S A N L U I S O B I S P O C O U N T Y ’ S N E W S A N D E N T E R T A I N M E N T W E E K L Y

N O V E M B E R 3 - N O V E M B E R 1 0 , 2 0 1 1 • V O L . 2 6 , N O . 1 4 • 7 2 P A G E S • F R E E • W W W . N E W T I M E S S L O . C O M

Will fences direct bears away from becoming roadkill? [8]

Leaving the court

[17]

Shredder

Nipomo’s New Tech High raises questions [10]MacHomer: Shakespeare’s in Springfi eld [33]No one rocks the harvest like these guys [54]

FILMMargin divides [44]

See the world through the 16th annual Winning

Images contest [18]

Natural beauty

The purpose of a photography competition is not to wax lyrical on the importance of the art form. Space is precious when you’ve got nine categories—sports, animals, flora, open, people, land/seascape,

travel, youth, and high school—garnering more than 500 entries. Instead, we’ll tell you, briefly, that you hold in your hands the three winning photographs from each category, along with a series of judges’ picks that didn’t necessarily win any awards, but nonetheless captured the judges’ imaginations. On New Times’ cover is the Best of Show winner, Nancy Koren’s Our Favorite Treat, which also won first place in the flora category. Serving as judges for New Times’ 16th annual Winning Images competition were staff photographer Steve E. Miller, who coordinated the competition; painter Joanne Beaule Ruggles; gallery director Jeff Van Kleeck; and Photo Shop owner Peggy Mesler. And though he wasn’t technically a judge, New Times’ marketing coordinator, Colby Courter, contributed so significantly to the effort, he too selected a favorite picture. Happy viewing!

Send comments to staff photographer Steve E. Miller at semiller@newtimesslo.com.

A word from the judges (explaining their picks)Peggy Mesler: This macro photo has a lot going for it, especially nice lighting and a pleasing composition. The photo manipulation has added a nice dimension to it, without looking unnatural. Very painterly, very appealing. Nice job. (Mimi Ditchie, Red Flowers and Texture).

Jeff Van Kleeck: Photography is an excuse to explore. It’s a reason to get off the path and really see what’s going on. From the piercing eyes to the odd debris scattered about, this photo asks more questions than it answers. (Roy Gough, Bangkok).

Joanne Ruggles: What I found memorable about this photograph was its singular dedication toward the goal of providing a good chuckle for its viewers. Within the image, ordinary architectural elements have been transformed into a series of angles askew. The structure—itself quite bland—has been painted in an unfathomably madcap fashion. Top the scene off with a street-savvy dog who appears to have just piloted a stunt plane, or may have momentarily stepped from behind the wheel of a doggie go-cart, or perhaps was recently propelled out of a Ringling Bros. Circus cannon. All I can say is that each time I looked at the image I smiled ... and you will too. (Jonathan Shapiro, Dog in Window).

Steve E. Miller: We’ve all seen photographs of cats—perhaps too many photos of cats—but in this case I was so fascinated and enamored not only with the cat itself but also the precise composition that relegated all color only to its eyes while the rest of the image was a perfectly exposed and printed dark gray and black. This is a cat photo, but it’s a regal cat photo that I kept going back to look at. It’s an artistic photo, but also a perfect example of the technical aspect of photography. (Mike Schmiechen, Churchie).

Colby Courter: I remember, as a kid, splashing around the Avila Beach tide pools searching for sea anemones with my fists full of hermit crabs. Once I located one, I would drop the unsuspecting crabs into the writhing mass of tentacles and watch as the anemone slowly engulfed the tiny crustaceans. While this shot has a certain nostalgic significance for me, it also possesses an otherworldly distinctiveness that caught my eye. The crisp image quality and close-up perspective make the slimy green tentacles look more like the brains of some alien creature than sea life. (Steven Larson, Sea Anemone).

Winning!New Times’ 16th annual photography competition yields stunning resultsBY NEW TIMES STAFF

Judges’ bios San Luis Obispo native Peggy Mesler is a photographer and owner of the Photo Shop in SLO. She shares her appreciation and knowledge of photography with customers, clients, and friends. Peggy graduated with a journalism degree from Cal Poly, and opened the Photo Shop in 1995. Her interests include gardening, hiking, and birding, and her favorite photographic subject is people. Jeff Van Kleeck runs Cal Poly’s University Art Gallery. He received a master of fine arts degree in

photography and has studied photography under Jerry Uelsmann, Robert Glenn Ketchum, Keith Carter, John Sexton, Jerry Spagnoli, Jim Stone, Christopher Burkett, William Neill, and Bruce Barnbaum. His work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, in such locations as New York, Madison, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Brazil. His work can also be seen in the soon-to-be-released book, Exploring Color Photography: From Film to Pixels, fifth edition, by Robert Hirsch of Focal Press.

