Student photo contest winner captures a weary moment
Published 1:30 am Thursday, March 22, 2018
It was at the end of a school field trip, on the walk back to the bus, that Emily Sanger spotted a scene she knew she had to capture.
It was of a baker, arms crossed, leaning on the lower half of a Dutch door, eyes glancing a bit wearily to the side. His face had the look of somebody at the end of a tough day.
The baker, at a shop in the Pike Place Market, was talking to people as they passed by.
“He looked kind of down, actually,” said Sanger, a sophomore at Edmonds-Woodway High School. “I pointed it out to my friends and wanted to capture that moment.”
Her photograph, entitled “The Baker,” was selected as the grand-prize winner in the Schack Art Center’s annual black-and-white photo contest for high school students.
It was selected from among 149 entries submitted by students from schools throughout Snohomish County.
All the photos will be on display in the art center’s Emerging Young Artists’ Gallery through April 29.
The contest was judged by three photographers: Kyle Goldie of Seattle and Sonya Lang and Dan Manning of Snohomish.
They were asked to evaluate the entries on originality, technical skill and a personal style or vision, said Nancy Bell, the Schack’s education director.
In their written comments, the judges said they selected Sanger’s work as the grand-prize winner because it “made us think.
“We were intrigued by the feeling of wanting to know more behind the story,” they said. “We loved the emotion portrayed in the image. The tonal range and composition are very well done.”
Other recipients were:
Grades 9 and 10: First place, Lauren Towner, “Distant,” sophomore, Kamiak High School; second place, Tomas Brodniak, “Caped Crusader,” freshman, Edmonds-Woodway High School; third place, Lindsey Gonzalez-Angeles, “The Dancing Woman,” sophomore, Lynnwood High School.
Grades 11 and 12: First place, Madeline Holden, “Drops,” senior, Edmonds-Woodway High School; second place, Ken Razo, “Roots,” junior, Edmonds-Woodway High School; third place, Trevor Garrood, “Calm Waters,” senior, Kamiak High School.
Honorable mentions were awarded in both categories.
This is the 23rd year of the student photography contest. It has always been restricted to black-and-white photographs.
That’s in part because when it started, most entries were so-called “wet prints,” or those developed in a dark room, although there were some digital entries, too.
Bell said she decided to continue with the black-and-white format because “I want them to really appreciate what a good photo is.”
Sanger, who took the grand prize-winning photograph, said she’s always enjoyed working in black and white.
“It kind of brings out a different aspect of the picture,” she said. “With the black and white, if it’s more serious, it really shows through. That baker showed the emotion of sadness or disappointment.”
Sharon Salyer: 425-339-3486; salyer@heraldnet.com.
.If you go
An exhibit of all the entries is on display at the Schack Art Center’s Emerging Young Artists’ Gallery through April 29. Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday (closed Easter Sunday, April 1).
The art center is at 2921 Hoyt Ave, Everett. More info: 425-259-5050 or schack.org
