2004 PHOTOGRAPHY
Non-metro publications
Judge: Matt McClain has been NPPA Region 10 Photographer of the Year for the last four years, while shooting as a staff photographer for the Ventura County Star. Prior to his current position, he shot for the Dallas Morning News, the Jasper Herald and the Muskegon Chronicle.
A1. Spot news photography
20 entries
First place
Brian A. Barbour, Ahwatukee Foothills News: “House fire”
“Well composed, with a variety of elements that tell the context of the situation. The full story is told without having to rely on a caption to explain what is going on. The photographer did a nice job of including the fire damaged structure along with the owner and firefighters.”
Second place
Steven King, Casa Grande Dispatch: “Fire”
“Very colorful. The photographer arrived in time to capture
the severity of the situation.”
Greg Bryan, Arizona Daily Sun: “Plane”
“Similar to the first place photo, this one had all the story telling elements arranged together. It needed more of an emotional moment to make it place higher.”
A2. Feature photography
40 entries
First place
Greg Bryan, Arizona Daily Sun: “Veggies”
“The first place winner had a lot of humor to it. The caption helps explain the situation, but by itself the interaction between the couple and the cops is interesting.”
Second place
Jake Bacon, Arizona Daily Sun: “Training”
“The second place winner was able to achieve a nice shot by getting low and using framing. Personally, I would favor a little off-camera flash as opposed to more of a silhouette, but it still works. “
Third place
Craig Macnaughton, Ahwatukee Foothills News: “Boost”
“A nice moment. This was great seeing on the photographer's part.”
Honorable mention
Oscar Perez, Casa Grande Dispatch: “Band”
“An interesting angle and good composition. It needed a little more going on to move it higher in the rankings.”
A3. Personality/portrait photography
31 entries
First place
Mark W. Lipczynski, Explorer Newspaper: “Exciting alternative”
“The only photo in the category that measured up to what a traditional portrait is.”
Second place
Greg Bryan, Arizona Daily Sun: “Debate”
“Nicely lit.”
Third place
Greg Bryan, Arizona Daily Sun: “Protest”
“Nice light. A nice, subtle photo.”
A4. Pictorial photography
17 entries
First place
Craig Macnaughton, Ahwatukee Foothills News: “Worker”
“A nice design with the repeated lines and an interesting human form.”
Second place
Greg Bryan, Arizona Daily Sun: “Foilage”
“Nice color and a good example of well-executed selective focus. The choice the photographer made of focusing on the trees instead of the rider worked.”
Third place
Greg Bryan, Arizona Daily Sun: “Snow”
“Third place showed potential with a nice composition. I would have liked to see the photographer bend down a little more, so the viewer could see the walker's head complete and without the merger with the tree branch.”
A5. Sports photography
36 entries
First place
Oscar Perez, Casa Grande Dispatch: “Cowgirl”
“First place stood out with its nice peak moment. The rider has a good expression and the body language grabs your attention.”
Second place
Craig Macnaughton, Ahwatukee Foothills News: “High-five”
“A nice, clean moment with a good face.”
Third place
Greg Bryan, Arizona Daily Sun: “Baseball”
“A great basketball scramble shot. Nicely framed and executed.”
Metro publications
Judge: Trent Nelson, chief photographer for The Salt Lake Tribune, is a three-time Utah Photographer of the Year. His groundbreaking composite image of NBA player John Stockton ran over six pages in Sports Illustrated— the largest photo in the history of the magazine.
E0. Photo package
7 entries
First place
Kelly Presnell, Arizona Daily Star: “Heat Deaths"
“These three photographs each tell a large part of an important story. Very impressive work."
Second place
David Sanders, Arizona Daily Star: “Fish "
“Two cool photographs that put you right into the Grand Canyon and one fish's face. The lighting and composition of the second image was exceptional."
Third place
Francisco Medina, Tucson Citizen: “Harvest”
"Great color, composition, and light. A nice package."
E1. Spot news photography
19 entries
First place
Kelly Presnell, Arizona Daily Star: “Grief”
"A near-perfect recording of devastation. This mother's loss is easily felt through this clean, tight image."
Second place
David Sanders, Arizona Daily Star: “Shooting”
"Another heartbreaking image recording the loss of a loved one to violence. The genuine emotion carries the photo."
Third place
Brad Armstrong, East Valley Tribune: “Crash”
"This lighter slice of spot news beats out several more dramatic entries for its sense of humor and real life. This is a photo worth staring at, as you begin to find more and more details throughout — find the can of Big Sexy hairspray for extra credit."
