Socorro Middle School seventh-grader Arel Ramirez's cell phone is full of pictures she took over the summer of her family and friends. One of her favorite images is of her little cousin playing with a water hose.
"The picture was my little cousin discovering that water could come out of a hose," said Ramirez, referring to the photo on display in Socorro ISD's District Service Center's lobby. "I really value that moment because it was a precious moment that held a nice memory."
Ramirez's image titled Lindos Recuerdos, or Beautiful Memories, captured first place in the middle school division in Socorro independent School District’s 6th annual Print Those Pics cell phone photography contest.
The exhibit included 301 images featuring playful pets, city landscapes, mystical gardens, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and more snapped by SISD students, employees, and their family members.
Assistant Director of Fine Arts Candace Printz said the contest allowed Team SISD members to express themselves creatively by sharing photos on their phones with the outside world.
“It was born out of the idea that we are constantly taking pictures on (our) phones just because it's readily available, but then we never go back and look at them again,” Printz said. “So, it's urging people to get all that creativity off of their phone and print it, enlarge it and frame it and show it to the public, so actually get it out of that little device and show it to the world.”
Contestants submitted 11x14-inch prints of their color or black and white photos shot and edited on their cell phones.
First, second, and third-place winners were selected in the employee, elementary, middle, and high school divisions by Tim Holt, president of Photography Enthusiasts of El Paso. Photos are currently on display in the District Service Center where winners were announced during the exhibit’s open house on Aug. 23.
For Bertha Alvarado, a first-grade teacher at Horizon Heights Elementary, the contest was a family affair.
Alvarado, her husband Gustavo Alvarado, a counselor at Pebble Hills High School, and their son Luke Alvarado, a second grader at Horizon Heights Elementary, each submitted pictures to the contest.
“It became a family event!” Bertha Alvarado said. She took her photo of a starry night at the beach during a family vacation to Puerto Peñasco in Mexico. “I feel like we need to capture all those moments, and we also need to make sure that we print them out. We live in a society where we don't print pictures anymore. So, this is a really good display of it.”
Gustavo Alvarado was thrilled after the photo he captured of his son wearing Mickey Mouse ears and relaxing by the pool after his first visit to Disneyland won third place in the employee division.
“It was my son’s first day in Disneyland,” Gustavo Alvarado said. “This is how he felt right after 14 hours, and I thought ‘I have to take that picture!’ That was our memory, and it turns out it was an award-winning memory.”
SISD Print Those Pics 2023 Winners
Employee Division
1st Place Employee- Lluvia Gonzalez
Denver at Night
2nd Place Employee- Blanca Ureno
Atomic Storm
3rd Place Employee- Gustavo Alvarado
Relaxing After a Day with Him
High School Division
1st Place High School- Jonathan Lechuga
Hope
2nd Place High School- Aris Guadian
Always a Possibility
3rd Place High School- Lilliana Escobedo
Cruising Barcelona
Middle School Division
1st Place Middle School- Arel Ramirez
Lindos Recuerdos
2nd Place Middle School- Jase Canales
#21
3rd Place Middle School- Josue Mendoza
To the Point
Elementary Division
1st Place Elementary- Steven Guajardo
TMNT
2nd Place Elementary- Jude Marquez Monarrez
I Spy Jeremy's Head
3rd Place Elementary- Liam Cho
Mommy & Me