I AM NIKON PHOTO AWARDS 2012

STUNNING IMAGES CAPTURED IN ANNUAL PHOTO CONTEST

Kuala Lumpur, 02 January 2013 – Impish grins and carefree faces of Orang Asli children; a bird’s eye view of a Pasar Besar; and a farmer is seen in silhouette as he tends to his lone buffalo. These common and ordinary scenes were captured in unique compositions and transformed into award-winning creations by three photographers who grabbed the top three prizes in the I AM NIKON Annual Photo Awards 2012.

Abdillah Bin Ahmad’s entry of the Orang Asli children was taken with a Nikon D7000, Ahmad Radhafizal Bin Che Kassim took his winning photo of the market, also with a Nikon D7000 while Mohd Fauzi Bin Ibrahim used a Nikon D90 to capture the farmer and his buffalo in the paddy field. They each won a V1 Double Zoom Kit Set (10-30mm, 30-110mm), Speed Light, and RM2, 000 cash, certificate and a trophy.

The I AM Nikon Annual Photo Award 2012 organized by Nikon Club Malaysia, garnered an impressive 73,000 photo entries, making it the largest contest to be held to-date, in terms of the number of submissions and entrants.  Held from 1st January to 30th September 2012, it proved to be the perfect opportunity for photographers to acknowledge each other, be stimulated by diverse points of view and thrive through competition.

The panel of judges was stumped by the overwhelming entries which were all remarkable and captivating in their own special ways. Judging was based on a photographer’s consistency in posting images on a monthly basis; in terms of different subject matters, visual impact and ideas presented in the photographer’s submissions.

Said Alex Moh, head of the judging committee, “What we look for are ideas, presentation of subject matter and what the image can convey. It needs to ‘speak’ to us in terms of the way the image is composed and the arrangement of elements within the frame. Ultimately, we deliberate how each photographer makes something interesting out of the mundane, common or ordinary subject which we are so used to looking at daily.

“It is not an easy feat as we try to read the intentions of the photographer in each image taken, whether the overall rendition is graphically satisfactory, meaningful, informative, and emotionally appealing, and whether it gets the vote it deserves,” he added.

According to Alex, the three ‘Photographers of The Year’ consistently submitted photos which were the result of successful photography techniques and were visually stimulating. It was important that photographers took the time to select the choice of subject, how the subject is presented in a visually attractive form, the picture composition as well as the quality of light to be compatible with the nature of the subject.

Apart from the three top winners, there were five consolation prizes which were won by Mohd Azli Bin Yah, Mohammad Syahrul Bin Mohd, Wilson Koh Wee Siong, Ranggau Anak Gom and Mohamad Zaki bin Mokhtar. They each received a Nikon J1 Double Zoom Kit Set (10-30mm, 30-110mm), RM1, 000.00 in cash, certification and a trophy.

With such an overwhelming response from the public for I AM NIKON Annual Photo Awards 2012, the 2013 edition of I AM Nikon Photo Awards will begin on 1st January to 30th September 2013 with exciting themes to push the envelope of a photographer:

• I AM HERITAGE
• I AM A VANISHING TRADE
• I AM NATURE SCAPES
• I AM RURAL SCAPES
• I AM URBAN SCAPES
• I AM STREET SCENES
• I AM CLOSE UP & STUDIES
• I AM ENVIROMENT PORTRAIT

The Best Three Photographers for the Year 2013 will each receive a Nikon D600 FX Body, a certificate and a trophy. The five Consolation Prize winners will each receive a Nikon D3200 kit with AF-S 18-105mm lens, a certificate and a trophy.

More information is available on Nikon Club Malaysia’s website (www.nikonclub.com.my). Nikon Club members can submit their photos on Nikon Club Malaysia’s website.