Canon announces winners of EOS Photo5 competition

Enthusiast digital SLR photographers have succeeded once again in showcasing, through Canon’s annual EOS Photo5 competition, the incredible talent and creativity that New Zealanders possess.

Today the six winners as voted by the public were revealed, two of which were New Zealand entrants and four from Australia.

The winners’ images expose a variety of creative journeys and inspiration from mysterious settings and private moments to colourful displays of action.

Each year, EOS Photo5 showcases the incredible talent and creativity of enthusiast New Zealand and Australian photographers. The popularity of the contest has grown dramatically, generating 8,811 uploaded images, a 33% increase from 2009.

Rochelle Mora, Brand Manager – Imaging, Canon New Zealand says the challenging nature of Photo5 always brings out the best in the Kiwi photographic community and pushes them to new creative heights. “The passion for excellence and the willingness to share knowledge within the growing community really echoes what the EOS brand is all about.

“The EOS Photo5 competition has surpassed all expectations, both in the sheer number of creative and inspired people that participated, as well as the talent and quality of the works they produced,” says Rochelle.

The panel of EOS Photo5 judges was comprised of six professional and highly-respected photographers in New Zealand and Australia who chose the finalists. The winner of each category was then chosen through a phase of public voting.

“There was an enormous volume of images this year, which generated a great deal of discussion. The strong talent made choosing a few favorites quite a difficult task!” says Jackie Ranken, Canon EOS Ambassador and professional photographer and lecturer. “It’s always interesting to see which images the voters will choose and I think this year’s winners did exceptionally well with each of the briefs.”

Participants received a box with four objects (which had to be shot using a particular photographic technique) as well as a fifth ‘sound brief’ – a recording that was open to wide artistic interpretation. This year, there was new a Portfolio category, where the winner was chosen for having excelled in all five briefs.

(Please find more detail regarding the 2010 briefs at the end of this release)

The winner of each brief category receives: an EOS 5D Mark II premium kit (camera body and EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM Lens) and an incredible 3-day creative photography workshop in Queenstown with Canon EOS Masters Jackie Ranken and Mike Langford. The winner of the portfolio category receives the same prize package, plus one of the brand new Canon EF 8-15mm f/4L Fisheye lenses and a PIXMA Pro 9000 Mark II printer.

To view the entries and winners of this year’s Canon EOS Photo5 competition please visit the competition website. Or visit the World of EOS blog to hear others’ thoughts on the competition, and join in the conversation!

The EOS Photo5 competition is one of the enthusiast photographer challenges offered on the World of EOS – EOS’s online world that inspires photographers of all levels to take their photography to the next level.

About EOS Photo5

Fostering creativity, EOS Photo5 inspires enthusiast digital SLR photographers by challenging their way of thinking and encouraging them to push the boundaries of photographic excellence. Participants receive a box with four everyday objects in it and are challenged with not just shooting the EOS Photo5 object, but also incorporating a specific creative photography technique into their shot, taking their photography to a new level. There is also an ‘open brief’ which makes up the fifth challenge and ensures that those who miss out on receiving a box can still enter.

The 2010 briefs:

Brief #1:
Object: Eye Dropper
Photographic Challenge: Close-Up

This brief is challenged photographers to use their lens to look closer. It was suggested that they use the eye dropper to place drops of liquid in any arrangement they wanted; a single drop, or as many drops as they liked. They weren’t limited to just water – they were recommended to feel free to use liquids of different colours and consistencies, such as milk or tomato soup, as long as they got close.

Brief #2:
Object: Bubble gum
Photographic Challenge: Portraiture
This brief had one rule: feature bubble gum in a portrait. How the photographer and his/her subject used the bubble gum was up to them. For this competition we defined a portrait as any shot where a person is the main subject.

Brief #3:
Object: Incense
Photographic Challenge: Black and white
This is a moody brief. The entrants were advised to use smoke from the incense to create ambience and atmosphere in a black and white photo. It wasn’t just about shooting smoke, but capturing the essence of black and white photography in a dramatic way.

Brief #4:
Object: Confetti
Photographic Challenge: Capturing motion
This brief was a bit of a celebration. The photographer’s task was to capture the confetti in motion. They could use the confetti we included or any kind they wanted, or more as needed. It was about motion, so the image needed to convey a sense of movement.

Brief #5:
Object: Inspired by sound
Photographic Challenge: Open brief
This brief was about creative interpretation of a sound. The task was to listen to the sound bite provided within an included link, and create a photo inspired by it – using any technique the photographer wanted.

‘Inspired by Sound’ was this year’s open brief. That means it was available to anyone, not just those who received a box.