Thousands of hopeful college students worldwide submitted their best photographs hoping to place or receive honorable mention in the prestigious Photographer’s Forum Best of College Photography competition.

One hundred of these photographs are published in a coveted hardback book published yearly. Submissions from three EC student photographers have been named finalists in the 2010 competition, a record for the photography department, photography professor Darilyn Rowan said.

“Photographer’s Forum is a highly respected and widely known publication in the field, and will be a highlight of the student’s resumes as they go into the professional world,” Rowan said.

Rowan placed in the 1983 Best of College competition while attending Arizona State University and introduced the magazine to her students.

“It’s another opportunity for our students and our college to shine in the larger world of photography,” Rowan said.

Driven by her motivation and ambition to pursue photography, finalist Ruby Gutierrez said Rowan encouraged her to compete.

“She’s been the driving force in getting us involved in shows. She really is the heart and soul of the photography department. She does so much for everyone, and is completely unselfish,” Gutierrez said.

The 25-year-old nursing and photography major hopes her work will be shown in her own gallery in the future.

When Sylwia Ozdzynski, 31, received news that she was a finalist, it brought tears to her eyes, she said.

While her true passion was graphic design, she became interested in photography through her husband.

“I kind of got jealous that he was taking these good pictures, so I started taking pictures and sent them to Web sites for critics. People would say I was good and needed to try more,” Ozdzynski said.

Ozdzynski decided to pursue photojournalism after viewing a DVD on James Nachtway.

Nachtway, a photojournalist, has photographed war in Pakistan, Afghanistan and of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, according to the James Nachtway Web site.

For finalist Khalia Green, 21, inspiration came from her mother who inspired her interest in the arts early on, the photography major said.

“My mom always exposed me to the arts. I guess you can say I was destined to work in some type of field of art,” Green said.

Green enjoys shooting unique scenes like street photography, the ocean, religious architecture and graves.

“I like to capture the truth. I’m not really into fashion or glamour. My goal is to become a photojournalist,” Green said.

Drawing from different inspirations and with differing goals for their future, Rowan commends the three student photographers’ accomplishments.

“All three of them are enormously gifted students, and I expect and look forward to seeing more of their accomplishments in the future,” Rowan said.