In the meantime I’ve put up a link to the old site’s story page.

Go here.

Oh yeah, what am I talking about? Yeah, that detail. The IPPA (Illinois Press Photographers Association) iBOP (Illinois Best of Photojournalism) awards for 2007. If you are a photojournalist in Illinois, this is the contest you enter. This is where you get recognized by your peers.

First place this year for Feature Picture Story was going to go to Scott Strazzante. He did a piece about 10 years back on a farm that was being sold and turned into a sub-division. This year he did a follow up piece on that sub-division. The result is a series of diptychs, “Echos of the Past”, that is simply amazing. They are well thought out, conceptual, poignant, informative and non-judgmental. Some of the best PJ work I’ve seen in a long while. It’s also been widely talked about amongst journalists, photojournalists, photographers, not to mention published in the Chicago Tribune (Scott’s employeer) and National Geographic, just to name two. It will in a few years make a great book. I’ll buy one, no doubts.

So, suffice it to say, getting first for Feature Picture Story was out. The competition in this category was for 2nd (or as I prefer to call it, first loser). I got 2nd with the Summer Love series (you know, the underwater images). I’m pretty good with that. I haven’t had a chance to see the other pieces that placed yet. I didn’t get a chance to go watch the judging this year as it was done down state. But if this year is similar to previous years, it means I did some good work, this tends to be a strong category.

Also for one of the individual images from the Summer Love series I got 3rd place in Pictorial.

All and all, a pretty good day.

I look forward to seeing the winners in all the other categories when they get put online. You can see the list at least here. Congrats to all the winners. I personally look forward to enjoying the fruits of your labor, and thanks for sharing, especially, thanks for sharing.