# AlpineTXPhoto Contest
City of Alpine highlighted in annual photography competition
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�e City of Alpine has announced the winners of the 2017 # AlpineTXPhoto Contest . �e seventh annual photo contest saw over 300 photographs submitted by 101 photographers .
Photographers throughout the area and beyond were asked to capture the city of Alpine in a personal , reflective way to reveal the personality of the town . �e contest judge for 2017 was the accomplished Dallas-based photographer Terry Cockerham , known for his meticulously-crafted and textural black and white images .
1 . “ Catch �is ” by Brandt Buchanan �e H . L . Kokernot , Jr . Memorial Award ($ 500 cash prize )
“ �is is a great image , and here ' s what I see in this image that makes it great : First , the angle of the fence in opposition to the angle of the horse caught my eye . �is format is right out of W . Eugene Smith ' s tool box , the one he used to create so many incredible dynamic images for Life magazine and others . Add the fact that the horse has only one front hoof on the ground , that the back hoofs are both off the ground after having kicked up dirt and dust , which is also still in the air . Congratulations to the photographer that caught this moment .”
2 . “ Alpine Grass ” by David Winslow �e Charles Henry Trost Memorial Award ($ 100 cash prize )
“ To me , this image is very complex . What I like about the image is threefold . First is the selection of this scene as a possible subject at all . Most of us would probably walk by and ignore the very possibility that what we are looking at would provide such a composition as we see in the print . Second is the positioning of the camera which to me was perfect : not too elevated , not too low . All of the horizontal lines were parallel and level , showing this wasn ' t just a grab shot – it was thought out . Finally , the work was rendered in black and white , and I think this image had to be black and white to be successful .”
All winners , finalists and entrants of the # AlpineTXPhoto Contest , as well as additional judge ’ s comments from Terry Cockerham , are available for viewing on the City of Alpine ’ s visitor information web site : visitalpinetx . com
3 . “ Desert Daze ” by Catherine Lenz ($ 50 cash prize )
“ �is is a very dark and mysterious image ... and I really like the effect . I say this because of three things I see in the overall image . �e first thing I noticed when I looked at the photo was the young woman on the left of the image . A flower covers her left eye ... why ? Next , the two women are not in the horizontal middle of the frame as most of us would expect in a two-up image , but instead they are pressed to the left of the image ... why ? Finally , the third issue is the cloud structure behind and between the two women which has the look of a nuclear explosion in the distance . �e mystery is unanswered in this image which leaves the viewer wondering ... why ?”
4 . “ A Moment to pose for a Portrait ” by Kristin Coltrain Mangold ($ 50 cash prize )
“ �is photo is as close to being a human family portrait as it can possibly be , but with the humans replaced with goats . “ �e two youngsters ” are next to “ Dad ” and “ Dad ” is next to “ Mom ”. �is is truly a unique grouping . Not only are the goats in a line , they are cooperating with the photographer by looking at the camera . Added to all of this is the shallow depth of field behind the goats making the subjects more dominate in the image . A well done conception .”
5 . “ My View from Above – Brenden Exploring Sunny Glen ” by Elena Cicoria ($ 50 cash prize )
“ �is is an image with varying components that when added together make a very contemporary piece of visual art . �e white lines in the road define the path of the skateboarder . �e shadow is mimicking the rider ’ s body dynamic and the rider ’ s position shows the energy he is using to propel himself . Very simple , but visually interesting .”
12 BIG BEND GALLERIES AND ARTISTS / 2018