Film Your Heart Out: Scholarship Project
Things are getting exciting around here. The finalists are in, and the top five photos, all captured on film and each telling a Utah story, are posted below for your viewing pleasure. Review your options and choose wisely—you’ll only get to vote once. Whichever entrant has the most votes by Wednesday, September 9 at 9:00 p.m. MST will be our winner, and will be granted a free ticket to the Utah Film Is Not Dead workshop with Jonathan Canlas, less than a month away. Let the games begin!
1. By Marianne Wilson
“What’s beautiful about the Beehive State are the people, and it’s what draws me to photograph. The people you encounter here are rich with stories, history and character.”
2. By Jefra Linn
“Scanned negative taken with a Holgaroid tonight, August 31, 2009. Title: ‘The State Bird of Utah: The Grasshopper.’”
3. By Adam Moore
“The state motto is simple: industry. This photograph depicts three generations of one family, working on the family farm in Payson, Utah. Each of the three is in a different field. Each understands the meaning of self-reliance and family in his own way. These two things connect us all.”
4. By Allison Miles
“Good fruit: hard-working people with good values producing the best of the best. That’s Utah.”
5. By Christine Hunsaker
“I bike past this building on the way to work. In 1912 it burned down the same day the Titanic sunk, and the local paper was supposedly the only one in the entire country that didn’t front page the calamity, choosing the local fire instead. The current sign is something of an icon, locally.”
{Utah On Film}
Film is not Dead
Jonathan Canlas Photography
October 5 – 7, 2009
Park City, Utah
www.jonathancanlasphotography.com/workshop
www.filmisnotdead.blogspot.com
September 8th, 2009 at 9:18 am
I love the simple composition, colors, and the use of shallow depth of field on 4. And it’s peach season, so it fits my mood toward Utah perfectly!
September 8th, 2009 at 10:10 am
these are all beautiful! good luck everyone!
September 8th, 2009 at 12:38 pm
Wow. that was hard. I wanted to vote for everyone!
September 8th, 2009 at 1:50 pm
Excellent photos and it was a tough decision between 3 & 4. I chose #3 for composition, character and the PJ/lifestyle interest of this image. Excellent exposure and detail. I would be great to know cameras and films used for these images :)
Good Luck everyone!
September 8th, 2009 at 6:49 pm
3 and 4 are close, but I had to go with 4 because of the composition, dreamlike quality and feeling it evokes, while communicating what is best of Utah.
September 8th, 2009 at 7:22 pm
Hey Kevin!
I shot on a 1970 Nikkormat EL, 35mm film.
September 8th, 2009 at 7:44 pm
Mine was shot with a late 1970s Bronica ETRSi on medium format Fuji Pro 400H film.
September 8th, 2009 at 10:00 pm
adam, your camera was made in 1994 or later.
September 8th, 2009 at 10:06 pm
Oops, my bad. I was thinking of the older ones. :(
September 9th, 2009 at 12:32 am
#3 by far…awesome image and excellent story!
Best Wishes,
Michael
September 9th, 2009 at 9:41 am
It was tough between #3 and #4, but #4 pulled away because I’m hungry and haven’t eaten breakfast yet. :-) The depth of field was awesome on that one, but the contrast of #3 was really cool too! Go everyone (but mainly #4, ha ha)!
September 9th, 2009 at 10:09 am
Love them all but number 4 is just beautiful! well done all!!!
September 9th, 2009 at 12:30 pm
I thought it was pretty clearly number 1!! Marianne, I love your photo.
September 9th, 2009 at 1:24 pm
Voted for Adam Moore. Amazing stuff kiddo. Great work. Good luck!
FOOX
September 9th, 2009 at 2:51 pm
#4 is totally better! Awesome picture, story and shows Utah off the best.
September 9th, 2009 at 3:29 pm
Number 4 is a great picture but very cliche. I don’t know how many pictures I have seen focused on a bowl of fruit or what not and the background faded. I think #3 is the best because it is unique. And depicts family/hard work/ and unity which is at the heart of everything.
September 9th, 2009 at 3:32 pm
#1 is my favorite by far. It’s a shame it’s not winning. but cheers to all, this is a great opportunity.
September 9th, 2009 at 4:00 pm
I admit that when I first saw #1, I was blown away. It’s an unbelievable photograph. I thought it would win hands down.
September 9th, 2009 at 4:18 pm
Can I get any sympathy votes? Did I mention I am a high school photography teacher? Does that win any votes?
September 9th, 2009 at 4:19 pm
Know what the real essence of Utah is? Serious talent and dedication! These images are great, and I’m very lucky to have mine counted among them. Thanks to all who have voted and supported all of us!