Joanne Beaule Ruggles has taught studio art since the ’70s. In 2004 she was named one of two faculty members winning Cal Poly’s Annual Distinguished Research Award for her Stone of Hope painting series that documented her reaction to the 9/11 tragedy. Her subsequent creative projects have garnered grant support from the James Irvine, Puffin, and Capelli d’Angeli foundations. Now an emeritus faculty member at Cal Poly, Ruggles continues to offer studio workshops around the United States and Canada. Ruggles’ artwork can be viewed at beaulerugglesgraphics.com.

PHOTO BY STEVE E. MILLERPHOTO BY STEVE E. MILLER

PHOTO BY STEVE E. MILLER

Ashala Tylor, A Song for a Stranded Whale, First Place, adult, travel

Alice Cahill, Heart of Gold, honorable mention, adult, Flora

Mimi Ditchie, Wave Swingers, honorable mention, adult, oPen

Spencer Caserio, Heron Liftoff, third Place, Youth

Mike Schmiechen, The Smaller Things, third Place, adult, oPen

WINNING IMAGES

Donna Johnson, Letting Go, second Place, adult, PeoPle

WINNING IMAGES

Shyiel Arad, Traveler

honorable mention, high school

Lauren Mattina, Fierce Determination, second Place, adult, sPorts

Scott Fugate, Warmth, third Place, adult, PeoPle

Roy Gough, Bangkok, Judge’s Pick, adult, travel

WINNING IMAGES

Spencer Caserio, Who’s Watching Who?,

second Place, Youth

Sharaya Olmeda, Five O’Clock Seating,

second Place, adult, oPen

Heather Craig, The Lookout, First Place, adult, animals

Ashala Tylor, Pismo Airplane, third Place, adult, land/seascaPe

WINNING IMAGES

Alan Hsu, Old Truck,

First Place, adult, land/seascaPe

Brian J. Matis, Raindrops on Red Leaves, third Place, adult, Flora Steven Larson, Sea Anemone, Judge’s Pick, adult, animals

Lauren Mattina, Tip Toes, second Place, adult, animals

Steven Larson, Sea Anemone, Judge’s Pick, adult, animals Mimi Ditchie, Red Flowers and Texture, Judge’s Pick, adult, Flora Brian Caserio, Double Dip, third Place, adult, sPorts

Jonathan Shapiro, Arcade of Piazza San Marco, Venice, third Place, adult, travel

Michael V. Myers, Twilight Reunion, third Place, adult, animals

Natosha Hoover, Skate,

honorable mention, adult, sPorts

Zoe MarkhaM, Weedflower, Second Place, Youth

Jonathan Shapiro, Dog in Window, Judge’s Pick, adult, animals

Mike Schmiechen, Churchie, Judge’s Pick, adult, animals

Jenn Lawrence, The Other Side, second Place, adult, Flora

Riley Pall, The Eye,

First Place,

high school

Sage Friedman, Satellite Shanty, honorable mention, Youth, land/seascaPe

WINNING IMAGES

Heather Craig, Blue Moon,

HONORABLE MENTION, ADULT, LAND/SEASCAPE

Skip Moss, Bishop Peak Sunset,

San Luis Obispo,

SECOND PLACE, ADULT,

LAND/SEASCAPE

Spencer Caserio,

Forster’s Tern,

FIRST PLACE, YOUTH

Bill Findley, Sunday Morning in Jietou, Yunnan, China,

SECOND PLACE, ADULT, TRAVEL

Brian J. Matis, A Frog in the Hand, honorable mention, adult, animals

Dave Coronel, The Hooded Man,

honorable mention, adult, travel

CINDY FraNkLIN, 3 Day Old Love, Third Place, Adult, People

WINNING IMAGES

Alison Watt Jackson, Summer Solstice, First Place, adult, PeoPle

Joseph Arndt , Under the Sea, third Place, high school

WINNING IMAGES

Jack Irwin, Reflections + Shadows, First Place, adult, oPen

Theresa Stanton, Black and White Portrait in Avila, honorable mention, adult, PeoPle

Shyiel Arad, Bath Time, second Place, high school

Steve Corey, Zoom Zoom Zoom, First Place, adult, sPorts