JUNIOR HIGH/MIDDLE SCHOOL

1. Elena Saviano
Farrier, Mirman School, Los Angeles, Calif.

2. Declan Palmer
Eagle Eye View, Sierra MS, Parker, Colo.

3. Toni Sangji Choi
The Knights, Gyeonggi Suwon International School, Suwon Gyeonggi-do, S. Korea

4. Walker Lynch
The Prowl, Powell MS, Littleton, Colo.

5. Michaela Krawczyk
The Scrapbook, Westfield MS, Westfield, Ind.

HM. Abbie Howell
Vox Populi, Harvard-Westlake School, North Hollywood, Calif.

HM. Emily Yi
The Nighthawk, Rocky Heights MS, Highlands Ranch, Colo.

HM. Katie Shanahan
The Nighthawk, Rocky Heights MS, Highlands Ranch, Colo.

HM. Alex Gers
The Scroll, The American School in London, London, England

HM. Mason Smith
The ReMarker, St. Mark’s School of Texas, Dallas, Texas

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NEWS PICTURE

1. Ashley Oades
Illumination, Blue Valley West HS, Overland Park, Kan.

2. Claire Hessenflow
Hauberk, Shawnee Mission East HS, Prairie Village, Kan.

3. Derek Brumbaugh
Purple & White, Pittsburg HS, Pittsburg, Kan.

4. Jorge Carrera
The Howl, Southwest Career and Technical Academy, Las Vegas, Nev.

5. Zoe Kaiser
The Lowell, Lowell HS, San Francisco, Calif.

HM. Amanda Offor
Vox Populi, Harvard-Westlake School, North Hollywood, Calif.

HM. Zachariah Chou
Patriot Post, American Heritage HS, Plantation, Fla.

HM. Kyra Haas
Free Press, Free State HS, Lawrence, Kan.

HM. Aerin Johnson
Echo, Webster Groves HS, Webster Groves, Mo.

HM. Will Nichols
Maverick, McNeil HS, Austin, Texas

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FEATURE PICTURE

1. Alisha Forsythe
The Spotlight, Blue Valley West HS, Overland Park, Kan.

2. Brianna Rodrigue
The Tradition, John Paul Stevens HS, San Antonio, Texas

3. Reaston McManus
Petroglyphs, Sedona Red Rock HS, Sedona, Ariz.

4. Tim Whaling
Featherduster, Westlake HS, Austin, Texas

5. Karen Shilyan
Highlights, Beverly Hills HS, Beverly Hills, Calif.

HM. Ethan Barnes
The Precedent, Perry HS, Gilbert, Ariz.

HM. Kelsie Sneegas
Indian, Shawnee Mission North HS, Overland Park, Kan.

HM. Jack Ford
Pioneer, Kirkwood HS, Kirkwood, Mo.

HM. Frank Lunatto
Odyssey, Francis Howell Central HS, St. Charles, Mo.

HM. Emily Hermann
The Citadel, Johnson HS, San Antonio, Texas

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SPORTS ACTION

1. Colin Mitchell
The Lion, McKinney HS, McKinney, Texas

2. Abigail Piero
Reflections, Blue Valley HS, Stilwell, Kan.

3. Elliott Douglas
Eques, Ponderosa HS, Parker, Colo.

4. Robbie Short
Eye of the Tiger, Roseville HS, Roseville, Calif.

5. Paige Grider
CNHSMedia.com, Columbus North HS, Columbus, Ind.

HM. Chris Lewis
Hornet, Bryant HS, Bryant, Ark.

HM. Avery Adams
Highlander, Carlmont HS, Belmont, Calif.

HM. Trey Jouard
Rocky Mountain Highlighter, Rocky Mountain HS, Fort Collins, Colo.

HM. Annabel Thorpe
The Talon, Argyle HS, Argyle, Texas

HM. Emily Hermann
The Citadel, Johnson HS, San Antonio, Texas

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SPORTS REACTION

1. Morgan Saucier
El Paisano, Westlake HS, Austin, Texas

2. Gabe Weininger
Torch, Glenbrook North HS, Northbrook, Ill.

3. Maggie Kiley
Pioneer, Kirkwood HS, Kirkwood, Mo.

4. Kyle Crawford
The HiLite, Carmel HS, Carmel, Ind.

5. Dolly Moon
The Talon, Hendrickson HS, Pflugerville, Texas

HM. Evan Malone
Rocky Mountain Highlighter, Rocky Mountain HS, Fort Collins, Colo.

