new times_10.27.11_photo contest
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New Times, October 27. 2011TRANSCRIPT
S A N L U I S O B I S P O C O U N T Y ’ S N E W S A N D E N T E R T A I N M E N T W E E K L Y
N O V E M B E R 3 - N O V E M B E R 1 0 , 2 0 1 1 • V O L . 2 6 , N O . 1 4 • 7 2 P A G E S • F R E E • W W W . N E W T I M E S S L O . C O M
Will fences direct bears away from becoming roadkill? [8]
Leaving the court
[17]
Shredder
Nipomo’s New Tech High raises questions [10]MacHomer: Shakespeare’s in Springfi eld [33]No one rocks the harvest like these guys [54]
FILMMargin divides [44]
See the world through the 16th annual Winning
Images contest [18]
Natural beauty
The purpose of a photography competition is not to wax lyrical on the importance of the art form. Space is precious when you’ve got nine categories—sports, animals, flora, open, people, land/seascape,
travel, youth, and high school—garnering more than 500 entries. Instead, we’ll tell you, briefly, that you hold in your hands the three winning photographs from each category, along with a series of judges’ picks that didn’t necessarily win any awards, but nonetheless captured the judges’ imaginations. On New Times’ cover is the Best of Show winner, Nancy Koren’s Our Favorite Treat, which also won first place in the flora category. Serving as judges for New Times’ 16th annual Winning Images competition were staff photographer Steve E. Miller, who coordinated the competition; painter Joanne Beaule Ruggles; gallery director Jeff Van Kleeck; and Photo Shop owner Peggy Mesler. And though he wasn’t technically a judge, New Times’ marketing coordinator, Colby Courter, contributed so significantly to the effort, he too selected a favorite picture. Happy viewing!
Send comments to staff photographer Steve E. Miller at [email protected].
A word from the judges (explaining their picks)Peggy Mesler: This macro photo has a lot going for it, especially nice lighting and a pleasing composition. The photo manipulation has added a nice dimension to it, without looking unnatural. Very painterly, very appealing. Nice job. (Mimi Ditchie, Red Flowers and Texture).
Jeff Van Kleeck: Photography is an excuse to explore. It’s a reason to get off the path and really see what’s going on. From the piercing eyes to the odd debris scattered about, this photo asks more questions than it answers. (Roy Gough, Bangkok).
Joanne Ruggles: What I found memorable about this photograph was its singular dedication toward the goal of providing a good chuckle for its viewers. Within the image, ordinary architectural elements have been transformed into a series of angles askew. The structure—itself quite bland—has been painted in an unfathomably madcap fashion. Top the scene off with a street-savvy dog who appears to have just piloted a stunt plane, or may have momentarily stepped from behind the wheel of a doggie go-cart, or perhaps was recently propelled out of a Ringling Bros. Circus cannon. All I can say is that each time I looked at the image I smiled ... and you will too. (Jonathan Shapiro, Dog in Window).
Steve E. Miller: We’ve all seen photographs of cats—perhaps too many photos of cats—but in this case I was so fascinated and enamored not only with the cat itself but also the precise composition that relegated all color only to its eyes while the rest of the image was a perfectly exposed and printed dark gray and black. This is a cat photo, but it’s a regal cat photo that I kept going back to look at. It’s an artistic photo, but also a perfect example of the technical aspect of photography. (Mike Schmiechen, Churchie).
Colby Courter: I remember, as a kid, splashing around the Avila Beach tide pools searching for sea anemones with my fists full of hermit crabs. Once I located one, I would drop the unsuspecting crabs into the writhing mass of tentacles and watch as the anemone slowly engulfed the tiny crustaceans. While this shot has a certain nostalgic significance for me, it also possesses an otherworldly distinctiveness that caught my eye. The crisp image quality and close-up perspective make the slimy green tentacles look more like the brains of some alien creature than sea life. (Steven Larson, Sea Anemone).
Winning!New Times’ 16th annual photography competition yields stunning resultsBY NEW TIMES STAFF
Judges’ bios San Luis Obispo native Peggy Mesler is a photographer and owner of the Photo Shop in SLO. She shares her appreciation and knowledge of photography with customers, clients, and friends. Peggy graduated with a journalism degree from Cal Poly, and opened the Photo Shop in 1995. Her interests include gardening, hiking, and birding, and her favorite photographic subject is people. Jeff Van Kleeck runs Cal Poly’s University Art Gallery. He received a master of fine arts degree in
photography and has studied photography under Jerry Uelsmann, Robert Glenn Ketchum, Keith Carter, John Sexton, Jerry Spagnoli, Jim Stone, Christopher Burkett, William Neill, and Bruce Barnbaum. His work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, in such locations as New York, Madison, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Brazil. His work can also be seen in the soon-to-be-released book, Exploring Color Photography: From Film to Pixels, fifth edition, by Robert Hirsch of Focal Press.
