Kennedy Biro is a Skills Alberta Provincial silver medallist.
Competing at the Skills Alberta provincial competition May 14-15 at the EXPO Centre in Edmonton, Biro, a Grade 11 student at R.F. Staples, finished in second place amongst all high-school photography students in Alberta, and narrowly missed qualifying to attend the Skills Canada nationals in Toronto.
“It was great,” she said about her performance. “It was really exciting. I was surprised actually, because I was really nervous because I honestly didn’t think I was going to place.”
It was Biro’s first time competing on the provincial stage, a fact she said surprised several judges and many of the other competitors.
“You were definitely one of the stronger photographers,” she recounted being told after people learned it was only her first time at provincials.
The photography competition at provincials consisted of students having to take and edit 10 photos over the course of the two days. Nine of the photos had to line up with nine different skills competencies – such as reading, writing, thinking, document use and working with others. Those photos had to use as subjects the students participating in the other skills competitions.
The 10th photo could be anything, so long as it was in black and white.
“I think my black-and-white was the reason I got second, because I didn’t think the rest were that great,” Biro said.
She said she actually prefers shooting in black and white, because she finds it a more powerful medium than colour photography.
“A couple of my shots, they just don’t look the same in colour; they look way better in black and white,” she said.
Props were not allowed, Biro said, which seriously hampered her original plan of attack.
Without the use of her props, which she said she’d worked with to prepare for the competition, she said she “blanked” and ended up walking around the EXPO Centre for about two hours.
“I was freaking out because I didn’t know what to do,” she said. “Finally, I said, ‘Screw it! Let’s start taking pictures.’”
Taking the photos was a bit challenging for Biro for two reasons. One was that she and her fellow competitors were limited as to where they could go to get their shots, as the areas closer to their subjects.
The second challenge was having to shoot people in action, as Biro said she prefers shooting set-up photos or landscapes.
Colleen Sereda is Biro’s photography teacher, and had nothing but praise for Biro’s performance.
“She’s a great photographer and a great student,” she said.
Kevin MacKenzie, who organized the school’s participation in Skills Alberta, said sending students to provincials is an accomplishment in itself.
“If you get a student in the top 10, you’ve done very well,” he said. “To have one medal, you’ve done extremely well. That’s quite something.”
Biro was not the only R.F. Staples student to participate at provincials.
Joining her were Cole Huppertz and Joe Borris, who took first and second respectively in carpentry at the April 12 regional competition; Chris Taylor in cabinet making; Jesse Jadischke in auto service; and Hannah Tabert in fashion design.
At provincials, Borris finished in 13th of 22 competitors in carpentry, while Huppertz came in 19th. Taylor ended up in 22nd of 22. Jadischke came in 11th of 18, while Tabert finished in 16th place out of 25.
Despite only bringing home one medal, MacKenzie said the school had a “phenomenal” time at provincials.
