Judging finishes for Shoot Dyer County; winners to be announced Tuesday

Audra Wright (far left) discusses what she likes about a photograph with fellow judge, Dustin White (middle). They are both students of Lambuth University Professor Lendon Noe (far right). She is an award-winning artist herself with art pieces in many different galleries across the South. The trio came to Dyersburg to judge this year's 118 entries of the Shoot Dyer County photo contest. The winners will be announced at the Dyersburg Mall on Tuesday, Dec. 15, at 6 p.m. [Click to enlarge]

The judging for the second annual Shoot Dyer County photography contest wrapped up on Wednesday afternoon. Lendon Noe, a professor of art at Lambuth University, and two of her students made the journey to Dyersburg to see who captured the best images.

The winners will be announced at a ceremony inside the Dyersburg Mall on Tuesday, Dec. 15, at 6 p.m.

This year's contest had 118 entries with five categories, which have been displayed at the Dyersburg Mall for the past month. The People's Choice ballot box had approximately 1,000 ballots cast for the public's favorite photo.

"All of the entries are great this year, it's going to be difficult to judge," said President of the Dyersburg/Dyer County Photography Club Jeff Roush. "I'm very pleased with it."

Roush said this year, entries had the same matte boards which kept the continuity the same and the judging fair.

In her judging, Noe said she was looking for unusual points of view and is drawn to unusual light.

"I'm basically looking for unusual imagery," said Noe. "If you get into a category like landscape, there is lots and lots of contrast. And they're all wonderful photographs, but they're lots of photographs you've seen over and over again. It's not easy to take a photograph of landscape that's different, so when you find one that is, that's what gets me excited."

Noe said the easiest way to improve any composition is to move in closer.

"I even get my students to take one shot from where you're standing and move in and take another," said Noe.

She also pointed out that nine times out of 10 the photograph's image is about design and the space around the subject should also be taken into consideration.

"It's just not about the subject, it's about what's around the subject that's just as important as the subject," said Noe. "A lot of beginners think if they get a great shot of the object, that's all they need and that's just not true."

Dustin White is a senior visual art major at Lambuth with a concentration in graphic design. He was one of the judges narrowing the field down.

"I find out which ones pertain most to the category," said White. "If it's going to be in a category, it needs to belong there."

Another thing White said he looks for in the photos is sharpness. He suggests people take multiple photographs to capture one with the right amount of sharpness.

Audra Wright was also judging with Noe and White. She is junior at Lambuth and a graphic art major.

"I think the entries are great," said Wright. "The interest it has stirred up is really great, because it gives people an opportunity to see life from a different perspective."

Wright said photography is about the moment you catch and share with other people and the telling of a story. She had a couple of pointers for would-be photographers.

"Keep a camera on you; locked, loaded and ready," said Wright. "And don't think whatever you're taking a picture of is that mundane, because it's up to you. It's all about what you like as far as the shot is concerned."

Noe gave one last bit of advice for photographers entering next year's Shoot Dyer County contest: "Simplify, simplify, simplify."