2020 Qtr. 4 Singles
Khai Le
Quarter 4 judge, Mark Boster
General News
First Place: GINA FERAZZI, LOS ANGELES TIMES
A nurse holds a COVID-19 patient’s hand before she is intubated by a medical team led by pulmonologist Dr. Laren Tan, right, in the ICU at Loma Linda University Medical Center on December 15, 2020 in Loma Linda, California. The hospital is experiencing a huge surge in COVID-19 patients. Dr. Michael Matus, chief of hospitalist said they are currently admitting more than 15 patients a day. The hospital has added 5 additional Covid units in addition to ICU. Many of the ICU patients have underlying health issues. Once those patients get Covid, “It’s a marathon that they can’t run, said Dr. Tan.
Second Place: KEITH BIRMINGHAM, PASADENA STAR-NEWS
A woman with a child wearing masks looks on as an airline crew wearing full personal protective equipment due to the Coronavirus Pandemic walks through the Tom Bradley International Terminal at LAX in Los Angeles on Tuesday, November 17, 2020.
Third Place: JAY L. CLENDENIN, LOS ANGELES TIMES
Supporters of U.S. President Donald J. Trump try to interact with supporters on motorcycles of Democratic Presidential candidate Joe Biden, along Santa Monica Blvd, in Beverly Gardens Park in Beverly Hills, CA, on election night, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020.
Honorable Mention: RINGO CHIU, FREELANCE
Motorists line up to take a coronavirus (COVID-19) test at Dodger Stadium, Wednesday, Nov.18, 2020, in Los Angeles. Los Angeles County is reporting another 3,944 cases of COVID-19, lifting the cumulative total since the start of the pandemic to 348,336. There are currently 1,188 people hospitalized due to the virus.
Feature
First Place: MINDY SCHAUER, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER/SCNG
Che Shayne emerges from the fog as a Frog Princess during Blackies 17th Annual Halloween Surf event in Newport Beach on Saturday, October 31, 2020.
Second Place: TERRY PIERSON, THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE/SCNG
A perfect way to end the day as Evan Swarth of Riverside and his dog Stella, a Korean Jindo sit at the top of Sycamore Highlands Park as the sun sets under a cloudy sky in Riverside on Friday, Oct. 16, 2020.
Third Place: GINA FERAZZI, LOS ANGELES TIMES
Dee and Paul Padilla of Murrieta spend time at a life size American flag honoring their son Staff Sgt. Michael Padilla who served two tours overseas in Iraq and Afghanistan and also survived three ambushes by the Taliban at the Field of Honor on Veterans Day November 11, 2020 in Murrieta, CA. According to his father, Michael suffered from severe PTSD and took his own life on June 15, 2010.This is the 12th annual Field of Honor in Town Square Park. The Field of Honor honors those who served or are serving in the United States armed forces.
Honorable Mention: MINDY SCHAUER, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER/SCNG
Lucas Taub, 23, and his skateboarding companion, Jett, who is interested in taking control of his leash, cruise around Dana Point during some downtime on Wednesday, December 30, 2020 in Dana Point. The local surfer and surf coach said he would soon be heading to teach lessons in San Clemente.
Honorable Mention: KEITH BIRMINGHAM, PASADENA STAR-NEWS
Happy Place the Drive-Thru has 18 larger-than-life experiences and interactive moments including the world’s first giant piano you play with your car, a rainbow road and a pulsating nightclub in the parking structure of the Westfield Century City Mall in Los Angeles on Friday, November 20, 2020.
Portrait
First Place: TERRY PIERSON, THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE/SCNG
There is a smile behind the mask of Brian Christopher who has his own channel on YouTube, @BCSlots with over 200K subscribers and 130+million views, were he plays slot machines all over Southern California as todays live show was at Agua Caliente Resort Casino Spa in Rancho Mirage on Thursday, Oct. 8, 2020.
Second Place: JAY L. CLENDENIN, LOS ANGELES TIMES
Academy Award-winning actress Regina King is photographed in promotion of her directorial debut with her film, “One Night in Miami,” in a backyard, of a North Hollywood, CA, home, Thursday, Dec. 10, 2020. King’s film imagines a fictionalized 1964 hotel room meeting between Cassius Clay, Jim Brown, Sam Cooke and Malcom X, and they discuss the responsibility of being successful black men during the civil rights movement.
Third Place: WILL LESTER, INLAND Valley DAILY BULLETIN/SCNG
Robert and Marivel Velasco are reflected in a picture of their late daughter Yvette in their Fontana home on Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2020. Yvette Velasco was one of the 14 victims killed during the terrorist attack at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino on December 2, 2015.
