Contestants highlight city of Alpine in annual photography competition
The City of Alpine has announced the winners of the 2017 #AlpineTXPhoto Contest. The seventh annual photo contest saw over 300 photographs submitted by 101 photographers.
Photographers throughout the area and beyond were asked to capture the city of Alpine in a personal, reflective way to reveal the personality of the town. The contest judge for 2017 was the accomplished Dallas-based photographer Terry Cockerham, known for his meticulously-crafted and textural black and white images.
1. “Catch This” by Brandt Buchanan
The H.L. Kokernot, Jr. Memorial Award
“This is a great image, and here's what I see in this image that makes it great: First, the angle of the fence in opposition to the angle of the horse caught my eye. This format is right out of W. Eugene Smith's tool box, the one he used to create so many incredible dynamic images for Life magazine and others. Add the fact that the horse has only one front hoof on the ground, that the back hoofs are both off the ground after having kicked up dirt and dust, which is also still in the air. Congratulations to the photographer that caught this moment.”
2. “Alpine Grass” by David Winslow
The Charles Henry Trost Memorial Award
“To me, this image is very complex. What I like about the image is threefold. First is the selection of this scene as a possible subject at all. Most of us would probably walk by and ignore the very possibility that what we are looking at would provide such a composition as we see in the print. Second is the positioning of the camera which to me was perfect: not too elevated, not too low. All of the horizontal lines were parallel and level, showing this wasn't just a grab shot – it was thought out. Finally, the work was rendered in black and white, and I think this image had to be black and white to be successful.”
3. “Desert Daze” by Catherine Lenz
“This is a very dark and mysterious image...and I really like the effect. I say this because of three things I see in the overall image. The first thing I noticed when I looked at the photo was the young woman on the left of the image. A flower covers her left eye...why? Next, the two women are not in the horizontal middle of the frame as most of us would expect in a two-up image, but instead they are pressed to the left of the image...why? Finally, the third issue is the cloud structure behind and between the two women which has the look of a nuclear explosion in the distance. The mystery is unanswered in this image which leaves the viewer wondering...why?”
4. “A Moment to pose for a Portrait” by Kristin Coltrain Mangold
“This photo is as close to being a human family portrait as it can possibly be, but with the humans replaced with goats. “The two youngsters” are next to “Dad” and “Dad” is next to “Mom”. This is truly a unique grouping. Not only are the goats in a line, they are cooperating with the photographer by looking at the camera. Added to all of this is the shallow depth of field behind the goats making the subjects more dominate in the image. A well done conception.”
5. “My View from Above – Brenden Exploring Sunny Glen” by Elena Cicoria
“This is an image with varying components that when added together make a very contemporary piece of visual art. The white lines in the road define the path of the skateboarder. The shadow is mimicking the rider’s body dynamic and the rider’s position shows the energy he is using to propel himself. Very simple, but visually interesting.”
All winners, finalists and entrants of the #AlpineTXPhoto Contest, as well as additional judge’s comments from Terry Cockerham, are available for viewing on the City of Alpine’s visitor information web site: visitalpinetx.com
Photographers throughout the area and beyond were asked to capture the city of Alpine in a personal, reflective way to reveal the personality of the town. The contest judge for 2017 was the accomplished Dallas-based photographer Terry Cockerham, known for his meticulously-crafted and textural black and white images.
1. “Catch This” by Brandt Buchanan
The H.L. Kokernot, Jr. Memorial Award
“This is a great image, and here's what I see in this image that makes it great: First, the angle of the fence in opposition to the angle of the horse caught my eye. This format is right out of W. Eugene Smith's tool box, the one he used to create so many incredible dynamic images for Life magazine and others. Add the fact that the horse has only one front hoof on the ground, that the back hoofs are both off the ground after having kicked up dirt and dust, which is also still in the air. Congratulations to the photographer that caught this moment.”
2. “Alpine Grass” by David Winslow
The Charles Henry Trost Memorial Award
“To me, this image is very complex. What I like about the image is threefold. First is the selection of this scene as a possible subject at all. Most of us would probably walk by and ignore the very possibility that what we are looking at would provide such a composition as we see in the print. Second is the positioning of the camera which to me was perfect: not too elevated, not too low. All of the horizontal lines were parallel and level, showing this wasn't just a grab shot – it was thought out. Finally, the work was rendered in black and white, and I think this image had to be black and white to be successful.”
3. “Desert Daze” by Catherine Lenz
“This is a very dark and mysterious image...and I really like the effect. I say this because of three things I see in the overall image. The first thing I noticed when I looked at the photo was the young woman on the left of the image. A flower covers her left eye...why? Next, the two women are not in the horizontal middle of the frame as most of us would expect in a two-up image, but instead they are pressed to the left of the image...why? Finally, the third issue is the cloud structure behind and between the two women which has the look of a nuclear explosion in the distance. The mystery is unanswered in this image which leaves the viewer wondering...why?”
4. “A Moment to pose for a Portrait” by Kristin Coltrain Mangold
“This photo is as close to being a human family portrait as it can possibly be, but with the humans replaced with goats. “The two youngsters” are next to “Dad” and “Dad” is next to “Mom”. This is truly a unique grouping. Not only are the goats in a line, they are cooperating with the photographer by looking at the camera. Added to all of this is the shallow depth of field behind the goats making the subjects more dominate in the image. A well done conception.”
5. “My View from Above – Brenden Exploring Sunny Glen” by Elena Cicoria
“This is an image with varying components that when added together make a very contemporary piece of visual art. The white lines in the road define the path of the skateboarder. The shadow is mimicking the rider’s body dynamic and the rider’s position shows the energy he is using to propel himself. Very simple, but visually interesting.”
All winners, finalists and entrants of the #AlpineTXPhoto Contest, as well as additional judge’s comments from Terry Cockerham, are available for viewing on the City of Alpine’s visitor information web site: visitalpinetx.com
