So much coverage of what we call general news is mired in the mundane recording of events and activities merely to check a box on some tote board of clichés and sacred cows. Two kinds of images then stand-out amidst that morass, the moment captured out of sheer luck (or some more conscious version of luck) or the bit of art created by the sheer talent/skill of the photographer. Too many entries in this category are merely the mundane recording of visual facts, lacking in the visual dynamism, or the emotional connection, to be considered compelling photojournalism. The judges found what they liked pretty quickly, looking at the thumbnails, and then refined the choices upon closer inspection. The moment at the city councilors first meeting was the hands-down winner, with a creative composition and a great face and body language. The second place shot from the Trump rally had a nice feel to it and had it been cropped just a little better, maybe into a square that removed the distracting lack of content from the sides and created a frame out of the building grid in the background might have brought the image closer to competing for first. The funeral scene was largely expected, but well executed with a nice composition and a genuine moment. We liked a three-photo package of an environmental protest event, but the lack of detailed captions telling us what was happening specifically in each image left us disappointed.
Judges:
Sean D. Elliot/The Day, Peter Huoppi/The Day, Dana Jensen/The Day, Sarah Gordon/The Day
Judges Comments
So much coverage of what we call general news is mired in the mundane recording of events and activities merely to check a box on some tote board of clichés and sacred cows. Two kinds of images then stand-out amidst that morass, the moment captured out of sheer luck (or some more conscious version of luck) or the bit of art created by the sheer talent/skill of the photographer. Too many entries in this category are merely the mundane recording of visual facts, lacking in the visual dynamism, or the emotional connection, to be considered compelling photojournalism. The judges found what they liked pretty quickly, looking at the thumbnails, and then refined the choices upon closer inspection. The moment at the city councilors first meeting was the hands-down winner, with a creative composition and a great face and body language. The second place shot from the Trump rally had a nice feel to it and had it been cropped just a little better, maybe into a square that removed the distracting lack of content from the sides and created a frame out of the building grid in the background might have brought the image closer to competing for first. The funeral scene was largely expected, but well executed with a nice composition and a genuine moment. We liked a three-photo package of an environmental protest event, but the lack of detailed captions telling us what was happening specifically in each image left us disappointed.