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A moment in time is never just that. Through their astute lenses, this year’s winning photographers for The Six Fifty Peninsula Photo Contest proved many times over that a moment, captured with a trained eye, can reveal so much more.
From the plains of Kenya to the shores of Hawaii and all the way home to Palo Alto, from raw moments of human emotion to snapshots of daily life, each image tells a clear story, both of the subject and of the beholder.
Through their narrations, this year’s winners reveal their own journeys to the image, many with only a few years of photography under their belt. What unites them all is a keen eye toward emotion, be it that of their subjects or their viewers, encountering a bold image, taking oneself out of a current moment into the next. And the youth photographers shine in their own right, capturing playfulness and melancholy with equal weight.
Once again, The Six Fifty, the Palo Alto Weekly and Palo Alto Art Center team up to bring our readers the annual photo contest, an opportunity for photographers of all experience levels – so long as they live, work or study in the 650 area code region – to showcase their finest work.
This year, our judges reviewed 1,141 images submitted by 247 adult and youth photographers in six categories: Abstract, Landscapes, Moments, Portraits, Travel and Wildlife, awarding 12 winning shots and 12 honorable mentions.
All of the photography will be on display at the Palo Alto Art Center, 1313 Newell Road from June 22 to Aug. 18.
Take a minute to immerse yourself in the images, read the photographers’ commentary and enjoy the judges’ praise.
Adults
“On the Big Island of Hawaii I took photos of the waves crashing over the rocks in the morning. I exposed this photo for 160 seconds so the water looked light and silky to contrast with the dark and sturdy rocks. The morning sun on the peaks of the rocks is a nice finishing touch.”
— Jim Colton, photographer
“Jim’s image captures more than just a beautiful landscape; it’s otherworldly. There are mysterious and evocative aspects to it that are hard to find in familiar, everyday landscape scenes. We think we’re looking at mountain tops in the midst of clouds, but then we find out it’s a long exposure of water hitting against rocks in the ocean in the morning sun that creates the dreamy, mist-like substances. The element of surprise is what distinguishes Jim’s photograph from others in the contest and makes his work sublime.”
— Donna J. Wan, judge
“While wandering the Paris streets in an early autumn evening, I came upon this man close to our apartment. Although his appearance was very disheveled, he had a friendly smile and manner. Although I didn’t speak French and he didn’t speak English, we somehow communicated. I gestured to ask if I could take his picture and he agreed. He didn’t expect any donations, but I did give him a few coins and thanked him.”
— Jerry Barrack, photographer
“I believe, in part, the success of this photograph shows or reflects the ability of the photographer to establish a certain rapport with the subject in what sounds like a very brief encounter. It is all about character and gesture. Regardless of the assumed life of this man on the street and the obvious hardship he likely endures, there is a welcoming, nonjudgmental kindness and openness captured in this man’s face, highlighted by his gesture of ‘OK.’”
— Neal Menschel, judge
“This image was captured on a phone while visiting this space with family and enjoying the dramatic effects created by all the mirrors. It tries to capture the visual energy coming from the interplay between the more precise architectural lines and the more organic lines and shapes created by the people and their reflections.”
— Laurence Baker, photographer
“It is not often that an artist’s vision is unique. This photograph comes close to that definition. At first glance, it is simply a photograph with very interesting patterns. But the image looks like a puzzle and leaves us with questions while at the same time, challenges us as a society in terms of how we live. At first glance, the question is, ‘Is this possible, is it real?’ Upon further scrutiny, the viewer realizes that yes, it is real, and due to the architecture and all of the reflections it is also a highly manipulated reality. The busyness, repetitive patterns, perspective and the contrasty sharpness of the lines and angles all create a tension that challenges how we have chosen to participate in an ‘overbooked’ sometimes stressed society.”
— Neal Menschel, judge
“This lioness was using all her strength to move her kill to a sheltered place so she could continue to feed herself and members of her pride. She was exhausted and her belly full but with grit and determination she slowly moved this to lower ground. To me it represents the desperate struggle that lionesses face every day in the wild to protect themselves and their pride members and preserve their next meal from hyenas and vultures that follow them everywhere.”
— Tessa Burt, photographer
“‘Lioness With Her Kill’ is unhinged, capturing a visceral, violent display of animal nature. Central in its spatial composition, the honest, portrait-esque presentation demands the viewer’s attention without inclusion of distracting lighting, dominating shadows or other types of visual interference. Here, Tessa caught a timeless demonstration of survival, photographed with precision on par with famous wildlife photography seen in publications such as National Geographic. It gives us a glimpse of a harsh yet simple world far from our own.”
— Douglas Young, judge
“In 2020, California suffered a major drought, dropping the water levels of Lake Tahoe by 3 feet. Using my drone, I captured an aerial image of previously unseen patterns in the sand, providing the viewer with an alarming but beautiful perspective of the lakeshore.”
— Austin Baloff, photographer
“Austin’s photograph captures a sense of place through the use of perspective and a unique landscape. We are not quite sure exactly where we are, but that doesn’t matter. What we are invited to see and to feel through the use of scale in this photo is the smallness of humankind in the face of the grandeur of nature. But we also discover that what makes this landscape so beautiful and alluring is the result of a devastating drought. It’s this dialectic that makes this photo especially powerful.”
