This summer, we asked photographers from across the CSU to share their photo from the 2021-2022 academic year that best captured the university's spirit for our
Photo of the Year competition. They didn't disappoint. After the vote, the CSU Board of Trustees announced the three winners at their September meeting. Meet them here.
First Place
As the Cal State East Bay campus reopened in spring 2022, the Japanese Zen Garden was in full bloom. Students began populating their favorite campus spaces.
Garvin Tso, campus photographer/videographer
Cal State East Bay
What do you most enjoy about serving as the university photographer, and what inspires your work?
I work in a place where innovation and learning move faculty and students' aspirations. Sometimes it gets very emotional for the population that we serve. At Cal State East Bay, I get to grow meaningful connections with my community and live my dream as an artist.
How do you think our Photo of the Year piece helped highlight the work of our university photographers?
University photographers do not get enough recognition for their hard work. They stay behind the scenes whether it is planning for a shoot, looking for new faces or telling a story from behind the lens. The Photo of the Year piece really celebrates the work we put in.
Were you able to glean any new ideas for your work by looking at photos from across the CSU?
Looking at the photos across the CSU, I learned that there is just so much we do with hands-on learning. Collectively, CSU students experience doing everything under the sun—from looking at microbiomes on the shoreline to looking at dark matter in the lab, from advocating for social justice to learning art. CSU photographers are lucky to have such a wide field of view. I want to get out and be with our students more!
Second Place
Cal State Long Beach track and field athlete Tiana Prince runs in front of the iconic Walter Pyramid, kicking up water that's reflected in the morning sunlight.
Sean DuFrene, campus photographer
Cal State Long Beach
What do you most enjoy about serving as the university photographer, and what inspires your work?
I love the freedom to visually communicate Cal State Long Beach's story. There's so much diversity, so many interesting programs and personalities; it's like the ultimate painter's palette and every new semester is a blank canvas.
How do you think our Photo of the Year piece helped highlight the work of our university photographers?
I thought it was a nice peek into the work we all create.
Were you able to glean any new ideas for your work by looking at photos from across the CSU?
I tend to pull inspiration and ideas from outlets outside of higher education. However, I am aware of talented CSU photographers.
Third Place
Ricco Reynolds, the recipient of the 2022 CSU Bakersfield President's Medal for Outstanding Graduate Student, with his children: Lyla, 7, and Rory, 5.
EJ Medellin, multimedia student assistant
CSU Bakersfield
What do you most enjoy about serving as the university photographer, and what inspires your work?
The people! Hands down! I remember growing up as a kid when my mom would see a friend at the grocery store, and I would be there for an hour while they talked. I have undoubtedly inherited that trait. I am a huge people person, and I can say without a shadow of a doubt that I have not met more high-quality individuals in one space in my life. I am inspired by the human condition. Every person has the ability to be great, and capturing people achieve greatness through hard work and perseverance despite their circumstances is everything to me.
How do you think our Photo of the Year piece helped highlight the work of our university photographers?
The Photo of the Year piece really helped showcase how talented the creatives are within the CSU system. It is truly an honor to be considered alongside so many talented individuals. The most exciting part is this is just a small sample of the work being done on our respective campuses. I have taken thousands of photos in the past year; I can only imagine how many other amazing shots have been taken by our CSU photographers. These photos will one day be a historical visual of our campuses' storied past. Therein lies the true honor.
Were you able to glean any new ideas for your work by looking at photos from across the CSU?
The best part of being a creative is the constant evolvement within oneself. Who I am today as a creative is not who I will be tomorrow. I have looked up and down the nominated photos a dozen times over, and I have noticed something new each time. I am inspired by the way in which each photographer composed the different elements of art to achieve their composition. I am excited to head back out on campus to experiment and, most importantly, to continue telling the story of 'Runners on the Rise.
View all photo submissions for the 2021-2022 Photo of the Year, and read more about Garvin Tso and EJ Medellin.