South – September 2018 – Portrait/Illustration

Judges Comments

First place: Mary Ellen Mark met the alligator queen. All of the judges immediately loved this picture. It's simplicity and contrasts drew us in. Who wouldn't want to know more? And look longer? Isn't that the point? Second place: Visually interesting backlight, shallow depth of field, wide angle foreshortening that draw our attention to the woman, who is looking down at the group portrait she is holding. It all comes together to draw us in. Third place: Check out the lines on the hat and the old man's face. It's more than a snapshot if you keep looking. And that's one of the jobs a photo should do: keep you looking.

Judges: Michael G. Seamans/Morning Sentinel, Jim Evans/Former Morning Sentinel, Niko Hample/Freelance