Congratulations to the 13 finalists of the Uncommon Cameras photography competition!
Uncommon Cameras, the photography competition run by the European Alumnae Council and the Mount Holyoke Global Alum Alliance, would like to congratulate our 13 finalists and our overall winner!
Our “Super Winner”
Voting was open to all MHC alums and students. Voting closed on 24th November and the overall winner was Nadia Heath β80, Scotland, with her joy-filled image “Fly Like A Bird”. Huge congratulations Nadia!
Meet our finalists…
The Uncommon Cameras jury included photography and art professionals Jennifer Ransom ’65, Claudia Palmira ’95, Sonali Gulati ’96, Sylvia Xue Bai (η½ιͺ) ’07, and Christine Boehm ’09. After intensive and extensive communications via email and Zoom, the jury selected 13 finalists out of the 122 photographs that were submitted by 53 alums from 24 countries and five continents.
To see all 122 entries, visit our Instagram to see the photos and read their captions π
(scroll down for the gallery of finalists’ pictures)
 |
Cindy Chan β05, Australia | Deserted Classroom |
 |
Eleanor Chang β78, USA | Argue, Pray, Love |
 |
Sophie Chen β19, China | Milky Way |
 |
Elizabeth Cooper β95, UK | Ben Sgulaird |
 |
Heather Do β07, Germany | Weather the Storm |
 |
Carolyn Geisler Hornfeld β63, Switzerland | The Dents du Midi β Am I dreaming? |
 |
Nadia Heath β80, Scotland | Fly Like a Bird |
 |
Karen Hopkins β92, Spain | Sunlit Lavender and Grasses of LaMancha |
 |
Mieke Kamps β78, The Netherlands | Inside & Out |
 |
Lane A. Rosenthal β74, USA | My Paris Teacher |
 |
Virginia Ross β66, UK | Surfing Forecast |
 |
Elizabeth Taβeed β09, Portugal | My Other Half |
 |
Olivia Wrobleski β21, USA/UK | c/a 4:30 pm |
View our 13 finalists’ photographs & backstories
The finalists were selected proportionally in each different category (representing roughly 10% of the entries in each category), and are all together here for you to enjoy:
03. Sophie Chen β19, China β Milky Way
I was standing out in a field in northern Tromso, Norway watching the beautiful Milky Way stretching out its wings of stars across the sky. Watching the night sky fills me with a mix feeling of happiness and sorrow. I feel like a fish in a fishbowl that suddenly gets to see a glimpse outside of the bowl, realizing that there is so much out there that I will just never understand. It's like I feel a longing for something but I can't seem to put my finger on what it is. But I also love that feeling. The not knowing is what makes everything in this life a mystical experience. And all the things I will never understand makes me curious and I want to spend every single day of my life feeling curious and continue to keep my mind open and search for answers and new experiences. And watching the night sky is just such a wonderful way to get this very wide perspective. It's reminding me of what a beautiful gift it is to be alive and to be right here in this moment.
The quality and intensity of the photos submitted for Uncommon Cameras is truly impressive, and the jury faced a very challenging task. During their evaluation, jury members focused on artistic quality, composition, visual impact, and originality. They also valued adherence to the theme and relevance of the backstories. To view all entries, click here.
The task was daunting but exhilarating. One of the jury members summed up the experience with these words: β[it was] amazing to see this cross-continents effort! While I didn’t expect to be empowered in the process, it happened! Reviewing the photos made me happy and gave me an MHC kind of powerβ.
Congratulations to the finalists, our overall winner, and big thanks to all jury members for their participation!