Nikki McKenzie is a Finalist

Nikki McKenzie is a finalist in the 33^rd Annual College and High School Photography Contest hosted by Photographers Forum and Nikon. Over 16,000 entries from USA, Canada and internationally were juried with only a fraction being accepted.

I love Nikki's fun title of Butts Up for this image. But I feel a much more serious moment in the photograph. I see the repetition of the cattle moving back into the space. This brings the mechanical reality of where our food products come from and lack of human interaction. Although she has given this a humous title - I feel a loss for humanity.

The jurors Neil Campbell, Photographers Forum photo editor selected the finalist group. From the finalist the judges, Steve LaVoie from the Art Center College of Design, Linda Lowell from Barbara Cith College and Rob Winter from Brooks Institute will select the award winners. All finalist will be published in the Best of College and High School Photography 2013.

Nikki is a student at Mississippi State University and will be entering her final semester in the fall 2013. I feel she is an explorer with the camera. Her work varies in techniques but each image has a strong impact. Mark my words - she is a photographer to watch.

My Students in Best of College Photography 2011

The Department of Art at Mississippi State University is please to announce that three students who are majoring in Photography will be published in the Best of College Photography 2011 hosted by Photographer’s Forum magazine.

Steven Joshlin from Tippah, Mississippi,

Heidi Robinson from Madison, Mississippi 

and Ioana Demian  from Romania [with two images]

all placed as a finalist in the 31^st Annual Student Photography Contest sponsored by Nikon, USA.

Over 3500 students participated Worldwide.  The jurors for this years competition were Andrew Davidhazy from School of Photo Arts and Sciences, Rochester Institue of Technology; Steve La Voie from the Art Center College and Design, Pasadena; and Marcia Rubenstein who is the program director for the MFA degree in photography at the Brooks Institute, Santa Barbara.

“I am not surprised that these students were selected as finalists. They are all exceptional students and extremely talented.” States Professor Gootee. Professor Marita Gootee is the Area Coordinator for photography in the Department of Art at Mississippi State University.

Learn more about the Best of College Photography 2011 and Photographer’s Forum magazine at http://pfmagazine.com.