The eyes have it

Our seventh annual Winning Images photo contest showcases the talent, skill, and vision of SLO County’s finest photographers

Talk about an eyeful. This year’s Winning Images photo contest was our biggest and best ever, with almost 400 entries–396, to be exact.

As usual, the competition invited both amateurs and professionals in 13 categories.

And, as usual, the images were stunning.

Best of Show this year was won by Allen Johnson. A San Luis Obispo County native, Johnson lives in Arroyo Grande and says he was introduced to photography by his father, but didn’t study it seriously until he took some photography classes at Allan Hancock College.

Johnson is currently a student in Cal Poly’s Arts and Design Department, with a photography concentration.

His winning photo is entitled "Left Behind." The macabre portrait of a canary’s skeletal remains looks like something Johnson just happened upon one day, but it’s actually a carefully composed arrangement with a specific intent.

Johnson says it’s part of a series that he calls "organic structures"–bones and rocks and other natural objects that fascinate him.

"A lot of my photos deal with death because people always have an extreme reaction to it," says Johnson. "They’re either horrified by it or they think it’s really cool. I sometimes wonder about the people who think it’s really cool."

The most-winning photographer was Steve Miller, who took first place in five categories. A Seattle native who’s lived in SLO County since 1989, Miller is relatively new to photography. He studied electronics at Cal Poly, then picked up a camera out of necessity–he needed photos of various bands for the fanzine he started, Extremities.

Miller has come a long way in a short time. He had a photo exhibit at a gallery in Paris in July, and sold all of the photos. And now he’ll be going. He leaves for Australia the first of the year.

To all those who entered, we say thanks. To all those who won, congratulations. To all those who helped this year, you’re terrific.

And to all our readers, we say turn the page and feast your eyes. Æ

 

Our seventh year with First Bank

Our thanks to First Bank of San Luis Obispo, the major sponsor of our Winning Images competition for the seventh year in a row. First Bank provides funding, moral support, and cheerleading, all of which they’re very good at.

 

Special thanks

We’d like to extend our appreciation to Karen Kyle, director of the SLO Art Center, for the Center’s gracious assistance in providing a venue for this year’s photo exhibition, just as it has in past years.

Thanks also go to this year’s judges: Christopher Gardner, Marta Poluso, Larissa Collins, and Phil Klein.

See the winners up close

This year’s contest winners can be viewed at the San Luis Obispo Art Center through Nov. 20. The Art Center is located at 1010 Broad St. at Mission Plaza in downtown San Luis Obispo, and is open daily from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day except Tuesdays. For information on the Art Center and its upcoming exhibits, call 543-8562.