ST. PETERSBURG, FL (March 7, 2007) – Best Of Photojournalism 2007 judges today picked winners today in the the Spot News, Editors EFX (“effects”), Team Photography, Sports Editing, Sports Feature Editing, General News, Editors Feature (Editor), and Editors Feature (Photographer) categories at The Poynter Institute for Media Studies in St. Petersburg.
Now in its fourth day of judging, the Best Of Photojournalism 2007 competition is sponsored again this year by Canon and Avid.
The winning videos can be viewed here on the Poynter Institute's Web site.
In the Spot News category, first place was awarded to Everett McEwan of KGWN-TV in Denver, CO, for “Cody’s Rescue.” Second place is Scott Utterback of WAVE-TV in Louisville, KY, for “ABC’s of Disaster,” and third place is Jonathan Malat of KARE-TV in Minneapolis, MN, for “Smashed.” Honorable mention was given to Andy Shilts of KMSP-TV in Minneapolis for “Watch, Wait & Wail.”
Finalists in Spot News were Anne Herbst of KUSA-TV for “Another Water Main Break … Sort Of”; Brian Pucharty of CNN for “Aytarun”; Steve Fedoriska of KCNC-TV in Denver for “Can You Smell That?”; and Mark Batchelder of KXAN-TV in Austin, TX, for “Early Morning Glow.”
“We debated (endlessly) our top pick for spot news, partly because it pained us to give top honors to the story of a dog being rescued,” Regina McCombs said. “But when it came down to what we believed was genuinely the best work in a spot news situation, we kept coming back to ‘Cody.’ It had it all – strong photography, great nats [natural sound], wonderful story. ‘ABCs of Disaster’ felt almost gentle for a post-tornado story, and the photographer had the good sense to work with flashlight. The story gave an unobtrusive sense of being on the scene immediately after a disaster. If it hadn’t been for the unnecessary dissolves, it would have been much stronger.”
“Another lively discussion to pick the winner in this category,” judge Joel Eagle said. “I got over ruled. ‘Cody’s Rescue,’ the winner, was excellent … however, for me it did not have the same emotional impact as ‘Smashed.’ None of these stories were about catastrophic events that impacted masses of people. So the oddity was that our final picks ended up being more personal, smaller scale stories. They all had merit, but some stirred the juices harder.”
Judge Jay Korff said, “Judging this category stirred strong emotions in all of us. It was very hard to pick a winner. The top three stories were all outstanding. They each moved us in different ways. And for all the drama that comes with spot news, these stories were about seemingly innocuous topics: a dog stuck in a drain, a tree on a car, and a hole in a roof. Each of these photojournalists transformed a simple scenario into a riveting news story. ‘Cody’s Rescue’ was nearly flawless in visual execution and left us smiling. The ‘ABC’s of Disaster’ was poignant and touching. ‘Smashed’ took us willingly into a world of uncertainty.”
In the Editors EFX (“effects”) category, first place went to Troy Hale of KMSP-TV in Minneapolis, MN, for “Downtown 33.” Second place was Steve Rhodes of WTHR-TV in Indianapolis, IN, for “Storybook Romance,” and third place was Matthew Rafferty of WJW-TV in Cleveland, OH, for “House Of Correction.” An honorable mention was also awarded to Hale for “Block E.” Finalists in this category were Rafferty’s “Red Light – Green Light,” and “Dissecting The Fire” by Jason Hanson of KSTP-TV in Minneapolis.
“‘Downtown 33’ is a story about downtown nuisance crime and it used good natural sound and shot selection to pace the story well,” judge Michael Humphries said. The editor also used graphics by effectively overlaying them onto the ‘background’ of many of the scenes shot by the photographer. It worked as a very effective storytelling tool.”
“‘Downtown 33’ was highly stylized with a fresh approach to showing crime stats,” judge Stephanie Ottjepka said. “The crime stats appeared as text on sidewalks and sides of buildings. This worked well in a story about crime in the city. I also really liked the photos of the 33 most arrested over the bush. This piece also had great pacing which the text and shot changes followed.”
In the Team Photography category, first place was awarded to “It’s Football, Sir” by WBFF-TV’s Kyle Cooper, Darren Durlach, Sean Filburn, Stan Heist, and Jody Weldon in Baltimore, MD.
Second place was “Wilmar Kids” by KARE-TV’s Nate Anderson, Jim Douglas, Jonathan Malat, Paul Rovelstand, and Andy Sugden in Minneapolis.
Third place was “Skyway Race” by KARE-TV’s Jim Douglas, Monica Hanson, Deb Lyngdal, Andy Sugden, and Jesse Thompson in Minneapolis.
