The tables were moved and the stage was set: Appalachian Dining Hall had to be picture perfect for the third annual Binghamton Photography Contest.
Hannah Karp, who coordinated the event, founded the Binghamton Photography Contest two years ago.
“I’ve always loved photography since I was a kid,” said Karp, a senior majoring in biological sciences and a resident assistant in Hunter Hall.
The first place prize went to Jason Cruz, a sophomore majoring in biology, who snapped a photo of hundreds of apples from a side point of view, while second place went to Shira Gelfand, a senior majoring in English, who took a picture of a rainbow falling into trees and a road. The top three contestants won Best Buy gift cards as well as their submission in a frame.
The panel of judges included students and faculty members. These judges were responsible for selecting the top 10 photographs out of 200 entries.
“This event is so great at Binghamton because the students don’t always have an opportunity to channel their creativity if they’re not already part of the art department,” said Ryan Roosa, resident director in Hunter Hall and third-place winner at the event.
Roosa’s photo featured a blue sky with a house in the foreground and a hot-air balloon positioned above it, distanced to give the illusion that it was tiny.
The top 10 photos were each framed on a table at the back of the dining hall. Entries included a close-up of a bumblebee pollinating a flower and a photo of the bridge in the Nature Preserve taken from a low level to emphasize the bridge’s wooden floorboards.
The photo that won the People’s Choice Award was a spider sitting on a web with raindrops both in and out of focus.
“I was excited that I made the top 10; it was a cool feeling,” said Mariam Saeed, a junior majoring in philosophy, politics and law.
Saeed won an honorable mention for her picture of the Nature Preserve from the edge of the pond that featured fall foliage and its reflection.
Richard Mendez, a judge at the event and a RD in Marcy Hall, said he was impressed with the submissions.
“I thought the submissions were fantastic,” Mendez said. “It was very difficult [to choose a winner] because we have a lot of great talent.”
Marissa MacAneney, a senior double-majoring in biochemistry and integrative neuroscience and an RA in Marcy Hall, said the photography exposition is an institution.
“I think it’s a good Mountainview tradition,” MacAneney said.