September 9th, 2009 at 4:52 pm
Very interesting…. #3 was definitely my favorite. I’m not a photographer. It was just my favorite. Check out the light on #1 though. It’s almost good vs. evil or at least light vs. dark. The guy in the white shirt with the brighter light behind him and the lady in the dark shirt with the darker light behind her…
Maybe I should attend this workshop and learn about photography so I can know how to do things like that.
September 9th, 2009 at 5:01 pm
Really good photos, but I just don’t see how #4 can have that many votes.
September 9th, 2009 at 5:19 pm
Number one is incredible. The others are nice, but the composition and subject matter of the first photo is by far the most evocative and creative. I think the vote reflects the general taste of the readership of the blog far more than the artistic quality of the photographs.
September 9th, 2009 at 5:32 pm
I voted number 3. My reasoning was that it not only fits the concept, but it also it shows that film can be modern, colorful, full of life yet timeless and nostalgic.
September 9th, 2009 at 5:39 pm
I think al the images are great but there are is always a eye catcher.
First of all I really like the idea of using film, especially these digital days. It’s different but sow real and natural. Also the experimental dark room we earned from the days film was real life.
Great workshop, great experience and THANKS for sharing!
Jasper, Belgium
September 9th, 2009 at 6:03 pm
Did I mention that #1 blows my mind?
September 9th, 2009 at 8:07 pm
Number one is awesome! Wow! You wonder who the people are….how did the photographer find them and what was it like? I am very confused about the tally of votes. The last one in particular is puzzling. And peaches getting over 3000 votes…hmmmmm?
September 9th, 2009 at 8:48 pm
I’m with you Leah (by the way, you are the coolest photographer! I love your Fuji Pro 400H ad). I voted for myself :) but #1 is brilliant (and much better than mine :)
September 9th, 2009 at 8:53 pm
This poll was totally rigged. No way Allison Miles’ picture was good enough to win, it doesn’t even compare with the others. :(
September 9th, 2009 at 9:28 pm
A lot of great images. Number 4 is cute (and I love peaches!) but it is quite generic. Not sure how it pulled so far ahead.
September 9th, 2009 at 9:28 pm
Picture 4 tells a story, picture 1 really draws my interest. The winning pic – a nondescript basket of fruit? Come on.
Seems to be some ballot box stuffing going on.
September 9th, 2009 at 9:29 pm
Marianne, I voted for Adam Moore (he is my son!) but I thought your photo was absolutely spectacular…on so many levels! If this had been judged by professionals, the outcome would have been different. Nice going.
September 9th, 2009 at 9:33 pm
[...] BIG thank you to all Film Your Heart Out entrants and their many, many fans (5,700-plus votes?!). We’re wowed. We’re inspired. [...]
September 9th, 2009 at 9:50 pm
I love no. 1, and on. 3….beautiful work on no. 1, and excellent story telling on no. 3.
Looks like there are some thoughts on no. 3, and no. 4…It is very personal viewing a photograph…maybe it should be a combined score of 50 % public voting, and 50% judges pick ;)
September 9th, 2009 at 10:23 pm
I love number 1 — any picture with those two in it is bound to be good. Just great characters. Number 2 is a creative and interesting idea. Number 3 is a great photo, but for some reason the closest subject ruins the picture for me. I’m not sure if it’s a color thing, or if I just don’t like that he is the only one that looks posed. But it’s a strong photo. Number 4 has beautiful colors and depth of field, with a delicious subject that invokes emotion (i.e. my hungry belly and excitement for fresh food!). It’s not as original as #2, and doesn’t have the personal subject of #1, but is a photo I would buy, frame and put on my wall. Number 5 has great lines and is from an angle not often seen, but reminds me of other photos I’ve seen of similar signs (especially the Pike Street Market in Seattle). All in all, it is a great group of photos, but the colors and design of #4 push it over the top for me. Congrats to everyone! Keep up the good work!
September 9th, 2009 at 10:23 pm
The beauty of art is that it’s subjective. More people (me included) preferred #4 to the other four photos. That is not to take anything away from the other 4 photos, especially #3. They were all spectacular photos. I just really appreciated how simple and yet deep #4 was. Also, I happen to be a major lover of fruit, so #4 was playing to my soft spot!
Whining about the end result doesn’t change it, by the way. #4 won outright and by a fair margin. The photo likely represents an emotional expression by the photographer. It’s something that meant a lot to them, just like the other 4 photographers. No need to trample on someone’s feelings because you didn’t appreciate their work. That goes back to the whole art is subjective thing.
