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Campus Sustainability Day Photo Contest Winners Announced

Posted November 20, 2009:

For 2009 Campus Sustainability Day, held November 9, 2009, the theme of water was adopted to continue the semester’s informal focus on this resource. Campus Sustainability Day activities included a photo contest centered around the day’s theme of water.

The campus community was invited to submit photographs in four categories: water as a natural resource, water as a recreational resource, water quality issues and water conservation. Nearly 175 beautiful 8x10 images were submitted by students, staff and faculty. The entries were judged by guest judge Travis Patterson, a freelance photographer and certified art educator.

Throughout this semester, water has been a focal point of several projects at Shenandoah University. The Green Space Project centered around not only returning green space to the campus landscape, but also on improving the way we manage storm water, which in turn helps to improve the water quality of Abrams Creek on main campus. In October, the Shenandoah EcoVenture team spent nearly half of their time in the field canoeing the Shenandoah River and learning about its health. For 2009 Campus Sustainability Day, held November 9, 2009, the theme of water was adopted to continue the semester’s informal focus on this resource.

Campus Sustainability Day activities included a photo contest centered around the day’s theme of water. The campus community was invited to submit photographs in four categories: water as a natural resource, water as a recreational resource, water quality issues and water conservation. Nearly 175 beautiful 8x10 images were submitted by students, staff and faculty. The entries were judged by guest judge Travis Patterson, a freelance photographer and certified art educator. Patterson judged the images blindly; he was not told any of the photographer’s names until the winning images were finalized.

The grand prize winner was Daria Korotina for her image “Summer Innocence.” The senior business administration student took her winning photo in her hometown of Ulyanovsk, Russia.  Korotina received a $150 Visa Gift Card.	The judge’s comments: Originally a candidate for water’s recreational use, Daria’s image stood out to me for its brilliant (yet natural) color scheme, sharp focus and multiple layers (mountains in the background, legs in the middle ground, and water in the foreground). The sense of motion was brilliantly captured through stop action and the unique angle holds the eye’s attention. Most importantly, I think this image evokes a sentiment of fun and challenge in water’s honor.
The first place winner in the water as a natural resource category was Micah Melton for his image “The Gathering.” The junior business student took his winning photo at Ha Long Bay in Vietnam.  Melton received a $50 iTunes Gift Card.	The judge’s comments: Micah’s image portrays how a Vietnamese society utilizes boats on water to conduct travel and commerce. While there is photojournalistic edge in this image, its forms and soft light also speak fine art. Depth and sense of scale are also successfully demonstrated.
The first place winner in the water as a recreational resource category was Andrea Tanzella for her image “Bataphobia.” The second year pharmacy student took her winning photo at Horseshoe Canyon in Arizona.  Tanzella received a $50 iTunes Gift Card.	The judge’s comments: In this category, I sifted through images that showcased how we humans use our landscape in the name of sport and leisure. I like Andrea’s take: the water provides a natural flow for the eye to follow. It is a creative self-portrait that also plays with the boat below in scale and narrative. The exclusion of the sky and horizon line effectively forced the fine lines of the Southwest’s sandstone rock walls to form as a frame.
The first place winner in the water quality issues category was Dr. John Copenhaver for his image “Hope for Mercury Remediation.” The professor of religion and philosophy took his winning photo at the former DuPont factory, on the Shenandoah River near Waynesboro, Va. Copenhaver received a $50 iTunes Gift Card.	The judge’s comments: This was my most difficult category to judge, perhaps because “quality” often entails human impact, interference or management; simply stated, our biased opinion of relative success or failure. I chose John Copenhaver’s image because it shows construction on the banks of the Shenandoah River in a photographically sound manner. Trees hold a construction crew and hard-edged machinery into the frame above the soft reflections of the Shenandoah River. I was most attracted to this dichotomy and, secondly, to Mr. Copenhaver’s effective use of light.
The first place winner in the water conservation category was Daria Korotina for her image “Feeling Blue.” The senior business administration student took her winning photo in Winchester.  Korotina received a $50 iTunes Gift Card.	The judge’s comments: When I think of the word conservation as told through photography, I think of inspiring images that make us want to advocate for nature as well as images that remind us of its state of precarious flux. I believe that in Daria’s “Feeling Blue,” she does both well. Her image is full of soft light and brilliant hues that speak romantically of water. More importantly, each droplet of clear, crisp water reminds us that this international resource is actually finite in drinkable form. What happens when we use each of these droplets? Can we make enough to satisfy world demand… and then some?

 

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