A local photography studio recently won two awards in national contests.
‘It’s cool to be recognized for something you’re doing,? said Dorothy Johnston, owner of Johnston Photography in downtown Oxford. ‘It always makes you feel good.?
A photograph of 8-year-old Oxford resident Reilly Squarcia earned the studio an honorable mention in the Missouri-based H&H Color Lab’s annual Children’s Portrait Awards Contest.
H&H Color Lab is where Johnston Photography has its prints finished and mounted. This is the second time Johnston has entered the company’s contest.
Taken in April, the portrait features Squarcia, who’s a third-grader at Oxford Elementary School, dressed in her grandmother’s communion dress from 1917.
To give the portrait that antique look, Johnston had the photo printed in a sepia tone, meaning the image appears in shades of brown as opposed to grayscale in a black-and-white image.
‘We turned in a ton of photos, but they liked that one the best,? Johnston said. ‘Even though it’s an honorable mention, it’s still pretty exciting.?
Johnston’s unique and colorful marketing materials won her $500 in the 5th Annual Xerox Print Sample Contest. Her studio was one of 12 winners nationwide.
Materials, such as appointment cards and thank you cards, printed on the studio’s Xerox 8200 color printer were submitted as part of the studio’s first-ever entry.
‘They wanted you to send in anything and everything that you’ve ever printed on your color printer,? Johnston said.
In addition to the $500 prize, one of the samples submitted by the studio ? a photo of some baby chicks ? will be used in a 2007 calendar featuring images from all 12 contest winners as different months of the year.
‘I think we’re April,? Johnston said.