CEHC Student Featured as Winner of Apple’s ‘Shot On iPhone Macro’ Challenge

CEHC student Tom Reeves and his dog Miette.
CEHC student Tom Reeves and his dog Miette.

ALBANY, N.Y. (May 10, 2022) — Tom Reeves, an Informatics student at the College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security, and Cybersecurity (CEHC), was selected as a winner of Apple’s “Shot on iPhone Macro” challenge, which ran over the course of several weeks earlier this year. 

The Shot on iPhone Macro Challenge invited iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max users to capture the little things, in a big way. The challenge started on Jan. 25 and ran through Feb. 16. Winners were announced in April. 

Honeycomb

Reeves’s winning photograph “Honeycomb” is a close-up shot of snowflakes on dog hair. It was captured in complete spontaneity.

“This image was taken along the edge of Riverside Park in Manhattan while on a morning walk with our goldendoodle puppy this winter,” Reeves said. “As she marveled at her first snow, I was able to capture the ephemeral latticework of this tiny snowflake as it landed among the threads of her many honey-colored curls.”

Reeves, an avid photographer, said he heard about the contest on Twitter and kept it in the back of his mind. On the morning he captured the photo, Reeves decided to submit it.

“I was impressed by the amount of detail and recognized the fleeting nature of that tiny moment,” he said.

“Honeycomb” has been featured on various national media outlets and social media accounts, including The Washington Post. Apple’s CEO Tim Cook tweeted recognizing the quality of the image and referring to it as “stunning.”

Non-Traditional Student

Reeves has taken an uncommon path in his educational journey. He is a non-traditional, online-only student in CEHC’s combined master’s program in Information Science. Students begin their graduate degree coursework while still enrolled as undergraduates. Up to 12 academic credits, billed at the undergraduate rate, count towards both degrees — so students complete their program in five years.

Reeves initially pursued an online-only education because of travel requirements in his previous job as a clinical application specialist. However, when the pandemic struck he decided to pick up school full time and became reengaged with photography.

Reeves is in the final year of his undergraduate coursework and plans to finish the program in 2023.

“After graduation, I plan to combine my background in visual arts and vision science with my new skills in informatics to offer a unique perspective on global challenges like sustainability and climate change,” he said.

Winners of the Shot on iPhone Macro challenge were featured on the Apple website, Instagram, and will be displayed in stores and on billboards in select cities in the coming months.

More photography from Reeves can be found on his Instagram @tomreevesphoto.