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Nelson Star photographers up for awards

A pair of Nelson Star photojournalists have been announced as Ma Murray Award finalists.
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ABOVE: Megan Cole's photo of the L.V. Rogers rugby team. BELOW: Samuel Dobrin's cover shot of Mark Randell. Both are nominated for Ma Murray awards.

A pair of Nelson Star photojournalists have been announced as Ma Murray Award finalists.

The British Columbia and Yukon Community Newspapers Association has recognized Samuel Dobrin and Megan Cole for their excellence in a pair of categories.

Dobrin has been nominated in the Portrait/Personality Award category for his photo of artist Mark Randell that was featured on the cover of {Vurb} on May 11, 2012.

“At a newspaper you're never really quite sure what kind of environment you'll be in from one photo assignment to the next,” Dobrin said, looking back on the assignment that garnered him the award. “As a photographer you'll often arrive on location with limited information on what the environment will be like, or even what the story is about, with the task of making a compelling image to compliment the article it'srunning with.”

Dobrin’s photo of Randell is compelling and obviously stood out for the Ma Murray judges.

“Upon entering this home, I knew the framed deer mount, while having nothing to do with the story, would grab attention and perhaps show some of the subjects' personality. I composed the image on the go, as I often do. I wanted the photo to give the same edgy feel that the artists exhibition did, so I made a simple two-light setup with some studio strobes I brought along.

“The final result was a portrait that I think was both visually interesting enough to draw a reader in, and that told a small story on its own. I would call that a success.”

Dobrin, 23, worked at the Star as a reporter/photographer between November 2011 and May 2012. He’s is currently a freelance photographer in Kelowna. Dobrin’s photo will be going up against finalists Jean Konda-Witte of the Abbotsford Times and Al Smith of Monday Magazine

“I'm very pleased and honoured to see it nominated for an award, let alone recognized among so many other talented people in the industry,” said Dobrin.

Cole is nominated in the HUB International Sports Photo Award category for her May 18, 2012 front page Star shot of L.V. Rogers rugby.

“I can't say I knew at the time I had great picture, but when I got back to the newsroom and started going through the afternoon's photos I knew it was pretty awesome,” said Cole, who was nominated for a Ma Murray the previous year in the news category for a photo she took at the Occupy Nelson rally. “I loved the facial expressions and movement of it. I think it really caught the energy of the game and the sport in general.”

Cole worked at the Star between July 2011 and December 2012. She is currently doing freelance and communications work in her hometown of Victoria.

“I was pleased and very surprised,” Cole said of her nomination. “I had no idea it had even been submitted but after seeing it again, I think I have a pretty good chance.”

Cole will be going up against John Cameron of the Gulf Islands Driftwood and Steve Arstad of the Keremeos Review.

Margaret Lally (Ma) Murray (1908-82) was a colourful newspaper editor and publisher, columnist, an officer of the Order of Canada. Her husband was publisher and MLA George Murray. Their publications were The Chinook in Vancouver, the Bridge River-Lilloeet News in Lillooet, and the Alaska Highway News in Fort St. John.

The Ma Murray Awards will be handed out on April 20 at the River Rock Casino in Richmond.