Honorable mentions were given to “The Light from 1,436 Feet” by KARE-TV’s John Drilling and Dennis Stearns, and to “Golden On The Pont” by KARE-TV’s Bob Crippa, Jim Douglas, John Drilling, Brad Hadsall, Craig Norkus, and Lee Wall in Minneapolis.
“Five fantastic stories!” judge Joel Eagle said. “In the end ‘It’s Football, Sir’ gets the nod. A true team effort, it showed great planning, and covered game day without missing a single detail. I thought I was back in Annapolis for a few minutes.
“Another truly unique stand out in this category was ‘The light From 1,436 Feet. Amazing use of the helicopter and wireless. Ken Speake, you’re an inspiration, Good luck in retirement.”
“It was a pleasure watching and judging the finalists in this category,” judge Jay Korff said. “Every story blended outstanding photography and storytelling with precise teamwork. The winning entry, ‘It’s Football Sir,’ muscled out the competition with a truly Herculean effort. They covered a typical Navy football game with the logistical planning and execution of a finely tuned military machine. Every photographer was in the right place at the right time. The end result made you feel like you were in the middle of every play.
“It’s important to note that the second place finisher deserves credit for telling a particularly moving story,” Korff said.
“This was fun to judge because the work was outstanding. All the stories we brought into the final round placed, but it took some discussion to sort out the order,” judge Regina McCombs said. “We put a lot of weight on the team aspect (the planning, coordination, and working together that it took to get the job done). One downside: two very good spot news stories just couldn’t hold their own against the features.”
In the General News category, first place went to Dan Weaver of KUSA-TV in Denver, CO, for “HOV Dummy.” Second place was Steve Fedoriska of KCNC-TV in Denver, CO, for “I Want To Live With This,” and third place was Kurt Austin of KGW-TV in Portalnd, OR, for “Never Forget.” Honorable mentions were awarded to Gary Knox of KARE-TV in Minneapolis, MN, for “Chain To A Pew,” and to Dan Bolsem of KCCI-TV in Des Moines, IA, for “The Goodyear Treatment.”
Finalists in the General News category were “Another Flag is On the Way” by John Drilling of KARE-TV in Minneapolis, MN; “No-Knock Warrant” by Jon Goss of WGCL-TV in Atlanta, GA; “Not Going to Forget” by Steve Rhodes of WTHR-TV in Indianapolis, IN; “Pool Parking” by Chris Weaver of WGHP-TV in High Point, NC; “The Cost of War” by Chris Cheline of KDVR-TV in Denver, CO; and “True Patriots” by Sean Filburn of WBFF-TV in Baltimore, MD.
“The judges were divided on the top story,” Joel Eagle said. “It came down to six stories in a very large category. I felt that the eventual top two winners stood out from the rest. ‘I Want To Live With This’ was terrific, smart, well shot, and well told.
“A plea from a judge: Please, don’t waste your time with extraneous sound,” Mark Morache said. “If it doesn’t propel the story forward, it’s just noise. Please remember that someone has to watch the story you put together. It must make sense, and not confuse. It must not nauseate with wild movements, obscure shots, or meaningless flash edits. Take time to stop, look, listen and feel what’s happening around you, and you’ll find the center of the story, then you’re more able to share it with us. ‘HOV Dummy’ was so interesting and was covered so well. It told a complete story, and told it well. ‘I Want To Live With This’ was about a group of teenagers getting tattooed to honor their friend who had been brutally murdered. It was a simple natural sound story, but how powerful to just hear them talk. Kudos to the photographer and to the station that had the good sense to run with such a powerful treatment as this.”
“The top story, ‘HOV Dummy,’ was an extremely interesting and creative story about a remarkably self-deprecating character,” judge Jay Korf said. “It was clear to us that the winner worked tirelessly to pull together a highly entertaining piece. The rest of the stories serve as prime examples of beautifully crafted visual narratives cobbled together in just a day.”
“I would have loved to be able to reward stories that were more truly general assignment, but only a half dozen of those showed creativity and a lot of effort,” Regina McCombs said. “There were a lot of stories this year on memorial services and immigration rallies, but few rose to the level of being memorable. In the end, it came down to the same things we used to judge other categories: strong photography and sound, photographer hustle, and good storytelling.”
In the Editors Feature (Editor) category, first place was awarded to Ron Kabele of Texas Parks & Wildlife for “How To Be A Game Warden In Six Easy Months.” Second place was Jeramy Rosenberg of KMGH-TV in Denver, CO, for “Swallow Hill,” and third place was Ryan Borgman of KDVR-TV in Denver for “Muddy Buddy.”
