The City University of New York rewards deserving students who capture touching or astounding images of CUNY through photography each month, and the September winner is Denis Gostev, a philosophy and math major at Baruch College, who hopes to go into sports photography. Gostev’s award-winning image, “We Did It,” was the face of the College of Staten Island men’s baseball championship this past May. CSI defeated Baruch, 1-0, in 10 innings at MCU Ballpark, the home of the Brooklyn Cyclones. Gostev was there with his camera taking multiple images for the CUNY Athletic Conference, and his winning contribution fully captured the jubilation of the thrilling victory.
Besides covering sports, Gostev enjoys making photographs of wildlife, particularly birds. He says in an e-mail that what he likes about this picture is that it captures an “exhilarating moment [with a] single clear point which grabs an eye and depicts the moment [of victory].” He also likes the “completeness of the image (nothing to be added to be understood and no unnecessary distracting elements).” That completeness, he adds, includes “identifiable CUNY outfits.”
Gostev’s “We Did It” will now be entered into a finalists’ competition, with the winner taking home an iPad. Winning images must say something about CUNY students, a CUNY college, a campus activity or the educational experience writ broadly. They must tell a story in and of themselves.
A panel of professional photographers meet to determine winners. The College of Staten Island and the men’s baseball program wish to thank Mr. Gostev for his shot. Photography entries for future winners can be submitted via the CUNY website at www.cuny.edu.
