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|| SportsShooter.com: News Item: Posted 2009-02-27
Matt Eich is 2008 SportsShooter.com Student Photographer of the Year
Ohio University student takes top honors in the Adorama Camera sponsored contest.
By Grover Sanschagrin, SportsShooter.com
Photo by Michael Treola
Judges: (left to right) Darren Ching, Ami Vitale, Sabine Meyer, Nadja Masri, inside the Adorama Camera theater in New York City.
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Matt Eich, a student from Ohio University, has been selected as the 2008 SportsShooter.com Student Photographer of the Year by a panel of judges gathered together at the Adorama Camera Building in New York City, Thursday, February 26, 2009.
The judges were Darren Ching, Creative Director of Photo District News; Ami Vitale, Washington DC-based freelance photographer; Sabine Myer, Director of Photography for National Geographic Adventure; and Nadja Masri, bureau chief and photo editor of German GEO magazine.
In addition to Eich, the judges viewed portfolios from Daryl Peveto, Afton Almaraz and Troy Harvey of Brooks Institute, Philip Andrews and Lance Booth of Western Kentucky University, Marcus Yam of Ohio University, Joshua Sy of the University of Southern California, Michael Mullady of San Francisco State, AAron Ontiveroz of the University of Wyoming, Andrew Link of Winona (Minn.) State University, and Jarod Opperman of the University of Oregon.
Eich is the winner of the grand prize, called "The Essentials," labeled as "the tools to have when you're ready to start getting serious."
"The Essentials" list, assembled by Adorama Camera, sponsor of the contest, includes a Nikon D-300 w/18-200mm lens & Nikon SB800 Speedlight, a MacBook Pro 15" computer, a Think Tank Airport Security rolling camera case, 4 SanDisk 4GB Extreme CF cards, 2 PocketWizard Plus II wireless transmitters, a X-Rite Color Munki monitor calibration system, an Induro MC24 Carbon Fiber Monopod, and a CradlePoint PHS-300 Personal Hotspot communication device.
VIDEO: The judges comment on Eich's portfolio
Quicktime version:
http://www.sportsshooter.com/special_feature/student_contest-08/2008_studen...
iPod/iPhone version:
http://www.sportsshooter.com/special_feature/student_contest-08/2008_studen...
Eich, who is currently on assignment in Alabama for Smithsonian Magazine, was alerted of his win Thursday night via telephone.
"You have no idea how much I needed that laptop," Eich said hearing the news. "There is a big goofy grin on my face right now."
"There were some really good photographers in the mix," he said. "My money was on Michael Mullady, to be honest."
"I really respect a lot of the people who have won this contest in the past," he said. "So I am really humbled."
Photo by Matt Eich
Danielle Koenig, 10, uses mud from the floor of her home to paint the walls in Chauvin, LA on Wednesday, September 3, 2008. Her family's house was badly flooded by Hurricane Gustav.
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"I was stunned that [Eich] was just a student," said Vitale, "his work is really thoughtful. He has empathy for his subjects, and also a real strong point of view, which is really important. I think that's something that distinguished him from the others," Vitale said.
"I thought there was a huge discrepancy in the bodies of work," said Meyer. "I think clearly the top 2 choices rose to the top real fast, and it was clear that some people were on their way to being serious professionals. The two portfolios that rose to the top had clear consistency of vision and a personal style."
"He seems to be a very talented young photojournalist, which means he's a great shooter able to compose great pictures, but at the same time getting access, having a feeling for stories, and being able to have a narrative in his pictures," said Masri.
"There's a real sense that he understood the subjects that he was shooting," said Ching. "It was not like he had just gone there to shoot and be a voyeur, but he really tried to understand exactly what they were about."
"The way he crafted his visions, I thought, were absolutely fantastic," Ching said.
"Congratulations to all of the students who turned out such magnificent work for contest this year," said Jeff Snyder of Adorama Camera. "Adorama was happy to sponsor the contest, and thanks to Nikon, Apple, MAC Group (Xrite, Pocket Wizard, Induro), Think Tank Photo, Sandisk and Cradlepoint for helping out with such a phenomenal list of prizes throughout the year."
Adorama Camera hosted the event in the theater of their New York City headquarters, where many high-quality photography-related educational programs are held year long. High profile photographers like Joe McNally, Jay Maisel, and Moose Peterson give presentations and conduct workshops in Adorama's theater. (The "Workshops@Adorama" section of the Adorama website lists the complete schedule of events.)
Related Links:
Matt Eich's SportsShooter Member Page
Quicktime video: The judges comment on Eich's portfolio
iPod/iPhone video: The judges comment on Eich's portfolio
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