Former ND student wins photo award
By PATRICK BRENNAN
News Wrtier
After submitting a portfolio of work from the past year, Rob Finch, Notre Dame class of 1998, was selected by a panel of six judges as 1999's best photographer, winning the National Press Photographer of the Year award.
The award, one of the most prestigious in the nation, brings significant recognition and a cash prize. Finch stressed that the recognition is far more important than any monetary reward.
"No one really enters for the money," he said. "Having your work shown and hopefully recognized is the important thing."
Sponsored by the University of Missouri, the contest provides photographers from around the globe with the opportunity to showcase both single images and multi-picture stories.
Since graduating from the University of Notre Dame in 1998, Finch has worked as staff photographer at The Beacon News in Aurora, Ill. His interest in photography began at Notre Dame, where he honed his talents at The Observer.
Despite the fact that his father was a newspaper photographer, Finch was not interested in photography before attending the Uni-versity.
"Since it's difficult for a lot of athletes to continue playing varsity sports at Notre Dame, I found myself with a lot of time on my hands. So I joined The Observer," he said.
In addition to taking photography classes, Finch learned a great deal about the art through experimentation.
"I was able to figure out a good deal on my own," he said. "It was a question of taking advantage of the many opportunities with which I was presented at school."
Since winning the award, Finch has been asked to speak at various universities throughout the country.
"I'm very grateful," he said. "But, the speaking dates have been intimidating. It's strange to have a clear idea of what your duties are one day, and to be considered somewhat of an expert the next."
Finch said he is taking success one step at a time. In terms of the immediate future, he plans to relocate.
"I'm going to work at The Oregonian," he said.
No stranger to recognition, Finch has attained various commendations for his work over the past year from the Midwestern journalism community.
"It's easy to get a big head about this sort of thing," he said. "Not that much has changed. I mean, I don't know any more than I did before the award."
All News Stories for Monday, March 6, 2000