Honorable Mention: MINDY SCHAUER, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER/SCNG
OC native Ferin Kidd, in his video production room in Fullerton on Wednesday, December 16, 2020. Kidd not only creates videos of young hip hop artists, he has become a community organizer after the killing of George Floyd. He shot a documentary on the protests in Minneapolis and in Orange County, entitled, “Bang4Change.”
Pictorial
A new category for 2020: A graphic image that expresses beauty, tension and other abstract concepts through composition and tonal and color relationships more than through human interaction.
First Place: DON BARTLETTI, FREELANCE
The waxing moon, Jupiter and Saturn set on December 16, 2020 next to the Oceanside, California pier. The planetary conjunction is one of the closest in many centuries.
Second Place: RINGO CHIU, FREELANCE
A woman with her dog are silhouetted, watch the sunset on Tuesday, Dec.15, 2020, at Venice Beach in Los Angeles.
Third Place: JAY L. CLENDENIN, LOS ANGELES TIMES
Boats and silhouettes of dozens of witches on stand-up paddleboards make their way across King Harbor in Redondo Beach, CA, taking part in a Halloween float, sparked by a Facebook group titled, “Witches SUPers of South Bay Paddle,” Saturday, Oct. 31, 2020. Most in some form of costume, but mostly witches, with many kids and several dogs onboard.
Honorable Mention: TERRY PIERSON, THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE/SCNG
A street vendor carries blowup toys for children as she walks around the playground area of Fairmount Park trying to sell them on a bright sunny morning in Riverside on Sunday, Nov. 1, 2020.
Spot News
First Place: RINGO CHIU, FREELANCE
A man yells at a police officer during a protest on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020, in Los Angeles.
Second Place: RINGO CHIU, FREELANCE
Residents, silhouetted, watch the Blue Ridge Fire burning in Yorba Linda, California, U.S. October 26, 2020.
Third Place: JAY L. CLENDENIN, LOS ANGELES TIMES
A homeless man is forced to move from his encampment at the corner of S Grand Avenue and W 54th Street, above the 110 Freeway, after another homeless encampment was engulfed in flames, in Los Angeles, CA,Thursday, Oct. 8, 2020.
Honorable Mention: Richard Koehler/Orange County Register
Trump supporters at end of Airport Loop Drive watch as.Air Force One with President Donald Trump onboard, about to land at John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana,California on October 18, 2020. He then attended private fund raiser at the home of tech mogul Palmer Luckey on Lido Island in Newport Beach.
Honorable Mention: JUSTIN L. STEWART/FREELANCE
People cheer on a car burning rubber at the corner of Crenshaw and Florence as a takeover happens in Los Angeles, CA on Sunday, November 1, 2020. These illegal takeovers happen regularly, with cars and followers blocking off intersections to drift in circles and burn rubber before being dispersed by police.
Entertainment
First Place: TERRY PIERSON, THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE/SCNG
Actors perform “Esther” on an outdoor stage in the parking lot of LifeHouse Theater, the first live production since March due to the coronavirus pandemic in Redlands on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2020.
Second Place: RINGO CHIU, FREELANCE
Members of Salvation Army band wearing face masks perform in front of the TCL Chinese Theatre during their signature red kettle donation collection in a drive-thru format due to the coronavirus pandemic, Thursday, Dec. 10, 2020 in Los Angeles.
Third Place: TERRY PIERSON, THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE/SCNG
Redlands YMCA acrobat Sara McNaughton, 16, performs as her mom, Laurie McNaughton, waves to one of the many cars during Christmas at the Park hosted by the Redlands Noon Kiwanis at Redlands Sports Park in Redlands on Saturday, Dec. 19, 2020.
Sports Features
First Place: RINGO CHIU, FREELANCE
Tiger Woods stands and watches during the second round of the Zozo Championship golf tournament Friday, Oct. 23, 2020, in Thousand Oaks, Calif.
Second Place: GINA FERAZZI, LOS ANGELES TIMES
Dusks settles over the parking lot as Dodger fans watch Game 6 of the World Series during a drive-in viewing at Dodger Stadium on October 27, 2020 in Los Angeles, California.
Third Place: RINGO CHIU, FREELANCE
Los Angeles Lakers fans celebrate their team winning the 2020 NBA Championship during the outbreak of Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Los Angeles, California, U.S., October 11, 2020.
Honorable Mention: TERRY PIERSON, THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE/SCNG
Snowboarder John Macaraeg, 29, of Orange gets some air as does his hair on opening day of the 2020-2021 Winter season at Snow Valley Mountain Resort in Southern California's San Bernardino Mountains in Running Springs on Monday, Nov. 16, 2020.
