Image Challenge Winners

By: Elizabeth Hunt

Josh Cote surrounded by fellow photographers.

Classes have ended, exams written, final projects submitted, and we are ready for summer.
Before we continued on our individual photographic journeys, we all met one last time to
celebrate this year’s accomplishments and to reveal the winners of the 2017 Lambton College Digital Photography Image Challenge.

Always smiling Mike L'heureux

The Image Challenge is a competition held each year for first and second year digital photography students. Photographers from outside of the program are brought in to critique and score the images. The judges scores determine the winners as well as act as a grade for the assignment.

The Judging session is open to students and their guests. First year student, Josh Cote, explains how “hopes are high that you are going to win, but when you see the other entries, it's a humbling experience to see everyone with such great talent”.

First Year,  Overall Award, third place winner Shawna Lavoie

After a week of living in suspense, our students were eager to find out which images had really
wowed the judges. Tanis Wright says “There was excitement in the anticipation of announcements, particularly as we all had our own ideas about who we thought would win each category or which was the winning photo”.

As the winners were announced, students showed their support by cheering them on. Franky
MacDonald describes the experience as “truly exhilarating”.

First Year, Overall Award, second Place winner, Adam Shepley

First year first place overall award recipient, Olivia Kilp Watson says she “was so nervous! My heart was racing the entire time.

First year first place Overall Award recipient, Olivia Kilp-Watson, with Coordinator Richard Beland and Faculty David Chidley

Hearing my name being called was and still is unbelievable”. Second year student, Christina
Watts, who admitted to “rethinking the images I submitted” in our previous post says she “was
very surprised to win first overall; I was not expecting it at all”.

Second year,  Overall Award, second place winner, Elizabeth Hunt

“Winning gives you a confidence boost and in turn gives you more drive to see how much better you can become” explains Josh Cote, who placed both first and second in the nature category.

This year the judging panel included Craig Glover, Niki Patel and Paul Sorensen. Without our esteemed judges there would be no winners.  Thank to the panel for a tremendous job, adding great comments and feedback at the "live" judging event. 

Thanks also to supportive sponsors of the student award prizes.
-Camera Canada
-Nikon Canada
-Luxe Photo studio

Second year First Place Overall award recipient, The Geri Freeborn Memorial Award, winner Christina Watts, with Coordinator Richard Beland and Faculty David Chidley

First Year, Category Winning Images

Nature Category, 2nd Place (tie),  Josh Cote

Nature Category 2nd Place (tie), Prickly Peace by Theresa Chalmers

Nature Category, 1st Place, "Pollock In Nature" Josh Cote

Portrait Category, 1st Place, "The Immigrant" Olivia Klip-Watson

Portrait Category, 2nd Place, "Unstill Child" Theresa Chalmers

Unclassified Category, 2nd Place, "Freckles", Olivia Klip-Watson

Unclassified Category, 1st Place , "Equality" Olivia Klip-Watson

Still Life Category, 2nd Place, "Our Burning Love", Shawna Lavoie

Still Life Category, 1st Place, "Pour Me a Glass". Adam Shepley

First Year, Overall Winners, Additional Images

First Year,  Overall Award, third place "Half an Hour", Shawna Lavoie

First Year,  Overall Award, third place "Essence of Milk", Shawna Lavoie

First Year,  Overall Award, third place "Spreading Her Wings", Shawna Lavoie

First Year, Overall Award, second Place, "Confined".  Adam Shepley

First Year, Overall Award, second Place, "Rocker Girl".  Adam Shepley

First year Overall Award First Place, "Serious Child", Olivia Kilp-Watson

Second Year, Category Winning Images

People Category, First Place (tie),"Solemn People", Raspal Singh

People Category, First Place (tie), "Cruella Velvet" Christina Watts

People Category, 2nd Place (tie), "Within the Silence" ,Andrea Ochoa-Pineda

People Category, 2nd Place (tie), "Suspense", Emily Nutson

People Category, 2nd Place (tie), John Seo

Commercial Category, 2nd Place, "Fallen Angel", Gina Roberston

Commercial Category, 1st Place, "Monochrome", Christina Watts

Places Category, 1st Place, "Concrete Jungle",  Sarah Barry

Places Category, 2nd Place, "Geometric Prism", Sarah Barry

Second Year Additional Images, Overall Winners

2nd Place Overall Winner Portfolio, "Angel's Eyes", Elizabeth Hunt

2nd Place Overall Winner Portfolio, "Sweet Reverie", Elizabeth Hunt

2nd Place Overall Winner Portfolio, "Lost", Elizabeth Hunt

2nd Place Overall Winner Portfolio, "Window Washer", Elizabeth Hunt

1st Place Overall Winner Portfolio, "Blue", Christina Watts

1st Place Overall Winner Portfolio, "Cluster", Christina Watts

1st Place Overall Winner Portfolio, "Subtle Sass", Christina Watts

"Hello and goodbye!" Memories of DPH2015

By John Hoseok Seo

Editor's note: I saved John's blog submission for a special day.  Tomorrow the graduates will receive their diplomas and thus end their time as a student in the Digital Photography program.  We look forward to seeing their futures develop.  Yes Pun intended.  All the best to the class of 2017!  P.P.P!!!

September 2015, I met my classmates of DPHT 2015 at the photography studio L319.  It was very interesting. The range of age of us pretty widely spread from teens to 50’s. This encouraged me because I thought I was too old to get back to school. 

John Hoseok Seo during the first week of first year. By Christina Watts

My age was 44years old then. This course has been getting tougher and tougher. Our expectation for the course that it would be easier than before has been broken always till now because the assignments have been getting harder and harder.


The overwhelming pressure for the assignments might fuel us. 


We can remember the first time in the class, the first time we saw each other. For now, I describe our short and long history as an observer for my classmates.


They and their actions were good subject matter for my photography.

There have been great efforts of the faculties for their class. We, the students have learned photography for 2years.  

It might not be sufficient time for them to build up their skills, experience, and self-confidence. But the faculties’ enthusiasm and efforts could make students get their skills, experience, and self-confidence as professional photographers.

I believe and hope these brand new photographers are going to be more competitive professional photographers in the future.

The first week of September 2015 was still hot. It looked like the summer didn’t want to go away from us.  Fall 2015 class started as hot as the summer fever. They (my classmates) were surely nervous, and tense, but enthusiastic.

Somebody’s enthusiasm must have been an interesting subject matter for some other photographer include me.  Their skill might not have caught up with their enthusiasm yet.

But, they couldn’t stop their challenges.  At any place, any time they lay down on the floor to keep track of subject matter with no hesitating. They were the professional photographers already in their mind.

To learn diffusing of light, highlight, shadow, cast, reflection is the first step for the professional photographer.

To understand light is the basic of the basic. The students recognize how important this step is now.  Lighting is an extremely critical issue for photographers.

The volunteer project was another big step for the students who want to be professional photographers.

To be a professional, they should break down the wall in their mind that makes photographers uncomfortable in front of the customer. They have built up self-confidence through the experiences of the volunteer projects.

After 1 year from the start, their appearance had been changed like that the above pictures show.  How about this?  They were very different from their first step.  How can these dramatic changes be?