By Bethany Bray
Staff Writer
March 20, 2008 10:14 am North Andover photographer Ed Pedi is known for his family portraits — polished, serene shots of families posing on lush, green lawns or glowing new mothers holding their infants. But it was a chance shot he snapped on vacation in Norway that won for him the Fuji Masterpiece Award at the recent Professional Photographers Association of Massachusetts convention and print competition. His image, "Daily Commute," was chosen out of more than 250 images submitted by 50 photographers from around the state. Pedi also received the first place blue ribbon merit print award and a judges' choice award at the convention, held in Natick in late February. "It was pretty cool, because there were some really good photos in that show," Pedi said of the awards. Images submitted for the contest are judged by other professional photographers from around the country. Pedi himself has served as a judge in the contest in the past, so he knows how stiff the competition is he said. Pedi's winning photograph shows a man pushing a bicycle up a small incline, his body language showing he is weary. His posture is stooped. While on vacation in Norway in 2004, Pedi and his wife, Linda, were relaxing in a park. As the man with the bicycle walked by, Pedi had a split-second to take the photo, he said. "My wife said, 'Hey, look at that guy.' I grabbed my camera and I got one shot. That was it, because a bus came and parked right in front of him," said Pedi with a chuckle. "Artistically, it just came together." Ed and Linda Pedi, who work together at his North Andover studio, try to take one vacation every year to travel abroad as a break from their busy studio schedule. Last year, they traveled to New Zealand. The 2004 trip to Norway, when he took "Daily Commute" was a "really, really special" vacation, he said. "The people were so friendly and the country is just beautiful, especially the fjords." The Pedis have operated their photography studio in North Andover since 1992. Ed Pedi has a master's degree in photography and is the past president of the Professional Photographers Association of Massachusetts. He said his parents gave him his first camera at age 12, and photography has been a love ever since.
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