by Melissa Joseph
U of T Scarborough photographer Ken Jones was recently recognized twice by the prestigious University Photographers’ Association of America (UPAA) in its Monthly Image Competitions.
Jones received first place in the Features & Illustrations category in the March competition for his ethereal and colourful photograph of a performance of the Menaka Thakkar Dance Company. The company performed on campus during the Winter Blues Fest organized by Arts & Events Programming this past winter. (Photo top right.) Known as Canada’s premier Indian Dance Company, it uses the language of many dance styles to re-interpret ancient themes and introduce contemporary concepts.
Jones was also recognized with second place in the Science & Research category in the February competition for his photograph of one of Professor Ken Welch’s hummingbirds that are part of his biological research. (Photo bottom right.) Renowned for their hovering flight and incredibly fast wings, hummingbirds have the highest metabolism of all animals (except for insects), which supports their rapid wing beats. Welch is examining hummingbird energetics and flight performance. Jones was able to adjust his camera to capture the image of a bird hovering for a feeding.
“It feels great to be acknowledged by my peers,” says Jones. “There are amazing photographs in these awards from all over the world, and it’s always steep competition to get noticed. I’m happy to be recognized for being able to illustrate two very different but important aspects of our campus -- arts and culture and research.”
Jones has held the position of U of T Scarborough photographer for 16 years, and has worked on the campus for a total of 29 years, previously in the audio-visual department. His extensive digital library spans the recent history of life on campus. To view the digital library, click on the following: http://www.utsc.utoronto.ca/~photo/PhotographicServices/Photo-library.html. He also has a collection of historical print images dating back to the origins of the campus, many of which are also available digitally for campus publications.
The UPAA is an international organization of college and university photographers concerned with the application and practice of photography as it relates to the higher education setting. The association was founded in 1961 by a small group of university photographers in the New England area. Its membership has since grown to include photographers from across the United States, Canada, Australia and Israel.
To view the array of striking images recognized each month, visit the association’s web site at http://www.upaa.org/winners.php. At the bottom of the current month’s awards is a selection of past winners. Mentions and visuals of Ken Jones’ photos can be found by scrolling through February and March 2010.