Thank you to all the photographers that shared their best photo showing the relationships and emotions of family through photography in this photo contest made possible by our friends at MOPA. The mission of the Museum of Photographic Arts is to inspire, educate and engage the broadest possible audience through the presentation, collection, and preservation of photography, film, and video. The Museum of Photographic Arts invited students in grades K-12 across San Diego County to enter lens-based artwork in its Annual Juried Youth Exhibition. This year, participants share what family means in the ninth installment. We Are Family explores the relationships, traditions and emotions of family through photography. View more than 80 student works alongside a selection of complementary standout works from MOPA’s permanent collection. Learn more.

A special thanks to the assistant curator for MOPA for selecting the winning images.

Grand Jury Winner

"I chose this image because, for me, it not only is a well-executed, nicely composed photograph, but also because it really embodies the theme of “We Are Family.” A great photograph has the power to transport you to a particular time or place, whether it be a historic moment or a memory from your own past. This image did that for me." - MOPA

Runner Up

"One of the reasons I chose this photograph is because it has a lot of really well executed compositional elements to it. The edges of the stream of water create leading lines that naturally guide the viewer’s eye toward the subject of the photograph. The low horizon line, in the bottom third of the image, allows the vibrant blues, oranges and purples of the sunset to set the color tone for the entire image. What would have made this image even stronger would have been to have the women and child on the left moved over and joined with the central figures. Having that gap between the figures is slightly distracting, but overall a fantastic photo." - MOPA

People's Choice

"What drew me into this image was the photographer’s dramatic use of backlighting, which is sometimes referred to as hair lighting in portrait photography. This technique creates a glow, an almost halo effect, around the subject and immediately draws your eye to toward her face. The use of selective focus and aperture selection also plays an important role in guiding the viewer’s eye toward the two central figures. By creating a narrow depth of field, throwing both the foreground and background out of focus, the subjects pop out from their surroundings, creating a very dynamic image. " - MOPA

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