Summer 2016 Results
The summer edition of POM was judged by Andrew Vaughan, a Canadian Press photographer based on the East coast (@cppixhalifax).
From Andrew,
It was lots of fun and it was a pleasure to see the variety and quality of the work.
I made a few comments about cropping and shooting horizontally but generally I was impressed by what I saw. I’m a big fan of the program at Loyalist and have had the pleasure of working with many of the graduates over the years.
Best of luck with the school year.
Cheers.
I made a few comments about cropping and shooting horizontally but generally I was impressed by what I saw. I’m a big fan of the program at Loyalist and have had the pleasure of working with many of the graduates over the years.
FIRST YEAR
NEWS
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| GRAND BEND, Ont. (25/08/16) - Muslim women at Pinery Provincial Park adhere to the appropriate attire expected of their culture as a girl of Western decent waddles into Lake Huron in her bathing suit. The fight for the right to wear a burkini has been a prominent topic of discussion since its ban on over 30 beaches in France. Photo by Vanessa Tignanelli. |
This is a great example of a solid general news photo.
It tells the story in clear fashion and doesn’t exploit the subjects.
Not sure about the crop as it works even better as a straight horizontal.
Second place:
 |
| ELORA, Ont. (20/08/16) - Gord Downie waves goodbye during his final Tragically Hip performance in Kingston to fans watching a live stream at Riverfest Elora on August 20, 2016. The audience chose to forego the festival's live performances in order to share in an important piece of Canadian music history. Downie was diagnosed with an incurable form of brain cancer in May. Photo by Vanessa Tignanelli. |
The Tragically Hip concert was played out across the country. There is a certain intimacy that this frame captures. I little bit of dodging and burning might be in order.
Third place:
 |
| NANAIMO, B.C. (02/07/16) - A 10-acre wildfire burns outside of Nanaimo on Vancouver Island July 2, 2016. The island saw yet another extremely dry summer, forcing firefighters and locals to stay alert. Photo by Vanessa Tignanelli. |
This is a run-of-the-mill forest fire photo. But then I opened this frame up in PS and cropped it tighter. Stunning.
FEATURE
First place:
 |
| VANCOUVER, B.C. (01/07/16) - Jeremiah plants the Canadian flag proudly in the sand of the Spanish Banks Beach in Vancouver, BC on July 1, 2016. He and his family celebrate this Canada Day as grateful immigrants, having escaped a difficult life in El Salvador and finding peace in their new home. Photo by Vanessa Tignanelli. |
A great Canada Day feature. All of the elements are there. Joyful.
Second place:
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| GUELPH, Ont. (23/07/16) - Audiences at the 2016 Guelph Hillside Festival match the energy of live music with non-stop crowdsurfing. Festivals create a culture focused on liberation, bringing out people's uninhibited side. Photo by Vanessa Tignanelli. |
Bit of a crop moves this to another level.
Third place:
 |
| GUELPH, Ont. (24/07/16) - Sisters strike a perfect pose with their favourite treats at Guelph's Hillside Festival on July 24, 2016. Photo by Vanessa Tignanelli. |
The photo needs some room to breathe. Shot as a horizontal and cropped looser to see where they are-beach, fairground etc.
SPORTS
First Place:
 |
| HOPE, B.C. (25/06/16) - Kieran Lehan, an experienced rock climber, scales the towering walls of the Fraser River outside of Hope, BC on June 25, 2016. The abrupt narrowing of these cliffs forces the river below through a 35-metre passage famously known as Hell's Gate. Photo by Vanessa Tignanelli. |
You really need to have the rest of the body in the frame to make this work.
As there were only two entries, there is no second or third place.
PORTRAIT
First place:
 |
| WASHINGTON, MO. - Ken poses for a portrait after slaughtering and skinning a cow in Washington on July 28, 2016. |
A well executed environmental portrait. The lighting is great and the “gunslinger” pose adds to the story telling.
