| Ohio News Photographer |
| March 2000 |
It took 15 minutes longer for Karen Schiely to realize she was the 1999 ONPA Photographer of the Year than any of the 30 people who had just viewed the portfolio judging at the Fawcett Center on the campus of Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. That's because despite phone conversations with Chairman of the Board Bob DeMay, close friend Lisa Dutton of the Toledo Blade and Annie O'Neill, one of the judges, Schiely didn't believe it.
The staff photographer at the Akron Beacon Journal eventually did accept the fact that she had become the 32nd photographer to capture the title, edging out runner-up Eric Albrecht of the Columbus Dispatch and third place winner, Steve Herppich of the Cincinnati Enquirer. Ed Suba Jr. of the Akron Beacon Journal and Michael Keating of the Cincinnati Enquirer earned honorable mentions for their portfolios.
Judges Annie O'Neill of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, James R. Gordon, professor emeritus at Bowling Green State University and Harry E. Walker, director of Knight Ridder/Tribune Photo Services, faced a familiar dilemma while trying to pick this year's winner from the twenty portfolios entered. Which is more important: a strength of a portfolio's singles or the strength of its stories?
"If I had to fill a paper with pictures, I would want this photographer (Albrecht) working for me because of the variety and versatility of his singles," said Walker.
"But", countered O'Neill, "doesn't a photographer (Schiely) whose stories are so strong have to shoot twelve strong individual singles to create a prize-winning story?" The judges went with strength of stories. Schiely, whose single entries failed to place in any of the nine other individual categories, showed her strength in the story categories. She captured first place in the feature picture and sports picture story categories. She also had a honorable mention for a second sports story.
Albrecht, who didn't place in the story categories, won four awards: second in feature, third and honorable mention in portrait and personality and honorable mention in pictorial.
The drama, for the third consecutive year, was high in the race for the Clip Photographer of the Year. Dave Richards of The (Lorain, OH) Morning Journal, who finished eighth in the 1998 contest, went into the final month of the year with a slim 16 point lead over Ken Love of the Akron Beacon Journal.
Love couldn't rally for the title as Chris Russell did in 1997 and Matt Detrich did last year. Richards put an emphatic end to the speculation as he captured second and third place wins in the sports category to win the title.
Richards, who has been at the Journal for two years and has only recently started entering the contests, won first and second place for sports action, second place for sports feature and honorable mentions in the sports picture story and feature categories in this yearis pictures of the year competition.
The extremely high quality of the 1300 entries submitted by the 95 Ohio photographers was always on the mind's of the judges.
"I see the NPPA national clip winners every month," said Gordon, who is the editor of News Photographer magazine. "The work represented here is up to that quality.˛ Walker agreed. "I see thousands of pictures every year and the level of work being done in Ohio is much higher." All three judges noted the strength of several categories that had six or seven and sometimes ten images that were extremely close.
Other major award winners in the contest included Steve Herppich who won the Ohio Understanding Award. Best Of Show went to Cleveland freelance illustrator Andrea Levy. Staff of the Year honors went to the Youngstown Vindicator for the under 100,000 category. The Cincinnati Enquirer captured the crown in the over. The Akron Beacon Journal was cited for its picture usage in the over 100,000 category while the Mansfield News-Journal won in the under.
Winners of the Larry Fullerton Photojournalism Scholarship and the Robert Coon ONPA Student Photographer of the Year will be announced at the awards dinner during the annual convention in Cleveland in April
Despite receiving no category award, Mud Boy captured the heart's and affection of the judges and people in attendance. For those who made the trip to Columbus, no explanation is necessary. For all of those who didn't, no explanation will suffice.
Schiely's portfolio was selected by judges in the ONPA still contest judging at Ohio State University to claim the Still Photographer of the Year title. Richard came away the winner in the monthly clip contest competition and is the Clip Photographer of the Year. The titles are the first for both photographers.
Schiely's win didn't come easy as judges debated the merits of her work and that of Eric Albrecht of the Columbus Dispatch who placed second in the competition. Her portfolio contained 12 singles pictures and three picture stories. All three of Schiely's pictures stories placed during the individual category judging capturing a first in feature picture story and sports picture story as well as an honorable mention in sports picture story.
Meanwhile Albrecht had already won third place and honorable mention in the portrait category and honorable mention in the pictorial category.
The debate ensued for nearly half an hour before the judges made their decision. Judges for the contest were James R. Gordon, professor emeritus from Bowling Green State University; Harry Walker, director of Knight Ridder/Tribune Photo Services and Annie OšNeill staff photographer of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Schiely is the first woman to win the title since 1984 when Lois Bernstein, then a student at Ohio University, claimed the title. Marcy Nighswander and Natalie Fobes are the only other women that have won.
Raised in Bedford Heights, Ohio, Schiely attended Kent State University where she graduated with a degree in photojournalism and a minor in English in 1989.
She became hooked on photography when a friend suggested the she attend a service at a Russian Orthodox Church in Cleveland.
"I had been interested n different religions," Schiely said. "Through the church, I met people who gave me a tour of Tremont, The Flats and Ohio City. The camera made me less shy and through it I met fascinating people who lived lives so different from my own. I went back to the neighborhoods several times for school projects."
While attending Kent State Schiely interned at The Chronicle-Telegram in Elyria and The Plain Dealer.
Soon after graduation she moved to Rochester, New York where she worked for the Gannett Rochester Newspapers (now just the Democrat and Chronicle) for seven years. She returned to Ohio in August of 1997 joining the staff at the Akron Beacon Journal.
She credits much of her improvement to working on the paper's revived Sunday Magazine and the photo staff at The Beacon Journal under the leadership of Susan Kirkman. As Schiely puts it, "The staff is just so talented. Everyone is an inspiration to do good work everyday." When told she had won the title Schiely didnšt believe it. When asked later why not she said, "I really think so highly of the award that I never thought it possible I could win it."
Not to be outdone the clip contest had drama all of its own again in 1999. Going into the final month Ken Love of the Akron Beacon Journal trailed David Richard by 16 points. Love was shut out in December with Richard capturing second and third in sports.
Richard was strong all year, entering clips in nine different months and claiming points in all but one month. He had eleven wins in all nine of which were in the sports category.
Richard is a native of Canton and has been shooting for 13 years. He has been a staff photographer at the Morning Journal in Lorain for two years. Prior to that he spent three years freelancing in and around Yellowstone National Park.
His career began in 1987 at The Free Press, a 123,000 circulation biweekly in Canton. Richard has always enjoyed the lighter side of photojournalism and enjoys creating images that make readers smile. He is also an avid sports fan and never turns down a sports-shooting assignment -- at any level.
The NPPA Monthly Clip Contest in Region 4 was won by J. Kyle Keener of the Detroit Free Press. Keener is no stranger to winning regional titles, this being his sixth overall. It's the third time in four years hešs won the Region 4 title and previously won the Region 3 title while working at the Philadelphia Inquirer.
James Mahan formerly of the Springfield News-Sun was the runner-up in Region 4. ONPA POY Karen Schiely finished 8th in the regional clip contest. Other top finishers from Ohio include: Chris Russell of the Columbus Dispatch - 12th; Fred Squillante, of the Columbus Dispatch and Matthew Hovis of the Medina County Gazette tied for 13th; Ken Love of the Akron Beacon Journal - 15th and Marshall Gorby of the Springfield News-Sun - 18th.