It is amazing to see the wide spectrum of interpretations to the work portrait. My last DIYP group project was to ask DIYP readers to choose someone of significance in their life and to photograph his or hers portrait.

It was a great ride and we had more then 200 portrait taken and shared (note to self – next time tag for black and white Vs. Color). The submissions are great and I had great time going over the various portraits. I thank everyone that took part in this exiting project.

The two winners of the portrait submission will receive the studio version of Portrait Professional 8, valued at $119.95.

Just before I share the two winning images and the two runners up, I would like to share some behind the scenes of crating and judging this contest.

Jim Talkinton, our Color Portrait Judge shares his view on judging this contest. I could not agree more:

We knew this wouldn’t be easy. The overall level of submissions was very high and the word "portrait" may be interpreted in many ways (which it was). My personal picks were first narrowed down visually into a batch of a dozen images or so. Then I went about reading the text to accompany each submission, the photographer’s own words describing what the subject of the portrait means to them. A few of my favorite images unfortunately had no text to accompany them, a requirement of the contest. This eliminated some initial favorites from contention.

Color Winner By Jim Talkington

7/26/08 by CRT

Making the top color portrait pick came down to a tough decision between two photographs: Paul Veraguth’s "well, hello there" and CRT’s "7/26/08". Both are photographs of children and both had well written, emotive text.

Paul’s photograph is of his granddaughter. He eloquently describes how seeing her can take him back in time to when his daughter (her mother) was a child. The photograph is beautiful, the child is adorable and the text is touching. I urge you to check out Paul’s Flickr stream, his photography is consistently excellent. It would be hard to top this image and the words used to describe it.

CRT’s photograph is a playful image of her niece reaching for the camera. She also describes in words her connections with family and how her own aunts have influenced her. With a seeming deadlock, I had to find something about one or the other image to tip the scales.

I felt the deepest emotional thread running through Paul’s story of his daughter and granddaughter. But, ultimately, I chose CRT’s photograph because of one difference: the pure emotion coming back at the camera from the subject. The rush of emotion and fingers groping for the camera create a very special moment that made it stand out among the submissions.

Black And White Winner By Brian Auer

You what? / Matt

Matt did an awesome job with this photo.  Technically, it’s spot-on with great lighting control and a catchy composition.  The pose is absolutely great – probably the most interesting part of this photo.  It’s very non-traditional and has a light-hearted sense about it.  The real kicker for this project entry was Matt’s explanation for why this person means so much to him.  Very clever Matt.

Runners Up

Silvia / edunon

Brian: Eduardo captured a lot of happiness and his strong emotional connection with his sister in this photo.  You can just tell that they are, and have always been, very close to each other.  The color choice for the background and his clothing make this photo particularly interesting

emma-0747 / Kortney Jarman

Jim: My black and white pick was selected along the same lines as my color selection. There were many touching images (especially of children and babies) and numerous attractive subjects worthy of the top pick. The most arresting image (to me) was Kortney Jarman’s one month old daughter, "Emma". The photograph is worth a thousand words…the delicate infant, the beautiful light and the pose all tell the story.

Honorable Mention

Well, hello there / Paul Veraguth

Stay tune for the next post including great portrait tips by DIYP readers and the last winner announcement.

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