“YOU ONLY GET a moment to take a good photo,” says Mike Glad
of Modesto, California. “Once someone sees you with a camera, the
whole feeling of the scene changes.”
That’s why Glad, who won a $2,500 Costco Cash card as International
Grand Prize winner of this year’s photo contest, immediately grabbed his
trusty Nikon F100 35 mm camera when he came across this man resting
on a bench behind a market in Peshawar, Pakistan, early one morning last
March. “I shot several photos of this gentleman, but the first shot, the one
taken before he even realized I was there, was the best one,” he says.
While Glad, who works as an automotive repairman, is not a professional photographer, he says he works hard to hone his skills. He feels
that knowledge, practice and luck go into truly great photos. “The key to
getting good shots is to take lots of them,” he says. “If I shoot 200 rolls of
film, I’m really lucky if I get two or three great photos.”
Glad has also worked on a documentary film, Recycled Life, which
has been nominated this year for an Academy Award.—Will Fifield
Clint at the bat
▲
FRAN BRYANT of Kent, Washington, began taking pictures as a
devoted mom to preserve family memories. With a keen eye for a good
shot, she received requests from family and friends for similar photos.
Now, most of her “models” are high school students posing for senior
photos. “I love working with seniors,” effuses Bryant. “They’ll try anything.”
For Clint Nohavec, it was time to immortalize his senior year. As an
athlete, at least one pose had to be in his baseball uniform. “People think
it was taken outdoors, but it was done in my studio,” admits Bryant.
Bryant took a large piece of seamless black paper and drew large
circles with sidewalk chalk for the backdrop. Nohavec’s natural instincts
provided the pose. Setting up the lights was the trickiest part and took
20 minutes, trying to find the right formula. Bryant didn’t hit pay dirt
on the first click: “It took about 20 shots before hitting this one.”
But it took only one entry to become number one. As First-Place
winner, Bryant earned a $1,500 Costco Cash card.—Steve Fisher
▲Perfect storm, perfect shot
PHOTOGRAPHERS KNOW that sometimes they must go to extremes
to get that perfect shot. And the hard work pays off. CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE
Third Place, U.S.
First Place, U.S.
