judged by Tom Leininger. Judge’s comments are below.
Judge’s Comments
Thanks again for offering this opportunity to judge this category.
Overall Comments:
This category had a wide variety of pictures and there is some solid daily work in the category. The pictures that stood out clearly had strong content, good toning, and an approach that went beyond the typical needs of the newspaper. Photographs that were more carefully toned and punchier in terms of contrast stood out. Re-toning for the year-end contest is not always a bad idea.
First Place:
This picture jumped out right away. The faces of the horses along with the body language make for a dynamic photograph. This is something that I have not seen before and it was one of those times where I said wow out loud. The dust being kicked up and the frozen hair on their tails add to the overall wild mood.
Second Place:
This is a subtler photograph and the look on her face tells the story. The darkness and the layers of the image add to the feel of the picture. I did not need to read the caption to know this was a story about homelessness.
Third Place:
While there were other strong climate change pictures this one gives a more dire feeling along with an overwhelming sense of scale. The composition and soft light make for a photograph that uses beauty to tell a horrifying story.
HM:
There is some motion blur here that adds to the image. The symmetry of the trees and the early morning blue light gives elevate this picture beyond the expected. “Sharpness is a bourgeois concept,” as Henri Cartier-Bresson said.
HM:
The girl in the lower left looking in a different direction than the rest of the kids is what I kept coming back to. Seeing the different body language of the other kids added to it. It is clear that this picture comes from a larger story, but it works well to tell the continuing Covid story.
HM:
This photo kept staying in the final group because of the layered composition and strong colors, along with the facial expression of the man in the center.
Utah News Photographers Association 