— Donna J. Wan, judge
“After falling to Stanford in the NCAA women’s soccer tournament, South Carolina’s goalkeeper, Heather Hinz, had this brief moment alone while Stanford celebrated on the other side of the field. She would go on to be drafted into the NWSL by the Houston Dash, but before that, the rain helped add a bit of drama to this moment where she reflected on the nine incredible saves she made in her final collegiate game.”
— Erin Chang, photographer
“From the first glance it’s clear that ‘The Close of a Collegiate Career’ is an intense, captivating moment in time. Erin captured a scene which is full of personal passion, tension and mystery. The viewer questions — is this a moment of defeat or triumph? The details are distinct where they need to be and the contrasting, out-of-focus background paired with the detailed particles in the air creates a kind of silent, cinematic motion. Aesthetically the photo has an undeniable commercial appeal.”
— Douglas Young, judge
Youth
“This photo was taken in 2022 in Arches National Park in Utah. This was taken during one of my first proper photography trips, and the feeling of going out and shooting are the main reasons why I still do photography to this day.”
— John Fan, photographer
“We have all seen many photographs from Arches National Monument in Utah. There are classic images of the massive stone arches framing some distant other rock formation or with a human for scale. This beautifully composed and executed image goes a step further, with not only the sense of the unique space and the requisite human scale, but with the addition of a strong sense of time lending itself to the grand beauty of the place!”
— Neal Menschel, judge
“In the midst of the fierce sport of fencing, there is no better feeling than winning an important bout, especially a close one. Sergey Bida, an Olympic silver medalist and two-time world No. 1 fencer, was fighting for the top eight in the January North American Cup. The match was neck and neck, with the score of 14-14. In the match’s last touch, Bida scored the last point and secured his spot. The shot perfectly captures the intense emotions of the victory and the opponent’s disbelief at his loss.”
— David Zaydman, photographer
“There’s a heart-wrenching loneliness to ‘Scream of Victory.’ The helmet, shot inches from the ground in mid-air, makes this moment feel like time is slowing to a halt in reaction to the heaviness of the scene itself. This piece leaves the viewer pondering the exact cause of this incredible display of emotion — whether it’s joy, disappointment, frustration or relief. The other fencers continuing on with their matches in the surrounding hall, with only one person seemingly included in the subject’s reality, makes the experience all the more intimate.”
— Douglas Young, judge
“’Untitled’ captures a moment that recalls nostalgia, the bonds between siblings and traditions that create new narratives. Shot on 35mm black-and-white film on a cloudless Thanksgiving afternoon.”
— Margot Zelkha, photographer
“Margot’s portrait is unconventional. We don’t see the person’s face, but we can tell a lot about them from the delicate prints on the dress, the blood or mud stains on the legs, the proportions of the body and legs, the playful pose and the awkward position of their feet. What makes this an exceptional portrait is that one can get a good sense of who this person is from just these small glimpses. Sometimes not showing something is more powerful than revealing the whole.”
— Donna J. Wan, judge
“This picture was taken as I admired city lights on a clear night. The lights seemed to twinkle like stars in the darkness, calling the people around me to return to the light of their homes.”
— Jeffrey Mu, photographer
“The combination of the layers in this image, arranged in a compositionally balanced way, makes for a more than pleasing image. Besides the composition and the strong sense of time set in the lights of the city, there is a feeling of mystery to the photograph. It is not often that a photograph asks more questions than it answers. This is one of those rare moments of deliberate ambiguity done so skillfully by the photographer.”
— Neal Menschel, judge
“‘Empathy’ considers how the feelings we experience throughout life are not exclusive to humans but can also be found in animals.”
— Bobby Daverman, photographer
“Because of the simple but unique framing of ‘Empathy’, there’s a sense that you’re seeing these animals up close, in person for yourself. There’s a visual hierarchy in which the viewer’s eye is drawn first to the monkey on the right and then follows the branch to the one on the left who is hiding his face. The detailed fur is intricate, and the branch and the trees create a strong balance, allowing the animals’ expressions to take center stage. Bobby captures this interaction masterfully, using depth to give the background enough texture to fill the scene, but not take anything away from the focus of the moment.”
— Douglas Young, judge
“’Harp Man’ was snapped in the waypoint town of Cuzco, Peru. For tourists, Cuzco serves as a junction for eager Machu Picchu hikers to acclimate to the high altitude. The town truly belongs to its locals though. Abundant in culture and a unique independence from the mainstream, this figure serves as an intriguing semblance of the overlooked stories of Cuzco.”
— Elie Bodner, photographer
“Elie’s striking image of a (possibly blind) person playing the harp elicits a sense of a place that we may not be familiar with. But we know they were in a place that is rich in culture by looking at the colorful patterns on the blanket, the beading on the hat and the designs on the wooden harp. We may not know exactly where we are, but we know that the person who took this picture was listening to and experiencing something meaningful. The photo provides an immersive experience of a place with a long history of traditions and beliefs that open the minds of travelers.”
— Donna J. Wan, judge
Honorable mentions
See galleries of past winners here:
2018 Peninsula Photo Contest winners
2019 Peninsula Photo Contest winners
2020 Peninsula Photo Contest winners
2021 Peninsula Photo Contest winners