Heather Eidson has been a staff photographer at the Beacon News in Aurora, Illinois, since 2005. Before that she worked at the Naperville Sun and Sandusky Register. She lives in Chicago.
Thanks for the opportunity to judge. I really enjoyed it! It was a most arduous task, mainly because I have been trained in the ways of the newspaper, and I kept thinking about how and in what capacity the images would run in our paper. It's going to be difficult to break myself from that habit. I tried to pick images that offered the most emotive response for me.

First Place: Drum major by Dave Foster. I love the sense of quietude associated with this image. The use of nothing but available light really sets the mood. Further, the motion blur of the other bus in the window tells me exactly where these kids are. The result is a timeless image - one that appears to be moving forward while the students are given a time to reflect back on the season.

Second Place: Go Tribe! by Stephanie J. Smith. I originally felt that this image was too similar in mood and composition as my first image. But then I thought, hell, I like this photo, so what if there's another slightly centered semi-silhouette photo? I like the sense of timing in this image, and the care that the subject is taking to straighten out that 'O'. Dusk. Vibrant purples and gold. It's a solid shot.
Third Place: Boxer by Luis Sánchez Saturno. I'm a sucker for shadows and shapes, and I love how this boxer's shadow is shown in the foreground. The image is just a little too wide and busy for my taste (a crop on the right might clean things up a bit), but I think the overall composition and the aqua color toned with the red glove makes it work.

HM Photo: Rushing papids by Greg Ruffing. Wonderful sense of movement, great colors, love the way the subject's legs are at 90 degree angles...I just wish a little more of the image was in focus somewhere. Maybe it's the size of the image that isn't allowing me to see the sharpness?

First Place

Second Place

Third Place