The Sophian

Issue date: 10/23/08 Section: Arts

The Office for International Study held its first annual International Photo contest this fall for students who studied or worked abroad last year. The winners in the four categories of people, architecture, landscapes or nature and artist's appraisal of culture or place, as well as best in show, were announced in late September. The entries were judged by Smith's staff photographer of over 37 years, Dick Fish.

The Sophian had a chance to contact some of the winners and hear about the inspirations behind the beautiful photographers submitted.

Celeste Booth '09 won Best in Show for a photo she took studying abroad in Puebla, Mexico during a trip to Michoacán. Her photo captures a mural through an archway as the sun is beginning to set with the shadow of a man walking down nearby stairs. Booth said, "I thought it was neat how the contrast between the shadow and light played such a central role in the beauty of the image, and really helped to highlight what was seen and left unseen."

Booth is a Latino/a studies major who has taken several classes in photography. She never thought she would enter a contest when she took this picture; she was simply struck by the setting. She hopes to pursue a combined study of Latin America and photography.

Christina Eliopoulos 'AC won the people category for a photo she took in Greece, home of her heritage. The picture is set at the Dora Stratou Theatre in Athens during a traditional Greek dance festival. Eliopoulos took the picture in a moment full of pride for her heritage. She said, "The costumes were beautiful and as they danced, I felt proud for this is the area where my father was born."

Eliopoulos describes herself as a studio artist, but does not attribute this to the quality of her picture; she was excited at the time and was just snapping what she could capture. Looking back on the photo and its quality, Eliopoulos said she "wanted viewers to appreciate the traditional costumes and the linked hands of the people" and "the picture's sense of rhythm."

Ayla Schlosser '09 won the landscape and nature category. She took the photograph in a small beach town in Tunisia, where she traveled during a spring break while studying abroad in Barcelona, Spain. Schlosser's picture captures a solitary man sitting in a cemetery with beautiful landscape features, such as a field of yellow flowers. She describes the image as a combination of "beauty and sadness" as well as a reminder that "some things are universal; everyone in the world will at some point experience the loss of someone close to them."

Continued...

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