Second place:
 |
| GUELPH, Ont. (23/06/16) - Julian Holman has been squatting in an abandoned house in downtown Guelph for several months. His only company is an iPad, given to him by a local who believes in Holman's thirst for knowledge, and his pigeon Fergeley, who has chosen Holman as a life mate. Holman lives purposefully as a critical outcast of society, favouring his over-psychoanalytical views of society as opposed to becoming a contributing member. Photo by Vanessa Tignanelli. |
Simple and sad.
Third place:
 |
| NELSON, B.C. (20/06/16) - Mo Haroun lives alone in the apartment above his cafe in downtown Nelson, B.C. His whispers expose pain and fragility, a lost yet hopeful soul working slowly to own optimism after facing many tragedies. As a child refugee in Jordan he was prohibited from returning to his home in Palestine. His apartment is empty save a few sticks of frankincense to create an environment of meditation and healing. Photo by Vanessa Tignanelli. |
I’m not sure the vertical crop adds anything. All of the elements are there without our eyes being drawn away by the bright light at the top of the frame. That said, both the second and third place portraits show that the photographer can engage their subjects and present an honest portrait.
MULTI-PICTURE
First place:
A very pice set of pictures. The first photo is a strong abstract that anchors the rest. Great use of the available light from backlight sun to the headlamps. A couple of the photos were a bit confusing but worked as a whole. I think multi-pix slideshows work better if all of the images are horizontal.
(I worked on a CPR gang in Southern Alberta when I was in photo school-swinging hammers and running machinery.)
SECOND YEAR
NEWS
First place:
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| (08/15/2016) CARAQUET, NB - Justin Trudeau interacts with participants at the “Grande Tintamarre” parade celebrating National Acadian Day. Trudeau gave a speech about the importance of French language rights in the Maritimes to a crowd of 30,000 before marching the streets of Caraquet. Photo: Chris Donovan |
This is what you want when you are covering a politician at a public event. There is great animation and excitement. I covered this event last year before he was elected. It’s a tough crowd to work. Well done.
Second place:
 |
| Oakville, Ont. (17/08/2016)— Max Boateng of Team Palermo Panthers, pedaling hard as his teammates cheer him on. YMCA summer camp counselors and community initiatives program staff organized the Ride for YMCA Strong Kids fundraising event at Peter Gilgan YMCA, Oakville. Photo by Noah Park. |
It’s a regular assignment. A charity fundraiser. You show up and work it. If you make a frame like this you should be pleased. Cropped a bit tighter on the right and the top and your done.
Third place:
 |
| (07/20/2016) SAINT JOHN, NB - Const. James Smith, right, Const. John Wright, centre, and cadet Tristan Murray, left, carry bags of evidence away from the scene at Lily Lake after pulling the body of a 59-year-old man from the water. Photo: Chris Donovan |
Good use of the backlight. It looks ominous. Photos like this can serve as great filers instead of the ubiquitous yellow police tape.
FEATURE
First place:
 |
| HUNTSVILLE, Ont. (07/25/16) - Two campers go for a swing on the ropes element ‘Giant Swing’ at Olympia Sports Camp. The giant swing is one of the 4 ropes elements at Olympia including the zipline, high ropes course, and climbing tower. Photo by Lori Christmas. |
Good use of negative space. By not cropping tight to the subject you get s sense of height and motion.
Second place:
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| TORONTO, Ont. (03/05/16) - According to Statistics Canada, in 2013 there are 447 people living on the streets of Toronto. Since then there is a total of 5,219 people living in the streets with that number increasing. Photo by Liam Smyth |
This is an honest but sad photo. People appear to be oblivious and as a document of difficult times, this photo speaks volumes.
Third place:
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| HUNTSVILLE, Ont. (07/11/16) - Basketball campers at Olympia Sports Camp work on their agility and footwork by jumping over mini hurdles in their fitness session run by the Director of Fitness, Andrew Primmer. Olympia is an overnight camp located in Muskoka that focuses on sports specific training. Photo by Lori Christmas. |
Great use of the strong visual elements.
