PIERCE COLLEGE : Photo Contest, Exhibit Planned

The talents of Pierce College amateur photographers will be exhibited and judged at the 18th Annual Pierce College Photo Salon from May 18 through May 21 in the Campus Center.

Categories include black and white, photojournalism, portraits, special effects and color.

The entries vary from beginners’ works to experimental artistry, said Charlotte Murphy, Pierce photography instructor. “Usually we have a wide range of participants, from amateurs who have never taken classes to people who have almost completed the photography program,” she said.

The admission-free exhibit will be open to the public from noon to 4:30 p.m. May 18; 9 a.m. to noon May 19, and 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. May 20 and 21. Between 350 and 500 entries are expected to be submitted. Judges will be professional photojournalists and commercial photographers. The deadline for submitting prints for the competition is May 15.

The top three winners in each category will receive gift certificates from local camera stores, as well as cash awards donated by the college’s Associated Students Organization.

Murphy said several Pierce photography students have gone on to become professionals, including Larry Downing, staff photographer for Newsweek; Rob Brown, a photographer for USA Today, and Dean Musgrove, photo editor for the Daily News.