COD Photo Program Graduate Brian Powers Wins Illinois Press Photographers Association Honors For Second Consecutive Year

Brian Powers, Photojournalist for the Sun-Times Media Group on assignment. Photo © Nancy Kerner 2011

Congratulations to College of DuPage Photo Program graduate Brian Powers. He just received an Honorable Mention in the Illinois Press Photographers Association Photographer of the Year competition held at the  Midwest Photo Summit held last month at Northwestern University.

“I am ecstatic to say that among a few other awards I won 4th place (Honorable Mention),” said Powers.

Nancy Stuenkel, Sun-Times Media Desk Photo Editor (and also a College of DuPage Photo Program graduate) says of the Sports Portrait below: “This is an exceptional photo by Brian that speaks volumes. On one level, a beautiful portrait but executed within the frame, a powerful action shot.
Brian put in a great deal of thought before even raising his camera and it shows!”

East Aurora Senior Ryan Boatright in the studio on Thursday, March 24, 2011. Boatright is this years Boys Player of the Year for the third year in a row after averaging 31.2 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals this year. | Brian Powers~Sun-Times Media

Here is the link to his award-winning portfolio for the  Illinois Best of Photojournalism competition: http://ippaonline.com/ippa2/?p=1624

This latest accomplishment is one that  Powers earned after being chosen IPPA Student Photographer of the Year last year. “It’s all about capturing that one frame that tells the story,” he says.

Here is the link to his first place portfolio for  IPPA Student Photographer of the Year : http://bpowersphotography.com/IPPA.html

Powers earned his AAS Degree at COD and then transferred to Western Kentucky University. While he was a student there, he was contacted by the Sun-Times Media Group for an interview for a full-time staff photojournalist position for the Naperville Aurora region.

Below are some of his favorite images from his latest portfolio.