T-R photographer Andrew Dolph chosen one of the ONPA photographers of the year for 2023

Jon Baker, The Times-Reporter
·2 min read

NEW PHILADELPHIA ‒ Andrew Dolph, staff photographer for The Times-Reporter, has been chosen one of the ONPA's photographers of the year for 2023.

Dolph was the winner in the small market division in the 73rd annual Ohio News Photographers Association still contest. He is a first-time portfolio winner.

Kaitlin Yoder stares down judge Seth D. Keplinger, from Springfield, as she competes in the 14-year-old hog showmanship division at the Tuscarawas County Fair, Tuesday, Sept. 19 in Dover.This picture of Kaitlyn won staff photographer Andrew Dolph 1st place in the Feature Singles category as well as Best in Show for the 73rd Annual Ohio News Photographers Association Still Picture Contest division.

He also won Best of Show for his first-place winning feature picture “Junior Hog Showmanship.”

The contest is open to students, freelance photographers and full-time photographers.

Andrew Dolph, staff photographer at the Times-Reporter.
Andrew Dolph, staff photographer at the Times-Reporter.

"The award is a nice kind of veritable feather in the cap," Dolph said. "It comes on the heels of a long year of really hard work, covering probably the widest range of assignments imaginable for a community journalist, everything from sports to the fairs to court reporting. I feel like I've done it all at this point."

He has worked at The T-R for for nearly three years.

A T-R photographer has not had a Photographer of the Year winner since 1983, when Eric Albrecht won the first of several titles.

Andre Donovan, pictured, is a professional boxer and currently trains under Lee Kreisher at T-County Boxing Academy, in New Philadelphia. This portrait of Andre won staff photographer Andrew Dolph first place in the Portrait Personality category for the 73rd annual Ohio News Photographers Association Still Picture Contest division.
Andre Donovan, pictured, is a professional boxer and currently trains under Lee Kreisher at T-County Boxing Academy, in New Philadelphia. This portrait of Andre won staff photographer Andrew Dolph first place in the Portrait Personality category for the 73rd annual Ohio News Photographers Association Still Picture Contest division.

Twenty-one visual journalists from across the state submitted 307 entries in the 73rd annual news photography contest.

Dolph's background

Dolph is a graduate of the Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, N.Y. The Times-Reporter is the fourth community newspaper he has worked for in the past 16 years.

He began his career at the Medina Gazette as an intern and then became a staff photographer there. After about two years, the newsroom was dissolved, and operations were moved to Elyria. He then worked for the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram for about a year on weekends.

During the week, he worked for Lifetouch, a school photography company, doing school and sports photography. He covered an area from Toledo to Youngstown and from Cleveland to North Canton. He also did freelance assignments for the Kent Ravenna Record-Courier and the Akron Beacon Journal. Both papers are part of the Gannett/USA Today network, as is The Times-Reporter.

Reach Jon at 330-364-8415 or at jon.baker@timesreporter.com.

This article originally appeared on The Times-Reporter: Andrew Dolph named one of the ONPA photographers of the year for 2023