Photography

Individual Photographs

The winning photographs all have an interesting quality of light. Light is very powerful and dramatic in all of them. Color and composition are also powerful components of these award winners.

The gold images are all pleasing to look at it with spontaneous moments of action or light. There are lots of subtle moments that add to the quality of the images. These are genuine, not forced. Gold winners are all about "seeing" with light or color.

The silver-winning necktie portrait is nicely executed as a portrait with consideration to the art director's need for placing text. The soccer picture isn't completely original, but is of really high quality. They both lead up to moments of spontaneity with good expressions complementing the moments.

Suggestions for entrants: Looking for spontaneous moments sets work apart from the clichés. Some entries were lacking in a clear vision of what was being communicated: loosely composed, busy composition or lack of attention to lighting. Entrants should carefully pay attention to the requirements of the judging: tear sheets of the published work and print of the original photograph must be included.

Gold Medals

Cornell University (N.Y.), Jason Koski, Photographer
Seattle Pacific University (Wash.), Nick Onken, Photographer
University of Colorado, Glenn Asakawa, Photographer
University of New Hampshire, Lisa Nugent, Photographer

Silver Medals

University of New Hampshire, Perry Smith, Photographer
University of North Carolina General Alumni Association, Steve Exum, Photographer

Photographer of the Year

The winners immediately rose to the top of the strongest entries. A lot of portfolios lacked variety, something important to show in a body of work. Some were too random in content. Some portfolios would be stronger with tighter editing, less redundancy of image and subject matter. Judges are encouraged to see a wide range of entries from a many different types of schools. These photographers should keep entering. There were bright spots in almost every portfolio. The photographers should strive to incorporate some "personal vision" rather than just shooting assignments that fulfill the requirements. Take some chances.

Grand Gold Medal

California State University, Stanislaus, Cary Edmondson, Photographer

• Body of work stood out because of its composition, light, moment and energy. There was good life in almost every image. The images made the judges feel the emotional energy of the portfolio. Some of the images were difficult to make (the bird with the berry in its mouth), many dealt with human interest, and the pictures drew us in. The overall quality and range of the portfolio elevated it from gold to grand gold. The photographer's intimacy with the subjects enabled him to capture genuine moments that are engaging and comfortable. The use of color adds to the quality of the portfolio.

Silver Medal

Boston University, Kalmon Zabarsky, Photographer

• There was a sophistication of vision in the silver portfolio with strong composition. The photographer showed inventiveness in looking for ways to make interesting images. On the other hand, there is a sense of staging to some of the images that lack in spontaneity. In terms of editing, there's some redundancy of subject matter that weakens the overall portfolio (such as silhouettes).

Bronze Medals

Brigham Young University (Utah), Mark Philbrick, Photographer

• Very creative ideas shown in these portfolio images, but overall, the work needs more attention to technique and the use of light. The production values in this portfolio are less consistent, but the concepts elevate the work. With better technical and consistent execution, the portfolio would be stronger.

Lafayette College (Pa.), Chuck Zovko, Photographer

• Nice consistency in quality and style of images in this portfolio where every picture rose to a professional level. Nicely edited. Some of the images feel a bit stiff and interfere with the communication value. The photographer needs to strive for a bit more energy and life.