AG School officer wins photo award

By Wallace McBride, Fort Jackson LeaderFebruary 11, 2015

AG School officer wins photo award
Chief Warrant Officer 2 Juan Jusino, an instructor with the Adjutant General School, won third place in the active-duty division, category 'people' of the Army Digital Photography Contest for his photo, 'The Moment When You Realize That You Have Arri... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT JACKSON, S.C. (Feb. 12, 2015) -- Several Soldiers and one spouse with ties to Fort Jackson are among the winners of the 2014 Army Digital Photography Contest.

Although most of the installation's winners have moved on to other assignments since entering the 2014 contest, Chief Warrant Officer 2 Juan Jusino remains a fixture at Fort Jackson as an instructor with the Adjutant General School.

"(Photography is) a hobby, something I've been doing for a little over a year," Jusino said. "I was ecstatic and couldn't believe it when I won."

Jusino received a third place award in the "People" photo category.

The photo was taken last September at B.B. King's Blues Club in New York City. At the time, Jusino was on tour with Puya, a Latin metal band from Puerto Rico. He was photographing the band during its U.S. tour last fall.

During the New York appearance, Puya's opening act was Crash Mental System, a rock/rap/electronic duo. By chance, a high school friend of Jusino's -- Juan Carlos Algarin -- was a member of the opening act and ended up being the subject in the award-winning photo.

It was the band's first concert appearance outside of its native Puerto Rico, Jusino said.

"It was excellent," he said. "They actually got to stay in New York for a couple more days and got a second show at a different venue."

Jusino said he was happy with the level of "passion" captured in the photo.

"I submitted a few others, maybe five or six more in other categories," he said. "This was the only concert photo that was submitted."

The 2014 Army contest included more than 2,500 photos submitted by 539 contestants. Photography was divided into seven categories in two divisions: active-duty personnel and other Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation patrons.

Also placing in the Army photography contest were: Capt. Long Pham, who took third place for best "Animals" photo; Maj. Michael Kendall, who took third place for best "Design Elements" photo; and Kimberly Kendall, who took first place for best "Still Life" photo and second place for best "Digital Darkroom" image.

The entries were judged at the U.S. Army Installation Management Command headquarters on Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston by professional photographer Carlos Berrios; Rudy Lopez, a former arts and crafts program manager at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas; Amy Kosby, a videographer for Army Entertainment; and Staff Sgt. David Marshall, an Army Entertainment photographer.

The 2014 winning entries can be viewed at www.ArmyMWR.com.

Related Links:

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Photographers shine in Army Digital Photography Contest

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2014 Digital Photography Contest Winners