Students named finalists in photo contest

Photo by Michelle Marcum

Two Stephens students were finalists in the 33rd Annual Spring Photography Contest sponsored by Photographer’s Forum magazine and Nikon.

Junior Michelle Marcum and sophomore Kate Rudder both entered the contest last semester while taking Chase Thompson’s digital photography class. Their two photographs will be featured in the upcoming book, Best of College & High School Photography, expected to be published this summer.

Marcum admits her shot was part luck. Her children, ages 6 and 9 at the time, were playing around the pond at the Missouri Governor’s Mansion when she saw their images reflected in the pool, told them to hold still and snapped the picture. Marcum flipped the image vertically, a trick known as forced perspective, and used the water to resemble sky, the lily pads as clouds and pennies as stars.

“I was just learning how to take photographs, so it was a lucky one,” she said. “It just kind of happened.”

Photo by Kate Rudder

Rudder captured her image for an assignment in Thompson’s class. Her challenge was to get interesting street images. Rudder was walking downtown when she noticed some extremely reflective windows. She positioned herself on a balcony across the street and waited for the right passers-by to come along and be reflected off of the other window. The result is a photograph that makes you do a double-take—the windows look like mirrors reflecting her on one side and two women who appear to be looking at her on the other.

Rudder is a fashion communications major who dabbles in photography and graphic design on the side.

“The photograph was my first project in class, so I’m really excited,” she said, adding that she hopes to enter more photography contests in the future. For Marcum, learning photography complements her work as a graphic design student.

“Photography is something I definitely use in graphic design,” she said. “It’s helpful as a designer.”

The hardcover book, expected to be available this summer, will feature roughly 2,000 incredible images—including another by former Stephens student Cheryl “Folrian” Clunie. The finalists were selected from more than 16,500 entries.

Thompson is especially proud. He received the same honor when he attended Columbia College—his photograph was featured in the 2005 edition of the book.

Photo by Chase Thompson