Felix named top college photographer, Ward runner up
Mark Felix, BAJ’15, was named 2015 Indiana College Photographer of the Year by the Indiana News Photographers Association Friday during a day of judging in Ernie Pyle Hall.
Runner up was senior Haley Ward, and INPA judges also honored professional Photographer of the Year Rachel Mummey of The Herald and others with individual awards.
According to judges, Felix’s picture story that documented the dislocation caused by gold mining in the Romanian village of Rosia Montana helped determine his selection as CPOY. That project was supported by The Media School’s Hazeltine Travel Scholarship, which Felix won last year and which provided funding for the two-month project.
“I am incredibly impressed with the excellent reporting Mark did while in Romania and I am proud that his good work has been recognized by this award,” said associate professor Jim Kelly, Felix’s photojournalism professor.
Haley Ward’s story documented the freshman year of Haley Wilson, the younger sister of IU senior Hannah Wilson, who was murdered in Bloomington last year. Ward’s reporting was part of her work in the Words and Pictures class, which Kelly teaches with two other professors.
“Haley worked tirelessly on the Haley Wilson story. She and her reporter gained access to the Wilson family, Hannah’s sorority house and to Wilson’s many friends,” Kelly said.
Both top winners and others who won awards have significant Indiana Daily Student and internship experience evident in their portfolios. As an IU student, Felix was an IDS photographer and completed internships at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and the Lafayette (Indiana) Journal & Courier. He was the Wisconsin College Photographer of the Year in 2013 and the Indiana College Photographer of the Year in 2014.
Judges for the INPA contests were Matt McClain of The Washington Post, Carrie Cochran of the Cincinnati Enquirer and Jonathan Palmer, a Kentucky-based freelancer. They conducted their assessments during open sessions Friday in the Ernie Pyle Hall auditorium. In the evening, they showed their own work in a public session also at Ernie Pyle Hall.
“A great photo has to make you feel something on some level,” said McClain, BAJ’98, during the judging. “There has to be raw emotion or a mood perfectly captured.”
McClain added that composition and lighting also influenced his opinion when choosing the INPA winners.
In addition to their CPOY honors, Felix won first in portrait/personality and two honorable mention awards in sports, and Ward won first, second and third in sports and third in features.
Other IU winners were Tae-Gyun Kim, second place and honorable mention in portrait/personality; Noble Guyon, honorable mention in sports; Ben Mikesell, first in features; and Adam Kiefer, second in features.
INPA contest chair James Brosher, BAJ’10, explained the benefits for both students and professionals participating in the contest.
“This is the best photojournalism in Indiana. It’s a measuring stick for professionals working in Indiana,” said Brosher, 2010 CPOY who now works for IU Communications. “It’s pretty cool that we get to have it here at IU.”
Denny Simmons, president of INPA, thanked The Media School for hosting the contest in Ernie Pyle Hall each year, adding that location and technology are essential to the INPA contest.
He also said the contest is a great opportunity for photographers of all skill levels to learn by critiquing and talking about their work.
“I do every year,” he said.
Additional reporting by Morgan Burris.
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