Of the many high school student photographers in the United States, Dawson County High School has one of the best.

Judges for the National Scholastic Press Association thought so, anyway.

Ally Hill, a 17-year-old senior, recently placed in the final five category for the association’s picture of the year contest.

The winning entry was taken during a driver safety event at the high school in April.

Hill took a photo of then-senior Alyss Woody watching a mock wreck that Dawson County Emergency Services officials had staged.

The photo’s strength, Hill said, was its “emotion.”

“You can see the tears on [Woody’s] face,” she said. “It’s an emotional moment.”

Capturing such moments behind the lens is a matter of preparation, Hill said.

“The good pictures kind of find you more than you find them,” she said. “I take a lot. What I do is snap, snap, snap, snap.

“Photo-worthy moments are always happening. It’s just a matter of being ready for them.”

Beth Hamby, the high school’s yearbook adviser, said Hill was “very focused” during the driver safety event.

“I remember being very impressed because Ally was not afraid to go in front of the crowd and get to the spots where she needed to be to get the great pics,” Hamby said.

Hill, who is editor of the high school’s yearbook, said she is considering majoring in journalism in college. She may also pursue a liberal arts degree.

The National Scholastic Press Association contest is co-sponsored by the National Press Photographers Association.

According to its Web site, the contest honors student photographers in six categories: news, feature, sports, action, sports reaction, environmental portrait and junior high/middle school.

Hill’s photo won for news.