September 9th, 2009 at 10:25 pm
It’s sad that the vote came down to a popularity contest, or a contest to see who could get the most friends on to vote, but these pics were all chosen as finalist by professionals, and this is the medium they chose for the vote. All are deserving, and I hope Ms. Miles takes advantage of the great opportunity she now has! She deserves it!
September 10th, 2009 at 12:37 am
Great work everybody!
Oh just to clarify, the Bronica ETR-Si was introduced in October 1989 as an improved version of the ETRS originally introduced in 1979.
http://www.tamron.com/bronica/etr_guide.asp
September 10th, 2009 at 12:39 am
The AE-III finder was introduced in 1994.
September 10th, 2009 at 11:52 am
The reality is, in the age of social networking, there is no way to have a completely fair, even, and objective playing field. At the beginning of the contest, before all the social networking took place, #3 and #4 were receiving noticeably more votes than the others. The contest was about what Utah means and is. It wasn’t a competition for the best overall photograph, otherwise, #1 would have been my pick; it looks like it could have come straight out of one my history of photography books. With the criteria of this being about what most represents the state of Utah, 3 and 4 were most quintessentially Utah for the majority of voters in the beginning.
I’m sure all of the photographers in the contest were deeply connected to their photograph. Constructive criticism is helpful, catty comments are not.
The photographers of 3 and 4 worked their little fingers off for votes, and both wanted to attend this workshop so badly they could taste it. That’s not to say that the other photographers did not, but they did what they had to do to get what they needed. Sometimes, ya’ gotta’ do what ya’ gotta’ do. Such is life!
September 10th, 2009 at 8:05 pm
While “ya’ gotta do what ya’ gotta do, unfortunately, this contest seemed to start up in a good simmer–a neutral pot of competition between the photographers, but ended up boiling over into a competition of who has the most friends–which wasn’t the goal at all.
I propose next time that Jon send out to a set number of people an invitation to vote (let’s say 11, 25, 151, etc. random people from his expansive pool of friends in his social network–all of which are should be independent of the photographers entered into the final contest).
This would satisfy the goal of the contest.
However, perhaps Jon could consider the catch 22 here–the best photograph will get the scholarship. Why is this a catch 22? The one who has the best eye, thought, whatever, will win (the person who may not need the training and knowledge Jon has to offer AS MUCH as the person who didn’t take the best picture). The loser(s) is(are) left to try again next time or miss out all together. Example: Bob says, “I need a job.” Sarah replies, “You need experience to get this job.” Bob: “How will I get experience unless I get a job doing this?”
Conclusion: it seems like this may have been more about who knows more people than who has the best photograph that represents Utah. So some people rallied up their networks to get them the scholarship (kudos for working hard at that), while others don’t have that kind of network–which doesn’t say anything less about their photographs.
For what it’s worth, I like #3 and then #1. 3 is simply a great picture coming from an IT guy who knows nothing about photography. I do know how it makes me feel to see it though. I like the lighting, the angle, and the story behind it. 1 is a great black and white, somewhat eerie, seems to have taken more skill/work/luck to get this picture (I swear the lady looks like the mother of the bad guys in the movie “Goonies”).
Congrats to the winner and good luck next time to everyone else.
September 11th, 2009 at 9:22 am
oh! i just found this today! i didn’t even know the top 4 were up. :(
but I feel really really lucky to be listed among you guys. THANKS so much!!!
September 11th, 2009 at 9:37 am
wow. all of these are fabulous. LOVE the holgaroid #2…& I had to laugh…state bird. LOVE it!
great one, Jefra!
R
September 11th, 2009 at 10:57 am
Jefra,
I just have to say this…I looked at your portfolio of work and your stuff is AWESOME.
Adam
September 12th, 2009 at 3:51 pm
Ah, I came too late for this. But I have to say, my first thoughts were for #3…..industry, 3 generations, YES! Then, I scroll down to #4 and see that lovely basket of fruits, and get captured by that. “By their fruits ye shall know them”…I think a lot of people were drawn to that implied reference. And if I had the chance to vote, I would have voted for that by reflex. But on second thought, #3 captures what Utah is all about more. I could see either of these on a pamphlet about Utah, lol! Beautiful colors!
September 12th, 2009 at 11:42 pm
That’s odd – it seems like people liked 4 because they thought it had a really strong composition. But as an art student, the first thing you learn about composition is not to center the subject.
3, on the other hand, is beautifully composed – it follows the rule of thirds, and the way it recedes into space really helps pull the eye throughout the piece. Amazing work, keep it up!