E2. General news photography
41 entries
First place
Kelly Presnell, Arizona Daily Star: “Deployment”
"Wow. The emotions, the body language, the little girl's pink shirt with a heart on it, and her little broken-hearted face. What a moment!"
Second place
Norma Jean Gargasz, Tucson Citizen: “Veteran”
"A very touching moment with a WW2 veteran and his daughter."
Third place
Aaron J. Latham, Arizona Daily Star: “Migrants”
"Wonderful to see a photographer who tries for something different and isn't afraid to let most of the photo go overexposed. This photo grabs your attention and stood out from the pack."
E3. Portrait/personality photography
42 entries
First place
Rob Schumacher, The Arizona Republic: “Smile”
"Simply an amazing photograph. The color, shallow depth of field, and her innocent expression make this image rise to the top."
Second place
Heather Walton, The Arizona Republic: “Beauty shop"
“Thanks to this photographer for answering one of life's mysteries: I've always wondered who actually read the Enquirer."
Third place
Nick de la Torre, The Arizona Republic “Archer "
“This photographer really went out of his way to avoid the many cliche'd ways to photograph an archer. This photo has some serious style: its shallow depth of field and contrasty color palette."
E4. Feature photography
37 entries
First place
Jack Kurtz, The Arizona Republic: “Angel”
"This photograph really stood out from the competition as the photographer loads the frame with information, meaning, contrast, and symbolism. Great shot."
Second place
David Sanders, Arizona Daily Star: “Squares”
"Beautiful graphic sensibility. There's nothing in the frame that doesn't belong."
Third place
Ralph D. Freso, East Valley Tribune: “Ostrich race”
"A great moment captured at its peak. And it confirms that simple law of the universe: If you put on a red cape and helmet and strap an ostrich to a chariot, you're going down!"
E5. Picture Story
18 entries
First place
Kelly Presnell, Arizona Daily Star: “Smuggled children”
"This photographer clearly spent a lot of time searching out the emotional moments of this amazing story. So many moments here and each one with so much content. A wonderful job."
Second place
Mark Henle, The Arizona Republic: “Colorado”
"This photographer really did his homework, photographing one of the developing West's biggest issues: water. All of the important topics and locations are covered with eye-catching imagery."
Third place
Pat Shannahan, The Arizona Republic: “Border”
"The photographs here all bring the viewer into the border environment very effectively. The story is well told with these eleven photographs."
Honorable mention
Pat Shannahan, The Arizona Republic: “Juvie prison”
"A beautiful set of black and white images telling a less than beautiful story."
E6. Photo illustration
6 entries
First place
Darryl Webb, East Valley Tribune: “Hands”
"Eye-catching and dramatic, and apparently done without much PhotoShop. Kudos."
Second place
Tim Hacker, East Valley Tribune: “NHL Lockout”
"Most impressive about this photo is that the photographer scrounged up $26 dollars in a modern day newsroom. Seriously though, a nice job illustrating the story."
Third place
Francisco Medina, Tucson Citizen: “Salim”
"An interesting look at a three-point shot."
E7. Sports action photography
41 entries
First place
Aaron J. Latham, Arizona Daily Star: “Tangle”
"Well lit, tight, peak action, nice expression, wonderful composition. The list of good things in the image goes on and on. Definitely a sports image that stood out from the competition."
Second place
Michael Chow, The Arizona Republic: “Arena”
"The more you look at this image, the better it gets. This image is so good at capturing this sport's atmosphere that I've vowed to never shoot arena football again."
Third place
Michael Chow, The Arizona Republic: “Nose”
"Very refreshing and funny. With so many sports images looking the same, this one's uniqueness stood out."
E8. Sports feature photography
26 entries
First place
Kelly Presnell, Arizona Daily Star: “Disagreement”
"We've all seen this moment, but not with such a poor salesman. That look in the player's eye and his half-hearted attempt to sell his opinion to the ref are great. Then factor in the composition, etc., and you have first place."
Second place
Deidre Hamill, The Arizona Republic: “Happy fan”
"Kudos to the photographer for keeping her eye open for a situation this good away from the field of play. The expressions on every face are nearly perfect."
Third place
Rob Schumacher, The Arizona Republic: “Ecstasy”
"Clean, tight, the expression, a perfect photograph."
E9. Pictorial photography
17 entries
First place
Francisco Medina, Tucson Citizen: “Flag “
"Wonderful color."
Second place
Toru Kawana, East Valley Tribune: “Cyclist”
"Great seeing by the photographer."
Third place
David Sanders, Arizona Daily Star: “Moonrise”
"My favorite of the many wonderful moon photographs in this category. A beautiful image."