond Hill, was a finalist with a picture of a yoga class called “The Diversity of Hatha Yoga” that was taken in Kissena Corridor Park. He said that he thinks the photo contest will help bring more attention to Queens parks and stir more interest in them.
“A Salute to Queens Parks” will be on display at the Queens Museum of Art through February 3. For more information, visit www.nyc.gov/parks.