Photography Contest Judges
CPF thanks our wonderful community photography contest judges for their time and for sharing their expertise.
Anne Saltman
Anne Saltman is an amateur photographer with a background in environmental planning. She retired from the CNY Regional Planning and Development Board where she was responsible for municipal climate action plans and natural resource programming. Anne remains active with local organizations such as the Cazenovia Area Community Development Association (CACDA), the Cazenovia Garden Club, and the Cazenovia Preservation Foundation. She currently volunteers with the Red Cross, conducts research on local indicators of climate change, and handles photography requirements for the Garden Club. Anne serves as Chair of the 2025 CPF photography contest.
Brooke Ryan
A Cazenovia native, Brooke returned in 2002 with her husband to raise their family. She began photographing at age 12 and had a basement darkroom. Today, she often uses a full-spectrum converted digital camera and infrared filters to capture the beauty of the natural world in light not typically visible to the human eye. Her photographs reveal a realm that is recognizable yet with an ethereal glow and an altered color palette, inviting us to slow down and consider what is beyond what we see and perceive. Brooke’s photographs have been in exhibitions around the country and are in private collections worldwide. Many of her photos are licensed for use as book covers and wall décor, sold by major retailers.
Audrey Hamilton
Audrey Hamilton grew up outside of Ithaca, NY, where she developed a love for country life. A 1993 graduate of Cazenovia College with a degree in Special Education, Audrey always had an interest in photography, but it wasn’t until the passing of her mother in 2015 that it became a true passion—a creative outlet and a path through grief. In addition to landscapes and portraits, Audrey creates layered abstract collages that reflect her unique perspective. She lives in Cazenovia with her husband and their German Shepherd.
Mary Padgett
Mary Padgett is a landscape and still life painter based in New Woodstock, New York. A signature member of the Pastel Society of America, her work has been featured in American Artist and Pastel Journal. Her paintings are held in both private and public collections, including Towers Perrin, Takasago International, and Long Island Jewish Medical Center. Mary has exhibited widely in both local and national shows, earning awards from the Pastel Society of America, the Fenimore Art Museum, and the Finger Lakes and Frank Bette Plein Air Painting Competitions. She has taught painting and color theory at Syracuse University and Cazenovia College, and continues to lead workshops throughout the U.S. and internationally.
Scott Shannon
Scott Shannon is a longtime member and board member of the Cazenovia Preservation Foundation and has been a resident of the Village of Cazenovia for 33 years. Recently retired, Scott spent 35 years as a professor of landscape architecture at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry and has over four decades of experience as a practicing landscape architect. A lifelong enthusiast of photography and the visual arts, he continues to pursue his passion by sketching and photographing landscapes in his free time.