Community Corner

Guardian Angel Cemetery Announces Amateur Photo Contest Winner

More than 1,000 Arts & Apples attendees voted on 140 photos in this year's competition.

When Royal Oak resident Susan Donnellon saw a lone angel ornament backlit by the setting sun at , she couldn't help using her new Canon Digital SLR camera — a gift from her family — to snap a photo.

"It was just kind of blowing in the wind," she recalled.

Donnellon, a Royal Oak Community Schools employee who said she just dabbles in photography, had gone to the cemetery with her husband to take photos specifically for Guardian Angel's after she heard about the competition from a family member.

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"My niece had gone to the Art & Apples Festival the year before and picked up a flier from the cemetery," Donnellon said. This year, Donnellon decided to submit the angel photo.

More than 1,000 attendees voted on 140 photos this year. Donnellon's angel photo beat the competition in the adult (19+) category, earning her a brand-new Nikon Coolpix digital camera and $250 for the charity or group of her choice.

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"It started as a student photo contest because we wanted to have kids have a better feeling and idea of a cemetery instead of being sad," cemetery Director Wendy Mann said. "We got a lot of feedback the first couple years about that."

The contest, now in its second year as an amateur photo contest, has grown every year since its inception five years ago.

"It's just exploded," Mann said. The contest, which includes a 19+ category and an under-18 category, is becoming so popular that organizers may include a 50+ category next year, Mann said.

"We got comments saying, 'Wow, how do I pick just one?' and 'Where is this cemetery? This is beautiful,' " Mann said. "We told people where we were, but it was more just to let people know that we’re here — it wasn’t a sales thing at all."

Donnellon said she voted at Art & Apples, too, though not for herself.

"I voted for my husband's photo," chuckled Donnellon. "He said, 'You deserve it.' "

Though Donnellon said she is delighted to win the contest, winning is not the reason she enjoys photography.

"It helps me capture special moments and God’s beauty all around us," she said.

Check back with Oakland Township Patch soon for information on the winner of the photo contest's under-18 amateur category.


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