Photographer of the Year Applicant:
Merideth Langton
Top Five Photos by Merideth Langton
"After a historic undefeated regular season, the Kennedy High School Boys' Basketball Team was determined to make their mark at the state competition. When the team fell behind, senior captain Kenzie Reed pulled his team into a huddle. Just seconds after, Reed pushed through the defense to earn his team a few much-needed points. Reed was named All-Metro Player of the Year for his performance at the state competition and was also named First Team All-Conference (MVC)."
March 8, 2023
This photo serves as a demonstration of an action shot with purposeful composition. The focus of the shot is clearly identifiable, and the view of the subject is unobscured by the players attempting to deny him the shot. The lighting, while incredibly bright in the gym, does not distract from the photo and instead aids in the recognizability of the subject.
"Kennedy Principal Jason Kline has a pie shoved in his face by Alison Gardener during the 2022 Fall Pep Assembley. Gardener's homeroom raised the most money for the University of Iowa Children's Hospital."
August 12, 2022
This photo portrays a moment clearly, capturing all aspects of the event while focusing on the subject. The children in the background cheering are noticeable but do not take away from the focus of the photo and while the teacher holding the pie stands closer to the camera, she is not the first thing your eye is drawn to. Instead, you look toward the white frosting that contrasts against the background and intentionally leads your eye to the subject.
"Kennedy and Iowa City West football players are locked in combat in an attempt to gain possession of the ball. Kennedy began their season with a victory over the Iowa City team. "
September 2, 2022
The photo captures a chaotic moment by first leading the eye to the least complicated part of the photo, the two players locked arm in arm. This causes the eye to follow a natural progression down the picture and take in the scene in its entirety. The settings of the camera also put the part of the photo that is easiest to view in the highest focus, further displaying knowledge of photography techniques and camera usage.
"Beauty and the Beast Juniors came to Kennedy as a 'Playtime Poppy' Children's Show, providing an engaging tale to the community. Senior Lucas Dolphin (portraying Maurice) tells the story of how he was attacked by wolves to the enchanted objects."
November 30, 2022
The Kennedy stage is notoriously difficult to photograph, with an advanced LED lighting system that often turns photos blue or purple. This was avoided through advanced knowledge of camera settings and rapid adjustment based on the situation. Photos throughout this performance all came out largely without the tint due to consistent and effective adjustment of camera settings by the photographer.
"Electric car participant drives a prototype of the car he will compete with during the Homecoming Parade. All of the clubs from Kennedy created floats to display or projects to present."
September 14, 2022
Levels contribute largely to the composition of photos and if a photographer is unable to utilize them, they are limited in what they can photograph. This image demonstrates an eye for leveling and the photographer was quickly able to identify where the camera should be positioned to produce the most well-composed photo as the parade continued forward.