Sports Action
First Place: KEITH BIRMINGHAM, PASADENA STAR-NEWS
Defensive back Elisha Guidry #30 of the UCLA Bruins locks away a pass intended for wide receiver Tayvian Cunningham #11 of the Arizona Wildcats in the second half of a NCAA Football game at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena on Saturday, November 28, 2020.
Second Place: GINA FERAZZI, LOS ANGELES TIMES
Snowboarders appear to surf on the snow while “social distancing” down a steep trail at Mammoth Mountain on November 21, 2020 in Mammoth Lakes, California. Because of COVID-19, Mammoth Mountain is not selling walk-up lift tickets this season.
Third Place: WILL LESTER, INLAND VALLEY DAILY BULLETIN
Top Fuel driver Tony Schumacher explodes his engine in the second qualifying session during the Camping World NHRA Dodge Finals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Saturday October 31, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Honorable Mention: RINGO CHIU, FREELANCE
Los Angeles FC forward Bradley Wright-Phillips (66) of England, and Houston Dynamo defender Maynor Figueroa (15) of Honduras, fight for the ball during the second half of an MLS soccer match Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2020, in Los Angeles.
Honorable Mention: TERRY PIERSON, THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE/SCNG
Joshua Montes, 14, intercepts a pass intended for Gregory Ferreira, 14, both of Beaumont during a game of three on three football at Beaumont Sports Park in Beaumont on Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2020.
Judge’s Notes & Bio
FEATURE
What fun it was judging this category. From a frog princess and her surfboard to some beautiful images of man and his dog hanging out at sunset, a field of flags in Murrieta honoring our fallen heroes and other wonderful, found moments around Southern California that celebrate life.
PORTRAIT
Another very crowded field loaded with pictures of people wearing masks. The winners were chosen on degrees of difficulty, composition, creativity, and problem solving.
First Place: First place was a picture that either showed a great deal of planning and thought or showed that the photographer was really able to arrive at the shoot, pivot, adapt and look for a solution that was well-lit, composed and some fun.
Second Place: The second place looked like it could have been another one of those celebrity photo sessions where it was an hour of set-up for a five-minute shoot. instead, it was a beautiful, lively session, full of personality, great hair and an exciting portrait of Regina King.
Third Place: The third-place portrait of grieving parents, Robert and Marivel Velasco reflected in a portrait of their daughter who was killed during the San Bernardino shooting. The reflection idea is not a novel concept, but it was used well here and really told the story and the mood.
HM: Honorable mention goes to a wonderful portrait of Fern Kidd in his video studio.
ENTERTAINMENT
This was not the strongest category in the contest. But still fun to see the energy, the color and the adaptations by performers during the pandemic.
First Place: The first-place entry showed a lot of energy and fun in the faces of the performers in Redlands and a colorful use of stage lighting.
Second Place: Second place, was again, a wonderful adaptation by the Salvation Army musicians performing in front of the Chinese theater while blowing their horns through their masks.
Third Place: Third place was a fun look at a drive-thru Christmas celebration in Redlands, with an inverted acrobat!
GENERAL NEWS
This was a very crowded field with many great images, moments and incidents that are telling the stories of a pandemic, an election, patriotism, protests, and life in Southern California. So much history is unfolding at once. I started this category, looked at all of the pictures, studied them and came back to this category two days later. On my second pass, I spent several hours looking at the images and studying them. I carefully read each caption and started to take notes. The one that rose to the top, started out as an honorable mention. The one that had been my top choice dropped down to third place. Two more hours passed before I made up my mind.
First Place: Based on the difficulty, sensitivity, and raw storytelling quality I chose an image that showed a nurse holding the hand of a Covid19 patient at Loma Linda, surrounded by medical staff. Probably a gesture repeated a thousand times a day around the world with nurses and patients, but it struck an emotional chord with me. After looking at dozens of news photos, it was different. Was it a classic “news” photo? Maybe not. It was more of a moment, found in a feature category. It was a reminder to me that news photos don’t always have to be burning buildings, people hugging in grief, or angry political crowds bashing each other to be strong and storytelling.
Second Place: The second place was another picture from the upside-down world we are living in, with an apocalyptic feel, showing an entire flight crew, walking through LAX in their white protective suits to guard against the virus. Again, this could have been a feature moment, but it was elevated to general news, due to the storytelling qualities.
Third Place: Third place was a wonderful image of a Trump supporter trying to engage a Biden caravan with his screams and gestures on election day. Honorable mention was a drone shot of the line of cars snaking into and around the parking lots of Dodger Stadium at sunset, with people trying to get a Covid19 test.
PICTORIAL
The winners in this category quickly rose to the top.
