One of the lead images from the overnight of March 7, 2012 earned me a first place in the NPPA’s (National Press Photographer’s Association) Monthly News Clip Contest for March. Amazing that I’m probably going to remember that date, as it’s the late night, and subsequent following two days’ coverage of the fatal shooting of a 22 yr. old man by city police here in my town. You can read the original post about the night by clicking HERE . I’ve posted the slideshow again below. If memory serves, the above image was made about 1:30AM, when the reporter and I arrived at the hospital to witness the victim’s relatives reacting after learning of their loved one’s death. We began working the scene together a few hours earlier, and well into the wee hours of the morning, and the following 2 days as well. Another one of those spot news moments / big neighborhood news stories I’ll recall in my career for a long, long time. ~cg.
Here’s what the judges said of the winning image:
1st: Compelling, emotional moment. Perfect spot news photograph that captures the reaction as opposed to the carnage. Photographer worked this situation very well.
2nd: Technically a superb image in which the photographer took a risk to view this from a different angle.
3rd. Quirky photo. The content of this image made it stand out among the rest.
Dave Ellis, Director of Photography Suzanne Carr Rossi, staff photographer Peter Cihelka, staff photographer Tom Rothenberg, freelance photographer
Chet Gordon resides in the lower Hudson Valley region of New York. A photojournalist for more than 25 years, he recently worked as Westchester Magazine's first photo editor, and previously was a staff photographer at four NYC metro area newspapers. He was also a photo editor at the NY Daily News for 5 years. His work has appeared in The New York Times, International Herald-Tribune, USA Today, MailOnline (UK), Army Times, Wall Street Journal, BusinessWeek, and Popular Photography magazines, among others. He is a career member of the National Press Photographer’s Association (NPPA), and a former board member of the NY Press Photographer’s Association (NYPPA). He served honorably as a U.S. Marine in the mid-1980's, including 2+ years stationed on Okinawa, Japan, and throughout Southeast Asia. A longtime volunteer and travel enthusiast, he accompanies several humanitarian aid clients on their international disaster relief and medical missions. Since 1997, he's worked in several African countries, the Middle East, Central and South America, Eastern Europe, as well as Afghanistan, Haiti, the Russian Federation, and Thailand. He routinely mentors young photographers looking to break into the industry and vacations in Bermuda and Kenya.
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