June 4, 2009
Another photo of Suzzallo takes prize in photo contest
The third and final week of our photo contest is over and we have another winner! Drum roll please: The prize goes to David Hogan, who works in billing at Creative Communications, for his photo, The Grand Stairway. Hogan wins a night in the Japanese hydrotherapy tub room at Hotel Nexus for his photo, which was chosen from among more than 60 entries by University Photographer Gavin Sisk.
The Photographer says: That’s a beautiful stairway and I just wanted to capture it as best I could. I had my camera on as wide an angle as I could get and took a number of exposures to get the detail. That photo is probably five or six exposures blended together. What really attracted me to the shot is how much wear you can see on those stairs that have been used for 80 years.
I have no formal training in photography. I started doing it with a film camera in 2000 and then switched to digital in 2002. I do a lot of hiking and backpacking and I wanted to learn photography so I could capture all the things I was seeing. I do a lot of landscapes, and when I can’t get away I do cityscapes.
The Expert says: The University of Washington has no shortage of talented amateur photographers. So, it took some effort to select a winner from this week’s entries. The photo I finally chose was The Grand Stairway, by David Hogan. In this solid composition David successfully managed some challenging design elements, matching playful rhythms with strong angles and dramatic color. I particularly enjoyed how he positioned his off-level camera to emphasize the un-straightness of so many architectural features — the waves worn into the stairs, the curves of the banister, the arches of the windows. I’ve walked up these same stairs many times. I’ve even photographed them. But I never saw this. Way to go.
Thanks to everyone who participated in our photo contest. All three judges told us it was difficult to pick a winner out of so many great photos. And thanks to our generous advertisers — University Book Store, Saffron Grill and Hotel Nexus — for donating the prizes.
Winning prints — blown up to poster size — will be on display in the HUB First Floor Hallway (across from the newsstand) and the University Club beginning next week, compliments of Creative Communications.
The contest is over, but you can still submit your photos to our site for the world to see. As always, photos must be of one of the three UW campuses or of activities sponsored by the University. To submit yours, simply click on the Community Photos tab from our homepage, www.uweek.org, then click on “submit your photo.” You will be asked to register; then you can upload your photos.
