Erie Canal's scenery is captured in winning photos

Debbie Krohl of Clifton Park is an Honorable Mention recipient in the 2012 Erie Canalway Photo Contest for her photo Sunset Over the Mohawk Towpath Scenic Byway taken in Rexford.

A contest focusing on the scenery of the region’s historic canal system is helping to broadcast the talent of amateur photographers while promoting breathtaking views found only in New York.

The work of several area residents is finding a place on the website of the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor and some will adorn a 2013 calendar following results of the Erie Canalway Photo Contest.

Two boats were traveling in

opposite directions just east of the Rexford Bridge when Debbie Krohl captured a sunset for her shot titled, “Sunset Over the Mohawk Towpath Scenic Byway, Rexford.”

Krohl, who spent about two hours waiting for the sun to reach the perfect spot for the photo, won an honorable mention for her work.

A project assistant at the Center for Health Workforce Studies at the University at Albany’s School of Public Health, Krohl, 53, said her goal to submit a photo for the contest led her to research past contests to make sure she captured a view that hadn’t been highlighted.

The Clifton Park resident drives along the river nearly every day and decided the overlook at the knolls was an ideal spot.

“I guess it’s always been in my backyard. I never really appreciated it in certain spots,” Krohl said.

Max Kintner captured a soothing view of the Champlain Canal that won second place for the Nature of the Canal category.

A resident of Waterford, Kintner takes walks often and caught the sun just beginning to crest above the trees that were reflected on the water’s surface.

“I think this is the first widely published photo I ever had. I always carry my camera. I’ve got hundreds of photos of the canal and the river,” Kintner said.

“I think it’s important to involve however many people we can involve in appreciating and preserving the canal,” said Kintner, a trustee at the Waterford Museum.

The Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor first called for photo entries six years ago, spokeswoman Jean Mackay said in an email.

“The photo contest got started in 2006 precisely because we thought it was really valuable to see the canal from the perspective of the people who live here, as well as from canal travelers,” Mackay said.

Photographers took images to fit in with several contest categories: Bridges, Buildings and Locks; On the Water; For the Fun of It; and Nature of the Canal.

“When seen altogether, the images share the unique ‘sense of place’ of the Erie Canalway national Heritage Corridor,” Mackay wrote.