This was a disappointing category overall. Many of the entries lacked a sense of urgency and visual clarity, often showing the backs of people without enough context to understand what was unfolding. One image captured the intense emotion of an EMT but suffered from a soft focus. Another attempted a layered composition with a gravestone in the foreground and first responders in the distance, though the key elements were too far out of focus to carry the scene. The strongest entry proved to be of a property manager embracing a resident as a building burned in the background, offering the clearest sense of urgency and human connection.
Judges:
Anita Baca/Associated Press, Courtney Ditmar/Associated Press
Judges Comments
This was a disappointing category overall. Many of the entries lacked a sense of urgency and visual clarity, often showing the backs of people without enough context to understand what was unfolding. One image captured the intense emotion of an EMT but suffered from a soft focus. Another attempted a layered composition with a gravestone in the foreground and first responders in the distance, though the key elements were too far out of focus to carry the scene. The strongest entry proved to be of a property manager embracing a resident as a building burned in the background, offering the clearest sense of urgency and human connection.