Finalists in this category were “Long Journey Home” by Joshua Maranhas of KDVR-TV in Denver, and “The Chalk Fun” by Ryan Borgman of KDVR-TV in Denver.
“Overall, the entries in this category were fairly solid,” judge Michael Humphries said. “Several displayed some of the same characteristics as the winning pieces. Others could’ve benefited from some tightening to allow them to tell their stories in a more concise way.”
“The first place story, ‘How to Be a Game Warden in Six Easy Months,’ takes the viewer through the ‘boot camp’ of becoming a Texas game warden. The editor skillfully showed that process with a pace that made the story feel half as long as its actual run time. Through excellent use of natural sound, good shot selection and several ‘moments,’ the editor really displayed some good storytelling choices. The editing did not draw attention to itself and that served the story well.”
In the Editors Feature (Photographer) category, first place was awarded to Corky Scholl of KUSA-TV in Denver, CO, for “Dream Park.” Second place was Doug Burgess of WFAA-TV in Dallas, TX, for “Jake,” and third place was Michael DelGiudice of News12 Long Island for “A Very Happy Family.” Honorable mentions were given to Kurt Austin of KGW-TV in Portland, OR, for “Never Forget,” and Dan Sheffer of Tucson 12 in Tucson, AZ, for “Kilts & Celts.”
“‘Dream Park’ was an artistically crafted piece about a skate park and the meaning it has to the kids. It was elegant and cool,” judge Stephanie Ottjepka said. “I love the feel of the rap music and the slow motion of the skateboards in the air. All the dissolves mixed right. There were no fast edits and it didn't need them. There were good reaction shots and nat [natural] breaks were used cautiously. It had grace and kept my interest.”
“How a family deals with one child's autism is the subject of ‘A Very Happy Family,’” judge Michael Humphries said. “By the use of natural sound of the family's morning waking and breakfast rituals as well as other moments with them throughout their day, the editor was able to convey their sometimes difficult, but hopeful approach to raising their special-needs son. The editing is seamless and tells their story beautifully.”
In the Sports Editing category, first place was awarded to John Hyjek of NBC News in Washington, DC, for “LA Football.” Second place was Greg T. Johnson of WFAA-TV in Dallas, TX, for “Two Minutes And 30 Seconds,” and third place was Brian Kaufman of Naplesnews.com in Naples, FL, for “Unstoppable in South Florida.” A finalist in this category was “Student Teacher” by Chad Zellmer of WYFF-TV in Greenville, SC.
“The winning entry had good attention to detail. The reaction shots were well placed, the shots accompanied the script well, and the nat [natural] sound was the right amount for the story,” judge Stephanie Ottjepka said. “I really liked the contrast in the beginning of the loud, noisy football game to the quiet devastation of the area. The duration and the silence of first shot of the devastation was very nice.”
In the Sports Feature Editing category, Stan Heist of WBFF-TV in Baltimore, MD, won first place for “It’s Football, Sir.” Second place was Douglas Burgess of WFAA-TV in Dallas, TX, for “A More Special Player,” and third place was Thomas McDonald of WDVR-TV in Denver, CO, for “Baseball Begging.”
Honorable mentions were awarded to Brian Fiser of WHO-TV in Des Moines, IA, for “Michael Annett: On The Fast Track” and to Ron Stover of KARE-TV in Minneapolis, MN, for “Murderball.”
Finalists in this category included Burgess for “A New Roll In Life”; Steve Rhodes of WTHR-TV in Indianapolis, IN, for “Age To Spare”; Chris Cheline of KDVR-TV in Denver, CO, for Every Dog Has His Day”; John Gross of KSTP-TV in St. Paul, MN, for “I Think We Won”; Ryan Borgman of KDVR-TV in Denver, CO, for “It’s About Having Fun”; and Todd Rogenthien of KVUE-TV in Austin, TX, for “Mosquitoes Of The Motorway.”
“‘It's Football, Sir” is a tour de force of shots and sound from a Naval Academy football game. The editor kept a great pace throughout the story by using interviews and natural sound from fans before, during and after the game,” judge Michael Humphries said. “Shot variety and selection was top notch, with every piece of video and sound helping to further the story. An outstanding piece of first place storytelling.”
“A story about a young football player with autism, ‘A More Special Player,’ also maintained a compelling pace to show how the boy, his coach, fellow players and his parents deal with his ‘special needs’ and special personality. The editing maturity displayed in the piece was first rate, with plenty of natural sound and moments. The editing was invisible, not drawing attention to itself and, instead, letting the story play out elegantly."
