Over the summer, the Shorewood Historical Society ran a photo contest with the intention to highlight the unique architecture of the community. According to Historical Society member Rosie Bredeck, who pitched the idea, a camera can make a big difference in perspective. 

“When you’ve got a camera up to your face, things look so different; you see so much more,” Bredeck said. “We wanted people to notice what I call ‘bits of buildings,’ the windows, doors, arches, the differences in the bricks, and the differences in the materials.”

Nathan Berkowitz, junior, won first place in the youth category of the competition. 

“It feels really nice that I’m getting my photos out there because this is the first time I’ve won first place in a competition like this,” Berkowitz said. 

Berkowitz explained how he chose to photograph certain locations due to their significance in Shorewood history. 

“The winning photo, “Timeless (2),” is of the Hayek building and the Skin Bar below it,” Berkowitz said. “I wanted to take a photo that represents Shorewood history the most, and that’s the first thing that came to mind. I thought it was a perfect mix between the new and old history of Shorewood.”

Berkowitz’s editing process includes adjusting his photos in Adobe Lightroom to make them more visually appealing. 

“I put photos in Lightroom, and I fix the exposure and clarity,” said Berkowitz. “I color correct as well so they look more interesting. You can see that the Hayek photo has very blue tones, which is because of the color correction.”

James Swenson, senior, also emphasized Shorewood history in his photo of St. Robert titled “Steeple in the Sun,” which earned an honorable mention in the competition.

“I live near St. Robert, it’s part of the community, and I’d say there’s some significance to that,” Swenson said. “Buildings like that and historic architecture in general is significant because it’s a connection to the past. It’s a reminder that there’s history in Shorewood that I don’t think most people think about.”

According to Bredeck, an important aspect of the competition was its accessibility. 

“[The competition was] a way to encourage people to be out in the community interacting with the architecture, and it’s free,” Bredeck said. “A lot of people don’t have time for a deep dive into the history of the village and the architecture, and this was a way for everyone to be involved with whatever time they had available to themselves. Everyone has access to a smartphone and its camera, so we thought it would be a good way to get people out to discover things.”

The approachable nature of the competition made getting involved easier for younger participants, as no high-tech equipment was required to have a shot at winning. Connor Kelm, SIS seventh grader, received an honorable mention for his piece titled “Home in the Woods,” which he took while on a family walk. 

“I took the photo with my mom’s phone,” Kelm said. “It was kind of spur of the moment because my mom said, ‘Let’s go outside and do something,’ and the only editing I did was making the photo a little darker because there was a lot of light.” 

A primary goal of the competition was to connect residents to the history of Shorewood’s architecture that makes it so unique.

“History is embedded in the architecture. Many of [Shorewood’s] building were built within a 20 year period, and they’re starting to turn 100 years old,” Bredeck said. “It’s really important for people to understand what we have.”

For Bredeck, preservation is an important part of keeping that story alive. 

“Preservation is pretty much voluntary; [Shorewood doesn’t] have a preservation commission,” Bredeck said. “One of the things that makes Shorewood architecture special is that it’s intact. It tells a story, and it’s an even better story when all the pieces are together and intact.”