Photography Contest Winner!

(A special word of appreciation to our prize sponsors: the Broad Stage, KCRW, TCBY and the SMC Bookstore.)

Esau Tovar, SMC counselor and faculty leader for the Assessment Center, won first prize for his photograph of the Vatican taken while on sabbatical. His other submission, a photo of Rome’s Coliseum at night, tied for third place.

“I took it while looking for a place to read at night,” says Tovar.  “It was a busy street – I had to wait for the perfect opportunity, but the divider in the street bothers me.”

Tovar wins two free tickets to any Broad Stage concert for this season, a KCRW recyclable tote bag, and a gift certificate to TCBY.

William Lancaster, SMC graphic design professor since 1979, won the second-place prize (an autographed Danielle de Niese CD, an official SMC flash drive, and a Broad Stage poster) for his poignant photograph of his 5-year-old granddaughter Madison, dancing in her birthday dress.  The photo is graphically enhanced to render everything else but her in black and white “to show how delightful and happy she was.”

The other third-place award (an SMC coffee mug and a gift certificate to TCBY Coffee Spot) went to math professor Carrie Dalton for her photo of an underground cave. Dalton, like all the other winners, describes herself as an amateur photographer who takes all her pictures with a digital point-and-shoot camera.

Congratulations to Esau, William and Carrie – and to all the other photographers who submitted images for the contest.  YOU could be the winner next time!

We thank our judge Charles Potts, associate director of the SMC Foundation and a seasoned photographer of 35 years whose images have been published in various newspapers and news publications.  Currently, one of his photos can be seen on the CBS television show “Rules of Engagement.” He shoots with a digital Nikon D200 and also with a film Nikon F2 and his all-time favorite, an even older Nikkormat EL.

All the photographs were judged in an impartial process and on the basis of four criteria: technical quality (exposure, use of flash/lighting, sharp/blurred focus), composition (repetition of shapes, lines, curves, framing, hues, patterns, etc.), stopping power/originality (how well the photo engaged one’s curiosity and emotions) and meaning (the “soul” or inherent meaning of the photo).

William Lancaster’s 2nd-place photo

Carrie Dalton’s image tied for third

Esau Tovar’s other entry also won a prize.