Every photo has a story to tell, and that phrase holds very true for the Wilton Art Council’s 25th annual photography exhibit, FOCUS ‘25, now on display at the Wilton Library through Wednesday, Apr. 23.

FOCUS ‘25, comprises 211 photographs from 128 photographers (79 adults, 28 high school students, 18 youths, and three judges) representing 25 cities and towns in Connecticut, New York and Massachusetts. Images cover a broad range of subjects from street scenes and landscapes to still lifes and flowers, from animals to birds, and from people to abstracts. Creativity abounds with many titles, too.

Ronald Lake of Stamford won Best of Show in FOCUS ‘25, for his photograph entitled “Dark Desert” [main photo, above.]

The community is invited to attend the opening reception and awards presentation on Friday, Mar. 21 from 6-7:30 p.m. at the Wilton Library. Many of the photos are available for sale.

In addition to the Best of Show, other awards were:

Adult Division

1st Place: “Black Sands — Iceland” by Loure Shaw (Ridgefield)
2nd Place: “Cannondale’s Little Lady ” by Tiffany Shelton (Wilton)
3rd Place: “Time’s Fragile Hold” by Robyn Abrams, (Newtown)

Honorable mentions in the adult division are awarded to: “Weston #3” by Ryan Bronz (Fairfield); “Just Dreams” by Lisa Jarosik (Stratford); “Pop of Color” by Courtney Krankall (Wilton); “Sahara Sunset” by Ronald Lake (Stamford); “Foggy Iceland” by Ariel Ling (New Canaan); “Pink Whisper” by Cyn Elise Sterback (Shelton); and “Angel’s Wings” by Rick Tango (Danbury).

High School Division (9-12 grade)

1st Place: “Bird’s Eye Over Blue” by Ean Frankel (Westport)
2nd Place: “Autumn’s Embrace” by Claire Parelli (New Canaan)
3rd Place: “Eternal Light” by Will DeBernadis (Wilton)

Honorable mentions in the high school student division are awarded to: “Big Sur” by Yubleiska Gutierrez (Norwalk); “Hidden in Bloom” by Lucia Kwei (Wilton); “Gaudi’s Waves of Stone” by Nikhil Raval (Riverside, CT); and “Echoes of Departure” by Nico Stefanoni (Darien).

Youth Division (through 8th grade)

1st Place: “Endless Sights” by Ameliia Yerenkova (Wilton)
2nd Place: “Donkeys of Ireland” by Colleen Queally (Wilton)
3rd Place: “Looking Down” by Lila Richardson (Wilton)

Honorable mention in the youth division are also awarded to: “Lost in the Woods” by Rex Daily (Wilton); “Duck on the Run” by Lila Richardson (Wilton); “Chesapeake Sunset” by Grady Schirf (Wilton); and “Sun’s final act” by Ameliia Yerenkova (Wilton).

FOCUS ’25 was judged by Ralph Baskin, fine art photographer; Tom Mezzanotte, artist, photographer, and educator; and Oliver Varga, FOCUS ’24 Best of Show recipient.

Musical entertainment for the reception will be provided by Ken Knox of Wilton on keyboard.