Place Name: First Place Contestant Name: A&M-San Antonio - The Mesquite Entry Title: Collector’s Authority: the Southside’s hidden comic book store Entry Credit: Amber Esparza Judge Comment: This image does a nice job of bringing the focus on the subject while preserving background elements that add to the understanding of the person. A slight adjustment to composition would greatly improve the frame, as would improved lighting. Overall, the frame gets the message across well.
Place Name: Second Place Contestant Name: North Lake College Entry Title: Professor bids farewell to NLC after teaching for twenty years Entry Credit: Joanna Mikolajczak Judge Comment: While the exposure is nice in this frame, the subject gets lost. He's so small in the frame. Bring him forward to separate him from the background. Have him sit on the corner of the desk. Or make the frame with a longer focal length to compress elements.
Place Name: Third Place Contestant Name: Mary Hardin-Baylor Entry Title: Coach Pete Fredenburg leaves a legacy Entry Credit: Allyson Hinkle Judge Comment: This frame meets the criteria of an environmental portrait, but just barely. The only way I know he's in his office is the caption. Pull him away from the wall more so there's more a focus on him. Clean up the background elements with better composition. Make sure they add context and don't leave confusion.
Competition Comment: This category overall was rather weak. Many of the images didn't put a focus on the subject which should be the point of a portrait. Many felt like they were in the wrong category. Several felt like feature or news event coverage. Make sure your portrait puts the weight of the image on the subject and uses background elements to add to understanding.