First Place: The picture of the waxing moon over Oceanside is a masterclass study in planning, composition and execution. The conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn and the location of the waxing moon composed with a recognizable structure…and reflections on the water combine for an amazing image.
Second Place: Second place of the woman and her dog taking in the view at Venice Beach is a beautiful study of calm, color, careful composition and a steady mastery of the rule of thirds. The floating seagull is an exclamation point that completes this image.
Third Place: Third place, witches on paddleboards, checked so many boxes of mysterious light, humor, and an unexpected composition of riders with their witch hats. We needed to see something fun and humorous during these dark times.
HM: Honorable Mention shows a man carrying several large balloons with swirls of color in a pleasing composition.
SPORTS ACTION
Looking past the usual fare in this category and searching for the best of the peak action is usually pretty easy. This time there were many key action plays. Many ball-juggling football images.
First Place: First place was just a really classic ball-juggling, defensive play where a pass was blocked in a UCLA-vs-Arizona game. The eyes and the action make this one so cool.
Second Place: I was looking for something different and artistic in this category and found this gem, with snowboarders carving up the powder on a slope in Mammoth. It wasn’t tight and peak action like most sports images but was almost painterly and certainly gave the reader a sense of place, a feeling of the cold, and an idea of how graceful this sport can be.
Third Place: The exploding engine of a funny car or dragster can be a terrifying experience for a photographer. Long lenses, protective gear and a keen sense of safety and danger are in play for a picture like this.
HM: Soccer images like this reminds me of an aerial ballet move, with the athletes soaring through the air while chasing a ball.
HM: The sandlot football game captured in this photo reminded me of my childhood. We drew the plays in the sand, took turns playing quarterback, fought over the results and ended up being lifelong friends. The spirit of the sport lives on with this picture.
SPORTS FEATURE
First Place: I didn’t need a caption to see who the subject was or who was the center of interest in the first-place image showing a golfer leaning on his club. His casual stance and form were instantly iconic. There is artistry and sense of quiet in this well-composed view of Tiger Woods.
Second Place: Second place is another sign of the times with the crowds that were not allowed to witness the Dodger World Series from inside the stadium, watching from a big screen outside, with the city in the background. There were several versions of this from several photogs, this one gave the best sense of place.
Third Place: Fireworks and big screens also played a role in the composition of the third-place winner with a victory party for the Lakers taking center stage.
SPOT NEWS
Protesters yelling at police on a skirmish line, fires burning out of control, a street takeover, Air Force One arriving… all have become snapshots of daily life in the United States. All have become a part of life in Southern California. All have been documented by the photographers here. There were razor-thin differences between the winners here. The metric used to separate the winners was simple, which images were more storytelling? Which were interesting and compelling? Which ones grabbed the reader visually? Which ones were newsworthy?
First Place: The first-place image really showed the frustration and anger that is now constantly bubbling under the surface. Election day frustrations on both sides illustrated by a street protest.
Second Place: Second place residents in Yorba Linda watching a wall of flames in Yorba Linda, so close to the heat, you can almost feel the flames approaching.
Third Place: Third- place is such a sad scene of a homeless person breaking down his tent, while a fellow homeless neighbor’s campsite is fully engulfed in flames on an overpass in south LA. This happens often in LA, but in this case, the photographer stopped to document the scene in a heartfelt way.
HM: Air Force One lands in Orange County, greeted by enthusiastic Trump supporters.
HM: A crazy street takeover spins out of control amid a frenzy of screeching tires and smoke. All made for fascinating pictures and compelling moments.
Meet our judge, Mark Boster
Staff Photographer/Whittier Daily News-1976-1978
Staff Photographer/San Gabriel Valley Tribune-1978-1979
Staff Photographer/Orange County Register-1979-1983
Staff Photographer/Los Angeles Times-1983-2017
While working for the Los Angeles Times, Boster worked in Orange County and Los Angeles. Notable assignments at the Los Angeles Times include the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. War Coverage and post-war coverage in Kosovo (Former Yugoslavia). News events including the Northridge Earthquake, wildfires in Santa Barbara, San Diego and Orange counties. The Space Shuttle disaster and crash over Texas, the San Bernardino shootout and mass murder. Daily assignments at the Times include early morning news coverage and photography for all sections of the paper, including food, fashion and Hollywood celebrity portraiture. Political assignments at the Times include the state funerals for Presidents Richard M. Nixon and Gerald Ford. The presidential campaigns of Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush, Sen. John McCain, Fred Thompson and Al Gore. Sports events include Super Bowl games and the 2002 Angel’s World Series. Coverage in Hollywood includes the Oscar, Emmy and Grammy award shows.