What a marvel, ten story entries. Even if a few were not really deep enough to be story/essay worthy we were still impressed by the number compared to some recent judging experiences. None of the entries represented the kind of long-term, in-depth work we crave seeing, but they still did a competent job of telling some stories with more effort than the everyday and for that are worthy of note. First is a great example of finding a little nugget of news and expanding it into some interesting visual storytelling. Who knew (well, clearly we're just out of touch here in New England) that there was a whole industry in making, selling, and repairing baby Jesus figurines in Mexico City. We appreciate having our world-view expanded. The edit could have been a frame or two tighter, but everything was technically sound with good use of light and good moments. Our second place choice presented an interesting question. Three entries in the category appear to be from this photographer, showing three different groups' efforts at float-alternative decorating for Mardi Gras. We were unsure how we felt about three related stories from one person in the category. In the end we decided one of the entries was quite strong, with a good variety of images, some genuine moments, and nice storytelling. We wondered if a better story would be told with a tight edit of the three combined, but that is conjecture. The other two examples were definitely weaker, not even meriting consideration in the top four. Third place was a clean, concise news story on the opening day, during a pandemic, at a horse racing track. The edit was tight, the variety of images pretty good. The set might have fared well as a General News multiple, and might have been a more appropriate placement given the subject matter. Still, we liked the set enough overall.
Judges:
Sean D. Elliot/The Day, Michael G. Seamans/Morning Sentinel
Judges Comments
What a marvel, ten story entries. Even if a few were not really deep enough to be story/essay worthy we were still impressed by the number compared to some recent judging experiences. None of the entries represented the kind of long-term, in-depth work we crave seeing, but they still did a competent job of telling some stories with more effort than the everyday and for that are worthy of note. First is a great example of finding a little nugget of news and expanding it into some interesting visual storytelling. Who knew (well, clearly we're just out of touch here in New England) that there was a whole industry in making, selling, and repairing baby Jesus figurines in Mexico City. We appreciate having our world-view expanded. The edit could have been a frame or two tighter, but everything was technically sound with good use of light and good moments. Our second place choice presented an interesting question. Three entries in the category appear to be from this photographer, showing three different groups' efforts at float-alternative decorating for Mardi Gras. We were unsure how we felt about three related stories from one person in the category. In the end we decided one of the entries was quite strong, with a good variety of images, some genuine moments, and nice storytelling. We wondered if a better story would be told with a tight edit of the three combined, but that is conjecture. The other two examples were definitely weaker, not even meriting consideration in the top four. Third place was a clean, concise news story on the opening day, during a pandemic, at a horse racing track. The edit was tight, the variety of images pretty good. The set might have fared well as a General News multiple, and might have been a more appropriate placement given the subject matter. Still, we liked the set enough overall.