Twice every year, once during the fall and once during the spring, Students in Digital Photography classes participate in a photography competition. The Judging is done by two local arts professionals. This fall’s show was judged by Allison Cook (Click here to see Allison’s work), a former Titan who now works as a professional clay artist, and Deborah Nylec, a THS parent and professional photographer (Click here to see Ms. Nylec’s work). The judges came in a week before the opening and selected 37 pieces of student photography to be printed, framed, and hung in the THS Media center. These were chosen from a selection of 183 images that were submitted for the competition. The judges also selected a ‘Best in Show’ from the 37 finalists. The whole process finishes with an official gallery opening in the THS media center. The fall show was opened on Wednesday evening December 20th. The judges were on hand as well as Mr. Hartman the photography teacher here at THS and a large gathering of parents and students all coming out to support the visual arts here at Tuscarora. At about 6:00 the best in show award winner was announced and this Fall’s winner is Caleb Spencer for his piece entitled “Rustic”.

I interviewed him after the announcement of his winning. Here’s what he had to say.

Q: You won the competition; how did you feel when Mr. Hartman announced that?

A: I felt thankful and was excited to receive the award.

Q: What inspired you to take the picture that you did – Rustic.

A: Nothing really inspired me, but I was just taking photos and this particular scene stood out to me.

Q: Last night, one of the judges stated a quote from Ansel Adams that went something along the lines of photographers not taking their photos, but making them. How did you make that photo?

A: I spent an elongated period of time in that location taking multiple photos, trying to find the right shot. I actually took about ten snap before I found the perfect one.

The Photography display will remain in the Media Center until the Spring competition sometime in early May. So, next time you’re in the Media Center, take a look at the photographs created by our talented photographers here at Tuscarora.

Some photos from the showcase are below. For more coverage on events like this, come back each week to find out the latest.