Canon announces winners of EOS Photo5 competition

Sydney, 9 December 2010: The six winners of Canon’s annual EOS Photo5 competition, as voted by the public, were revealed 1 December. Each year, EOS Photo5 showcases the incredible talent and creativity of amateur Australian photographers. The popularity of the contest has grown dramatically, generating 8,811 uploaded images, a 33% increase from 2009.

“The challenging nature of Photo5 always brings out the best in the Australian photography community, pushing them to new creative heights creative boundaries,” says Chris Macleod, Brand Manager – EOS, Canon Australia. “The passion for excellence and the willingness to share knowledge within the growing community really echoes what the EOS brand is all about.”

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

“There was an enormous volume of new images this year, which generated a great deal of discussion on the World of EOS blog and the Canon Facebook page. The strong talent made choosing a few favourites quite a difficult task!” says Jackie Ranken, Canon EOS Ambassador and professional photographer and lecturer. “It’s always interesting 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.

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, New Zealand 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.

Other World of EOS Challenges

Due to the popularity of the competition, Canon introduced a brand new 6^th Brief competition, which was launched in collaboration with Channel 9’s Today Show Weekend. With this new category, Canon saw over 700 participants take part, many of them new to photography and looking for a creative challenge.

The 6^th Brief required photographers to simply “feature an egg”. The winner of this contest will be announced live on the Today Show Weekend on 11 December, and will receive an amazing prize package worth $14,000, including a 1-on-1 master class with Eugene Tan.

Canon EOS offers photography enthusiasts the opportunity to participate throughout the year in EOS 1wall and EOS photochains, both of which provide ongoing exercises for those looking to develop their abilities and creative potential.

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 ‘sound brief’ which makes up the fifth challenge, which features a recording that inspired a wide array of images.

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.