Mid-Atlantic – January 2020 – Portrait/Illustration

Judges Comments

Done well, the portrait is a valuable took in the photojournalist repertoire. It can, at least a little, help tell the story in lieu of more candid documentary work. Sometimes it can be integrated into the body of candid work as a nice complementary element. But, to be done well, in our estimation, it must advance the knowledge and insight of the audience more than just putting a face with a name to merit recognition in this context. Pretty much all the entries in this category in this region in this month are aesthetically pleasing and technically proficient, so it was the images that the judges felt better accomplished the journalistic task that rose to the top. The dry cleaner hit all the marks, nicely composed, with a good pose, nice light and all the context we needed. The CEO portrait lacked strong context, but the light and the pose really grabbed us. The tenant group president worked as an unusual composition with nice light. Barking at the heels of third was a portrait of a wig shop owner and client, that fell just short because we felt the mirror framing technique is over-used, and the wall of wigs in the background looked like a wasted opportunity.

Judges: Sean D. Elliot/The Day, Peter Huoppi/The Day, Dana Jensen/The Day, Sarah Gordon/The Day