Cougars' Perspective: Eyes on the Prize

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Eyes on the Prize

Our photographers are football players, head cheerleaders, state cross country champions, GT students, baseball stand-outs, JROTC leaders, basketball stars, swimmers, soccer players, band members, and academic decathletes. They excel in subjects that make my brain hurt, and perform with passion in theater and dance. Many of them work a part-time job (or two) and volunteer on their campus and in their community. Their parents selflessly serve our country, and they follow along; sometimes attending more schools than I can count on my fingers. They are kind, funny, selfless, dedicated, creative kids who make me want to come to work every day.

Which is why it makes it so great when someone else recognizes what I see every day:

Yesterday the Association of Texas Photography Instructors released it's list of winners for their annual Fall Photo Contest. There were over 6500 entries from schools in Texas, California, New York, Kansas and Oklahoma.

Cole photographers took 33 awards in various categories, with one 1st place, three 2nd places, six 1st Honorable Mentions, and 23 Honorable Mentions competing against numerous large 6A schools and elite private academies.

I could not be more proud of all their hard work. In just two and a half months, they covered studio portraiture, action photography, still life, environmental portraits, advertising, nature, and architectural photography -- and they did it fabulously!

I also must commend our outstanding models -- all of *my* kids -- the ones that I teach, the acrobat I "borrowed", and they ones that I make clean their room and do their homework. ;)

Below is a gallery of their winning work. The numbers in parenthesis are the number of entries in their specific category.