Kaitlyn Sandvik
Reporter
Contributed by Jeanne McDonagh
Students may have seen senior Ryan McMahon’s Connecticut Scholastic Award-winning photograph, “Trapped” in the recent Carriage Barn art exhibit, Through Our Eyes III. However, few may be aware that Ryan has a wide body of work from which he had to choose a submission.
Ryan worked closely with AP photo teacher, Jeanne McDonagh in the Scholastic submissions process. “Mrs. McDonagh picked four pieces she felt best represented the high school’s photo department and our talents to be submitted into the regional competition,” he said. “She is always very good about staying up to date with what photos I’m taking so she knew she wanted that piece when she saw it and asked me to submit it.”
While Ryan has shown his photos in previous school galleries, such as the summer exhibit for which he submitted photos from his trip to Hawaii, his award-winning photo came from a place he was much more familiar with. “I drove past this farm countless times, so I finally decided to go and take some photos,” he said. “I went around four in the afternoon, which is a perfect time to shoot in autumn, lighting wise.”
Ryan said he was drawn to a certain horse while walking through the barn. “One horse caught my attention because of the way his white hair contrasted the black bars,” he said. “I took a ton of photos of him head on and hated them but he finally turned his head and looked at me and I knew I got a great shot.”
Ryan has been awarded with a Gold Key for the 2014 Connecticut Scholastic Art Awards and a Silver Medal for the National Scholastic Art Award. He will be attending an award ceremony for his photograph this June at Carnegie Hall.
