2009 Picture of the Year Winners
co-sponsored by National Press Photographers Association
Environmental Portrait
First Place
Shannon Soule
Featherduster, Westlake HS, Austin, Texas
Judge’s comments: This image was a unanimous choice for first. Great concept. Great make-up. Great light. Great eyes. The grass just finishes it all off.
Second Place
Andrew Visconti
Invictus, Ward Melville HS, Setauket, N.Y.
Judge’s comments: Another well thought out portrait. The floating luminaries really set a quiet mood in this image.
Third Place
Andrew Visconti
Invictus, Ward Melville HS, Setauket, N.Y.
Judge’s comments: Interesting concept we’re guessing is about the frustration of going back to school and dealing with all the homework. We liked the symmetrical composition. The only fault we found with it was the strobes need to draw less attention. They need to be hidden better.
Honorable Mention
Kelsey Kehrees
Hornet, Bryant HS, Bryant, Ark.
Honorable Mention
Patrick Mayfield
The Harbinger, Shawnee Mission East HS, Prairie Village, Kan.
Honorable Mention
Emily Jones
Nexus, Inland Lakes HS, Indian River, Mich.
Feature Picture
First Place
Haya Saiyed
Torch, Glenbrook North HS, Northbrook, Ill.
Judge’s comments: Photographer took advantage of a great opportunity to silhouette the dancers against the spot lights in the background. The difference between good photographers and great photographers is their ability to recognize opportunities and not ignore them. Also, the use of black & white really works.
Second Place
Alexis Mesmer
Thunderbird, Skyline School, Pratt, Kan.
Judge’s comments: Wow! Sweet moment. This is a true found feature. Beautiful light and color also add to the image.
Third Place
Pam Peigler
Madisonian, Fort Madison HS, Fort Madison, Iowa
Now that’s a fire! Nice, tight composition. Excellent flames. Nice reaction and color. Oh, and obviously a nice moment captured.
Honorable Mention
Wil Chandler
The Prospective, Bryant HS, Bryant, Ark.
Honorable Mention
Sam Rodriguez
Volsung, Downey HS, Downey, Calif.
Honorable Mention
Tricia McDonough
Pinnacle, Rockwood Summit HS, Fenton, Mo.
Junior High/Middle School
First Place
Sophie Turner
Tenth Muse, Harvard Westlake MS, Los Angeles, Calif.
Judge’s comments: All of the judges loved this picture. Nice seeing. The light really works to bring out the reflection of the subject. The hands add a nice frame. And, we all liked the photographer’s choice of a medium to long lens to keep the shot tight.
Second Place
Tayler Kane
Eagle Eye View, Sierra MS, Parker, Colo.
Judge’s comments: Nice action shot where the light is working well on the subjects. Photographer captured the moment of the cutback well. Judges thought it could have been cropped up from the bottom and down from the top a tad.
Third Place
Jamie Chang
Tenth Muse, Harvard Westlake MS, Los Angeles, Calif.
Judge’s comments: There is a lot to like about this picture. Color, graphics, composition and light.
Honorable Mention
Garrett Lewis
Eagle Eye View, Sierra MS, Parker, Colo.
Honorable Mention
Hollie Shepherd
Spartan, Milwee MS, Longwood, Fla.
Honorable Mention
Anita Nacea
Spartan, Milwee MS, Longwood, Fla.
News Picture
First Place
Claire Downey
The Newsstreak, Harrisonburg HS, Harrisonburg, Va.
Judge’s comments: Fun picture. The photographer got down low and used the wide-angle well. Nice moment and facial expression. I think each judge thought, “that poor tricycle.”
Second Place
Courtney Hanson
The Gazette, Granite Bay HS, Granite Bay, Calif.
Judge’s comments: Really beautiful, tender moment between the mother and best friend of the girl being memorialized. The faces on the right of the frame add some great layering. The use of black & white really emphasizes the beautiful light as well as the details of the picture.
Third Place
Cami Wade
North Star, Francis Howell North HS, St. Charles, Mo.
Judge’s comments: Another fun image. Great composition. Great moment. Color is a little funky, but a great moment will beat technical issues every time.
Honorable Mention
Tyler Roste
Hauberk, Shawnee Mission East HS, Prairie Village, Kan.
Honorable Mention
Tracy Burns-Yocum
Dart, St. Teresa’s Academy, Kansas City, Mo.
Honorable Mention
Henry Rome
The Spoke, Conestoga HS, Berwyn, Pa.
Sports Action
First Place
Lauren Daniels
Shield, Thomas Downey HS, Modesto, Calif.
Judge’s comments: Great picture. Tight crop draws you into the subject. Shallow depth-of-field de-emphasizes the background. The water and expression are frozen nicely due to a super fast shutter speed.
Second Place
Gareth Patterson
The Prospective, Bryant HS, Bryant, Ark.
Judge’s comments: Great moment and faces. Unusual to see the goalie taking the ball off the head of the offensive player. The crop works well (although a tiny bit could have been cropped from the left to get rid of the reddish thing). Clean background allows the players to pop out of the frame.
Third Place
Eric Zoeller
Indian, Shawnee Mission North HS, Overland Park, Kan.
Judge’s comments: Pictures shot from the catwalk are becoming a bit cliché, so in order for one to be successful, it has to have more going for it than just a different angle. This image does. Great color, composition, moment. It all works.
Honorable Mention
Gareth Patterson
Hornet, Bryant HS, Bryant, Ark.
Honorable Mention
Michael Shaw
Wings, Arrowhead Christian Academy, Redlands, Calif.
Honorable Mention
Yasmeen Smalley
Carillon, Bellaire HS, Bellaire, Texas
Sports Reaction
First Place
Eva Cranford
El Paisano, Westlake HS, Austin, Texas
Judge’s comments: Great moment. Composition works well, too. The blue sign on the right and the flag on the left frame the jumper nicely. It also helps that the red, white and blue is repeated throughout the image.
Second Place
Kelsey Kehrees
Hornet, Bryant HS, Bryant, Ark.
Judge’s comments: Clean, clean, clean. Subjects really jump (pun intended) off the screen. Nice peak moment. We’ve never seen refs have so much fun (even at a powder puff game).
Third Place
Rachel English
The Harbinger, Shawnee Mission East HS, Prairie Village, Kan.
Judge’s comments: Really well-composed picture. Nice moment and mood. A good picture makes you feel something if its successful and this one is definitely successful. Nice job.
Honorable Mention
Graham Robson
Accipiter, Mill Creek HS, Hoschton, Ga.
Honorable Mention
Elle Rauch
Teresian, St. Teresa’s Academy, Kansas City, Mo.
Honorable Mention
Lillie Schenk
Odyssey, Winnetonka HS, Kansas City, Mo.