SPORTS
First place:
 |
| PICTON, Ont. (23/07/16) - Over 200 skilled competitors gathered to compete in bareback bronc riding, steer wrestling, team roping, barrel racing and more at the Picton fairgrounds. Photo by Taylor Bertelink |
Tight crop provides for a view of the intensity in barrel racing. It’s not the easiest rodeo event to shoot because all they are doing is going around barrels but there is a lot going on between the rider and horse.
Second place:
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| HAMPTON, NB. (07/24/2016) - Alexander Corasiniti poses in the pool where he began swimming at the age of 8. The 18-year-old who suffers from a rare muscle disorder narrowly missed qualifying for the 2016 paralympics in Rio and is now training for the 2020 games in Tokyo. Photo: Chris Donovan |
Third place:
 |
| Milton, Ont. (27/06/16)— Hugo Barrette, a 25 year-old Canadian cyclist competing in Rio Olympics 2016, practicing in Mattamy National Cycling Centre, Milton. Photo by Noah Park. |
A good job with panning. You would get a better sense of speed with an even slower shutter speed and more blurring of the background.
PORTRAIT
First place
 |
| (08/12/2016) SAINT JOHN, NB - Kumrinisso Kuvatova came to Canada as a refugee after her husband was assassinated in Turkey. Her husband, Umarali Kuvatov was the leader of an opposition group in Tajikistan fighting against what he perceived as oppression in the Tajikistani government. Photo: Chris Donovan |
Strong emotional portrait. There is a lot going on here. The caption tells the story but this shows the story.
Second place:
 |
| Burlington, Ont. (17/08/16) — “It was difficult at first but you gotta pick up the pieces and move on," says Sue Mosley, reflecting back on her life. Mosley was 27 years-old when she moved to Canada from England after she had lost her husband in the war. Sue Mosley celebrates her 100th birthday in her home in Burlington with friends and family. Photo by Noah Park. |
A tough to shoot portrait. There is a connection with the photographer and the picture works. The background is a bit busy but somethings you can’t control.
Third place:
 |
| SAINT JOHN, NB. (06/10/2016) - Saint John mayor Don Darling poses in his office after being sworn in as the 57th mayor of Canada’s oldest official city. Photo: Chris Donovan |
High quality magazine portrait. I would have cropped the distracting light on the left side and while giving up some of the skyline. Well done though.
Honourable mention:
 |
| COROZAL, Belize. (31/07/16) - Hector Kelly is a Belize City native raised in the northern village of Consejo, just a couple kilometers from the Mexican border. Four years ago he was a semi-pro basketball player representing his country all over Central and South America. But then he gave it all up to support his wife and her two children. Currently he spends his time hunting, fishing, working the odd construction job and beating all his friends at basketball. Photo by Raven McCoy |
A bit of verite. There is a nice quality to the totally relaxed expression.
MULTI-PICTURE
First place:
This is great job on a photo story. The story is well told and the news is covered. It doesn’t hurt that the town is decked in Acadian colours and everyone is in a good mood, but there are several individual photos in the set that can stand alone.
Second place:
This story is straight forward but some of the photos are confusing. I’m not sure what the purpose of the combos is in the first and second photos in the series. All of the elements are there and all this story really needs is a tight edit. Having said that, the photographer did engage the subject and we get a window on youth labour.
525 - Vanessa Tignanelli
400 - Chris Donovan
200 - Andrew Ryan
125 - Noah Park
125 - Lori Christmas
100 - Taylor Bertelink
60 - Raven McCoy Barnwell
50 - Liam Smyth
Points
525 - Vanessa Tignanelli
400 - Chris Donovan
200 - Andrew Ryan
125 - Noah Park
125 - Lori Christmas
100 - Taylor Bertelink
60 - Raven McCoy Barnwell
50 - Liam Smyth
Points
Points are awarded for 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and Honorable Mentions.
1st place - 100
2nd place - 50
3d place - 25
HM - 10
1st place - 100
2nd place - 50
3d place - 25
HM - 10