HM. Allison Schocke
Pinnacle, Carmel HS, Carmel, Ind.

HM. Maddie Coole
Reflections, Blue Valley HS, Stilwell, Kan.

HM. Alexis Labarge
Odyssey, Francis Howell Central HS, St. Charles, Mo.

HM. Hannah Martin
Image, Lafayette HS, Wildwood, Mo.

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ENVIRONMENTAL PORTRAIT

1. Noah West
Tiger, Bentonville HS, Bentonville, Ark.

2. Matthew Fouranis
Invictus, Ward Melville HS, East Setauket, N.Y.

3. Johnathan Carriger
The Foothill Dragon Press, Foothill Technology HS, Ventura, Calif.

4. Starr Courakos
The Muse, Dreyfoos School of the Arts, West Palm Beach, Fla.

5. Morgan Berg
Torch, Glenbrook North HS, Northbrook, Ill.

HM. Chad Rhym
Odyssey, Clarke Central HS, Athens, Ga.

HM. Kyle Crawford
The HiLite, Carmel HS, Carmel, Ind.

HM. Smrithi Mani
The Legend, Lafayette HS, Wildwood, Mo.

HM. Marina Vostrova
Invictus, Ward Melville HS, East Setauket, N.Y.

HM. Grace Barry
The Log, Randolph-Henry HS, Charlotte Court House, Va.

JUDGE’S COMMENTS

Junior High/Middle School: The photos in this category captured the excitement, curiosity and creativity of junior high/middle school life. The winners were stood out because the photographers captured specific moments, filled their frames with the center of interest and showed an understanding of good, basic photo techniques.

News Picture: At the most basic level, news photos are what happens when a reporter and photographer cover an event at the behest of an editor, i.e., a part of the news cycle. These can range from a principal kissing a pig (an event) to a coach tackling a streaker on the football field (spot news). Events seldom result in dynamic photos unless something dramatic like a protest or a shooting occurs. In either case, it’s important for the photographer to go prepared with a full kit ready to make a solid picture whatever the conditions. If the President’s in town, certainly make his picture but a good photographer will always be scanning the event for additional photographs that provide additional information, features, or leads to related stories. For example, an injured Iraq war veteran protesting VA care might lead to an interesting sidebar story. A photographer is always a reporter and needs to cover the entire event. Go early and stay late to be sure you’ve covered everything.

Feature Picture: The easiest definition is that features are photos that stand alone independent on a news story even though a good photo might lead to a feature story. These are photos of the little moments in life kids and their dogs, moms and their kids, old folks taking the sun, kids playing — the little grace notes of life we all recognize and cherish because they are universal. A good feature photographer always carries a camera that is ready to shoot for all conditions. Capture the thing that catches your eye and then keep shooting until the moment goes away. Features are almost always the best pictures in the paper, the ones that people clip out of the paper and put up on the refrigerator.

Sports Action: The game is the event you cover and you need to come back with a powerful action shot. The easiest way to do that is to learn the rules of the game you cover and position yourself so that you will be able to capture the action at its peak. Football, soccer, and basketball demand constant motion while static games like baseball require staking out the likeliest spots for action and with a long lens on a tripod with a shorter lens on another camera for action that’s close at hand. Shoot with a motor and start before the play reaches its peak and stop long after its over. You’re playing the odds. If you shoot enough, at least one will be right. Keep an eye on the crowd because they have no inhibitions and will say and do anything and that makes goods pictures.

Sports Reaction: There are two ways to do this. Figure out where the celebration/funeral will be after the game, get their early, shoot with a wide angle, push into the middle of the pack and hold the button down until your buffer fills up. Sometimes you can hold the camera overhead and shoot down for an angle. You’ll always get a picture and it will never be the same and it’ll mean everything in the world for the people on the team you’re shooting.