Central – September 2023 – Portrait/Illustration

Judges Comments

We felt that the submissions in this category were lacking enough that our first place selection beat out the others despite the unconventional subject. First place was chosen for its nice use of light and a simplistic, yet informative cutline. It could have benefited from a better composition/placement of the subject within the frame. Good job nailing the focus at f/1.2. We felt our second place selection was a pleasant photo, but could have been more accurately color balanced and the first sentence of the cutline worded differently. Third place showcased a unique approach to a portrait assignment but the photographer could have executed it far better with a different composition and placement of the subject. The ground below begins to encroach on the corners of the frame, distracting the viewer from the subject.

Judges: Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribune, John Jordan/The Texas Tribune, Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune, Greta Díaz González Vázquez/The Texas Tribune, Julius Shieh/The Texas Tribune