Joanne Beaule Ruggles has taught studio art since the ’70s. In 2004 she was named one of two faculty members winning Cal Poly’s Annual Distinguished Research Award for her Stone of Hope painting series that documented her reaction to the 9/11 tragedy. Her subsequent creative projects have garnered grant support from the James Irvine, Puffin, and Capelli d’Angeli foundations. Now an emeritus faculty member at Cal Poly, Ruggles continues to offer studio workshops around the United States and Canada. Ruggles’ artwork can be viewed at beaulerugglesgraphics.com.
PHOTO BY STEVE E. MILLERPHOTO BY STEVE E. MILLER
PHOTO BY STEVE E. MILLER
Ashala Tylor, A Song for a Stranded Whale, First Place, adult, travel
Alice Cahill, Heart of Gold, honorable mention, adult, Flora
Mimi Ditchie, Wave Swingers, honorable mention, adult, oPen
Spencer Caserio, Heron Liftoff, third Place, Youth
Mike Schmiechen, The Smaller Things, third Place, adult, oPen
WINNING IMAGES
Donna Johnson, Letting Go, second Place, adult, PeoPle
WINNING IMAGES
Shyiel Arad, Traveler
honorable mention, high school
Lauren Mattina, Fierce Determination, second Place, adult, sPorts
Scott Fugate, Warmth, third Place, adult, PeoPle
Roy Gough, Bangkok, Judge’s Pick, adult, travel
WINNING IMAGES
Spencer Caserio, Who’s Watching Who?,
second Place, Youth
Sharaya Olmeda, Five O’Clock Seating,
second Place, adult, oPen
Heather Craig, The Lookout, First Place, adult, animals
Ashala Tylor, Pismo Airplane, third Place, adult, land/seascaPe
WINNING IMAGES
Alan Hsu, Old Truck,
First Place, adult, land/seascaPe
Brian J. Matis, Raindrops on Red Leaves, third Place, adult, Flora Steven Larson, Sea Anemone, Judge’s Pick, adult, animals
Lauren Mattina, Tip Toes, second Place, adult, animals
Steven Larson, Sea Anemone, Judge’s Pick, adult, animals Mimi Ditchie, Red Flowers and Texture, Judge’s Pick, adult, Flora Brian Caserio, Double Dip, third Place, adult, sPorts
Jonathan Shapiro, Arcade of Piazza San Marco, Venice, third Place, adult, travel
Michael V. Myers, Twilight Reunion, third Place, adult, animals
Natosha Hoover, Skate,
honorable mention, adult, sPorts
Zoe MarkhaM, Weedflower, Second Place, Youth
Jonathan Shapiro, Dog in Window, Judge’s Pick, adult, animals
Mike Schmiechen, Churchie, Judge’s Pick, adult, animals
Jenn Lawrence, The Other Side, second Place, adult, Flora
Riley Pall, The Eye,
First Place,
high school
Sage Friedman, Satellite Shanty, honorable mention, Youth, land/seascaPe
WINNING IMAGES
Heather Craig, Blue Moon,
HONORABLE MENTION, ADULT, LAND/SEASCAPE
Skip Moss, Bishop Peak Sunset,
San Luis Obispo,
SECOND PLACE, ADULT,
LAND/SEASCAPE
Spencer Caserio,
Forster’s Tern,
FIRST PLACE, YOUTH
Bill Findley, Sunday Morning in Jietou, Yunnan, China,
SECOND PLACE, ADULT, TRAVEL
Brian J. Matis, A Frog in the Hand, honorable mention, adult, animals
Dave Coronel, The Hooded Man,
honorable mention, adult, travel
CINDY FraNkLIN, 3 Day Old Love, Third Place, Adult, People
WINNING IMAGES
Alison Watt Jackson, Summer Solstice, First Place, adult, PeoPle
Joseph Arndt , Under the Sea, third Place, high school
WINNING IMAGES
Jack Irwin, Reflections + Shadows, First Place, adult, oPen
Theresa Stanton, Black and White Portrait in Avila, honorable mention, adult, PeoPle
Shyiel Arad, Bath Time, second Place, high school
Steve Corey, Zoom Zoom Zoom, First Place, adult, sPorts