We were, quite frankly, a little disappointed with this category. We were quite surprised by how few entries there were, usually it's among the largest and most challenging to judge. We really had to look closely to find much to like. Too many entries were rather trite, and cliche, lacking in moment, emotion, or strong aesthetic. We found three, all of which appealed for different sorts of reasons, and yet, all were clearly strong moments, slices of life if you will. The first place moment, a mother and son's embrace, is subtle, not flashy. The emotion is real, palpable, but not over the top. It takes time to digest, and it takes a read of the caption to get the full story. The best "moment" in the category, a real storytelling image, not just a superficial feature. Second place may have stood out partially by the choice to go monochrome, we all agreed it has a very Mary Ellen Mark feel, both in the aesthetic and the content. There are layers to what's going on. For third, we all liked the kids playing dodgeball. This is that more classic feature. yeah, it's a bit superficial, it's not deep, but it's still well-executed. The light is nice, the color of the balls really pops, and the action, the movement, is complex and really gives the viewer a lot to try and follow.
Judges:
Sean D. Elliot/The Day, Michael G. Seamans/Morning Sentinel, Jim Evans/Retired
Judges Comments
We were, quite frankly, a little disappointed with this category. We were quite surprised by how few entries there were, usually it's among the largest and most challenging to judge. We really had to look closely to find much to like. Too many entries were rather trite, and cliche, lacking in moment, emotion, or strong aesthetic. We found three, all of which appealed for different sorts of reasons, and yet, all were clearly strong moments, slices of life if you will. The first place moment, a mother and son's embrace, is subtle, not flashy. The emotion is real, palpable, but not over the top. It takes time to digest, and it takes a read of the caption to get the full story. The best "moment" in the category, a real storytelling image, not just a superficial feature. Second place may have stood out partially by the choice to go monochrome, we all agreed it has a very Mary Ellen Mark feel, both in the aesthetic and the content. There are layers to what's going on. For third, we all liked the kids playing dodgeball. This is that more classic feature. yeah, it's a bit superficial, it's not deep, but it's still well-executed. The light is nice, the color of the balls really pops, and the action, the movement, is complex and really gives the viewer a lot to try and follow.