Towerlight Photo Editor wins recognition for his work
May 20, 2008
Towerlight Photo Editor Patrick Smith has had a photo picked as a 2007 Society of Professional Journalists Mark of Excellence Award National Finalist. It’s the second honor for Patrick this year; in addition, a portfolio of work placed first in The Columbia Scholastic Press Association 2008 Collegiate Gold Circle awards. We asked Patrick for this thoughts about his latest award and the photo that brought him the honor. His thoughts:
Snow dumped onto campus Dec. 5 as I stood on the roof of the University Union in khakis and a light coat shooting a snowy weather feature.
When I had left for morning classes I expected another chilly winter day. But after I walked out of class at noon I realized forecasters called for 2 to 4 inches to be dropped on Towson throughout the day.While the cover image of The Towerlight had already been shot, I knew this surprise snowfall image would dominate the cover. However, I didn’t realize that this photo would later go on to be a 2007 Society of Professional Journalists Mark of Excellence Award National Finalist.
It’s very rewarding to get recognized by the Society of Professional Journalists again this year. Last year, I won five SPJ awards, although I thought my entries this year were a lot stronger.
Conversely, winning awards isn’t everything. While it’s a good morale booster and erases the bad assignments and long hours worked, in the end it’s only a piece of paper. Awards are always subjective; it’s never known what the judges had in their minds when making final decisions.
These awards won’t change my attitude, shooting or ego. Tomorrow is the same as the rest and in the end it’s about making telling photographs that inform the reader.
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