SALINE COUNTY: ‘A little more confidence’

Bryant students win awards for yearbook photography

By Elizabeth Sharp

Chelsey Brummett, from left, Kristen Farmin and Mikayla Speake of Bryant High School entered some of their yearbook photography into the Jostens' Photo contest and placed high among more than 5,000 submissions, including a first place. David Huff

LITTLE ROCK — Every time her students would head out the door with their cameras during the past school year, Margaret Sorrows gave them one piece of advice: “Go get the shot that everybody else doesn’t see.”

And apparently, the advice has paid off.

This year, three of Sorrows’ yearbook and newspaper photographers at Bryant High School received awards in the nationally acclaimed Jostens Photo Contest for using their cameras to capture the incredible.

They are Mikayla Speake, Kristen Farmin and Chelsey Brummett.

Knowing that her students did so well is “awesome,” Sorrows said.

“They worked hard at their craft and really dedicated a lot of time and effort to their photography,” Sorrows said. “I know how tough this competition is; I know a lot of the schools that enter photographers, and they have a lot of amazing photographers in their publication. It gives you affirmation that you do have a great yearbook and newspaper.”

The contest, which is co-sponsored by Jostens and Wolfe Camera, draws more than 5,000 submissions annually.

Sorrows, who has been the yearbook and newspaper adviser at Bryant High School for 17 years, said that she encourages her photographers to enter the Jostens Photo Contest every year.

“It’s because I recognize that their shots are really good and they have a lot of ability,” she said. “They win prizes, they get recognition - it helps them get a little more confidence.”

Sorrows said that this year, there were 15 photographers from BryantHigh School who entered the contest. They deadline for submitting prints was April 1, and Sorrows received a call from Jostens in early May.

Farmin, 17, won first place in the Student Life and Activities category with “PepRally Surf,” which captures a student crowd-surfing during the Hornet chant at a Bryant pep rally. She said she had to raise her camera above the crowd to get the shot.

“I actually didn’t see it until I got back to class and downloaded my pictures on the computer,” she said. “I liked it a lot, and my friend said, ‘Wow, that looks like a Jostens photo.’”

Finding out that she had won first place left her “shocked,” Farmin said. She received a $500 cash reward and a Pentax camera and said that the competition has given her more confidence.

“It made me interested in more photography competitions,” she said. “You don’t just win competitions if you’re not any good. It’s given me more confidence to pursue this as a career.”

Speake, 17, received second place in the Life in the Hallway category and an honorable mention. A first-year photographer for yearbook, Speake said that Sorrows encouraged all the newspaper and yearbook photographers to enter the contest.

“It was totally unexpected, because it was only my first year,” Speake said. “I thought there were other photographers that had better photos than I had.

Her second-place photo was “Laid Out,” which Speake said captures one of her friends lying across four chairs in the hallway. Her honorable mention, “Wide Open Spaces,” depicts a classmate from Bryant High School holding a pep rally sign in Little Rock’s Barton Colosseum.

Jostens gave Speake a monopod and a Canon digital camera.

She said she plans on taking both yearbook and another photography class as a senior.

“Now that I’ve been in this environment this whole year, I’ve really enjoyed that and want to cont inue on,” she said.

Brummett, 18, who also graduated last week, received fifth place in the Athletes in Action category with “Celebration,” a photo of a Bryant High School football player surrounded by fireworks.

Tri-Lakes, Pages 61, 63 on 05/29/2008