By Patrick Avenell
SYDNEY, NSW: Canon Australia has this week been showcasing the best images from its EOS Photo 5 competition at the Carriageworks in Sydney.
Held annually as both a conceptual marketing campaign and a photography competition, the Photo 5 contest pits amateur snappers against each other in what is quickly becoming the Tropfest of still photography. Entry is free, and once applicants register, they receive a box of goodies and some basic directions to follow when taking photos.
The five requirements in 2009 were splashing (action); hundreds and thousands (close up); a pair of glasses (portrait); bokeh, which is the blurring of an image, in this case through the use of a lens cap with a star shape cut from it; and near-darkness.
At the exhibition last night, media and the general public enjoyed looking at over 7,000 images from the competition, with a number of shots creating murmur and comments for their creativity and originality. Current.com.au especially liked the miniature billiards table with hundreds and thousands replacing the balls, and the shot of studious young man in half-light reading through his black spectacles.
Chris McLeod from marketing at Canon Australia said the competition and subsequent exhibition had been a great success for Canon since inception as it genuinely got consumers excited about photography. Once their fervour had been encouraged through the competition and the publicity of the event, more would become interested, and those with a growing hunger would visit consumer electronics stores to investigate upgrading their camera in order to take better photos.
The general public visitors seemed thoroughly impressed with the show, and Current.com.as was itself employed to help entrants find their own photos amongst the expansive gallery.