Marta Iwanek (@martaiwanek), a Toronto Star photographer, was the judge for February 2015 Photos of the Month.
Judge's comments: I would strongly encourage all students, first and second
years to submit to POM. Not only do you get your work seen by different people
in the industry, but it’s also a great way to review your past month and see
what you liked and where you can improve.
Entry Stats:
Photographers - 9
Feature - 18
News - 11
Portrait - 19
Sports - 12
Multiple Pictures - 4 entries
FEATURE
Judge's comments: Most features are either of a found moment and/ or have
strong graphic elements. I found that in many of the entries, there was
neither. Sometimes the person did find a nice graphic element, however they didn't wait long enough for a moment to happen. If you find something you like,
stick with it for a while.
1. The first place photo is a nice moment showing the
anticipation of a musician backstage before his performance. The blue tones
also nicely add to the mood.
1. Zachary Prong
 |
| BELLEVILLE, Ont. (27/02/15) - Blair Yarranton, a trumpet player from Belleville, waits backstage before performing at the Empire Theatre in downtown Belleville. In addition to maintainig a busy performance schedule, Yarranton is a music educator who works mainly with children and teenagers. Photo by Zachary Prong |
2. Not Awarded
3. Not Awarded
NEWS
Judge's comments: Even
though news in a small town may not seem enticing, I would encourage students
to still make an effort to try it. It’s a great challenge to try and make an
interesting picture in situations that may not be so visual and it’s a good
skill to have because not everything you get sent to will always be very
visual. It also gets you out talking to people and this can lead to future stories
down the road. You never know who you’ll meet and what their story is. The
category overall was weak with few entries. The entries that were included
needed to be more focused on a moment rather than a general view of the event.
1. First place, you can empathize with the car owner in the photo.
2. Second place,
grabbed my attention visually.
1. Andrew Lahodynskyj
 |
| The father of a driver involved in a multi-vehicle crash surveys the damage to a vehicle while talking to emergency service workers at the scene of the accident. A call came in around 11:30 a.m. for the accident at the intersection of Highbury Ave and Killarney Rd in London, Ont. on Monday, March 16, 2015. The father arrived on scene after it occurred. Three people, including his daughter, were taken to hospital with undisclosed injuries. ANDREW LAHODYNSKYJ/ The London Free Press /QMI AGENCY |
2. Andrew Johnson
 |
| STIRLING, Ont. (2015-02-07) -- Supporters of the Ellie Project and Bella Ever After don the masks of the elephant in the room in support of efforts to break the stigma surrounding mental illness. From left to right, Daryl Kramp, MP for Prince Edward-Hastings, Jo-Anne Albert, Mayor of Tweed, Tammy Latchford, owner of Bella Ever After, Katie Marlin, creator of the Ellie Project, and Shawn Antoski, ex-NHL player and mental health advocate. Photo by Andrew Johnson |
3. Not Awarded
PORTRAIT
Judge's comments:
1. First
place captured the person’s character.
2. Second place, a solemn moment that also
let’s the viewer see who this person is or what they are going through.
3. Third
place, not much of a moment, but interesting use of light.
1. Andrew Johnson
 |
| BELLEVILLE, Ont. (2015-03-17) -- Josephine Danielle practices her performance in the mirror at home. Danielle has recently become open about being transgender says her dream is to be on stage. Photo by Andrew Johnson |
2. Zachary Prong
 |
| BELLEVILLE, Ont. (28/03/15) - In August 2013 Kathy Keenan's son Christopher passed away. He was 29 years old. Christopher suffered from uncontrollable epilepsy, a condition that left him unable to talk by the age of three. “He was beautiful. He was bright,” says Kathy, “but he was lost in his own world. He was a child and he stayed a child.” Photo by Zachary Prong |
3. Hannah Lawson
 |
| BELLEVILLE, Ont. (6/2/15)— Ian Gungner is a man of legendary adventures, no matter the weather, or any other restrictions. He is an outdoors man for sure, with a great love for winter camping and hiking. Photo by Hannah Lawson |
SPORTS
Judge's comments:
1. First
place was a clean capture of a peak moment.
2. Second place, was an interesting,
different view of a very popular sport. The person’s expression and body
language say a lot and the photographer zeroed in on that which is good.
1. Marissa Tiel
 |
| MARKHAM, Ont. (01/02/15) --- Canadian Oliver Vikalo plays tight defense against the Brazilian team in the gold medal game during the UANA Water Polo Cup Sunday Feb. 1, 2015. Canada won the game 8-6 at the Atos Pan Am/ Para Pan Am Markham Centre. Photo by Marissa Tiel |
2. Nakita Krucker
 |
| BRANTFORD Ont. (21/03/15) - Durst plays out his role as the loser in this round against Mr. Atlantis. Losing is a role that you sometimes have to play along with, especially as an rookie in the world of pro-wrestling. Not only does he have to take the hit but he has to remain in his stage persona as he makes his 'disgraced' exit. Photo by Nakita Krucker |
3. Not Awarded
MULTIPLE PICTURES
Judge's comments:
1. This
picture story has a lot of potential, but isn’t there yet. The photographer has
done a good job capturing storytelling moments. For instance, I can feel the
support and encouragement in the hugging photo without ever having to read the
caption. The body language says it all. I hope the photographer continues to
follow this story and branches out to cover more aspects of this person’s life.
1. Andrew Johnson
 |
| BELLEVILLE, Ont. (2015-03-17) -- Josephine Danielle practices her performance in the mirror at home. Danielle has recently become open about being transgender says her dream is to be on stage. |
 |
| BELLEVILLE, Ont. (2015-01-23) -- Josephine Danielle (c) gets wardrobe help backstage from fellow drag queen Lily Landers (l) inbetween performances at the Belle Pub in Belleville. |
 |
| BELLEVILLE, Ont. (2015-01-23) -- Josephine Danielle (l) receives a tip from fellow drag queen Lily Landers (r) during her first ever drag performance since becoming publicly transgender. |
 |
| BELLEVILLE, Ont. (2015-01-23) -- Josephine Danielle (l) receives congratulations from veteran drag performer Lily Landers (r) after her first ever drag performance since becoming publicly transgender.
2. Not Awarded
3. Not Awarded
|
Points Awarded
885 - Andrew Lahodynskyj
850 - Andrew Johnson
850 - Andrew Johnson
625 - Zachary Prong
475 - Amanda Cheung
475 - Amanda Cheung
435 - Hannah Lawson
420 - Franki Ikeman
300 - Maggie Naylor
285 - Gabrielle Smith
200 - Micah Bond
150 - Dillan Cools
150 - Andrew Meade
125 - Amanda Paulhus
125 - Hannah Eden
125 - Annie Sakkab
110 - Elaine Bombay
110 - Tristan Urry
110 - Bradley Ruszkowski
100 - Graeme Murphy
100 - Alyssa Lloyd
420 - Franki Ikeman
300 - Maggie Naylor
285 - Gabrielle Smith
200 - Micah Bond
150 - Dillan Cools
150 - Andrew Meade
125 - Amanda Paulhus
125 - Hannah Eden
125 - Annie Sakkab
110 - Elaine Bombay
110 - Tristan Urry
110 - Bradley Ruszkowski
100 - Graeme Murphy
100 - Alyssa Lloyd
100 - Marissa Tiel
75 - Nakita Krucker50 - Julia Rhebergen
50 - Brian Cannon
50 - Jeremy McKay
25 - Thomas Surian
25 - Helene Roth
10 - Gretchen Chi
10 - Charlie Vilagut
