Epson 2015 International Pano Awards Judge

The 2015 Epson Pano Awards are now open for entry and I am honoured to be included amongst the judging panel this year for the open professional category.An Epic Sense of ScalePress Release: Professional and amateur photographers around the world are invited to enter The EPSON International Pano Awards to compete for over $50,000 in cash and prizes. Early-bird entries are open now until Sunday 12th July, 2015.

The Sixth Epson International Pano Awards is dedicated to the art of panoramic photography. Advances in digital photography and editing software has resulted in a surge in the popularity of image stitching, especially in the panoramic format. Panoramic film photography also remains alive and well.

The Epson International Pano Awards showcases the work of panoramic photographers worldwide and is the largest competition for panoramic photography.

‘Over the years we have been delighted to see this world-class photographic competition grow to the point where it now attracts thousands of entries from hundreds of photographers from around the world. Each year the photographs are more and more impressive and the outstanding quality of both image capture and print astounds me,’ said Craig Heckenberg, General Manager Business Division, Epson Australia.

‘Epson is very proud to continue our support of this global competition and, as always, we look forward to seeing this year’s entries and the winners for each category,’ said Craig.

The 2014 competition saw 3971 images submitted from 870 photographers in 54 countries.

The 2015 competition is open to all professional and amateur photographers with a combined pool of more than US$50,000, including $20,000 cash. Prizes include an Epson Stylus Pro 7900 printer, an Epson Stylus Pro 4900 printer, and an Epson EB- 1775 Ultra-Slim Projector.

Introducing the new Jeff Mitchum Fine Art Prize, with a massive $10,000 up for grabs in addition to the general prize pool! Entries in the Open competition are eligible for consideration if they are predominantly created ‘in camera’.

We are also pleased to introduce the EPSON Digital Art Prize, with $2000 cash on offer. Also made possible by Jeff Mitchum, this prize rewards excellence in modern digital post-processing.

Other new features in 2015 include;

  • –  A record prize pool worth over $50,000
  • –  Reduced single entry fees
  • –  Scaled scoring to allow for year-by-year variations in the judging panel
  • –  Another new special award, for Highest Scoring Wide Angle Image

The judging panel includes some of the world’s top photographers and industry professionals, including

Jeff Mitchum, Timo Lieber, Arild Heitmann, Lauren Bath, Joshua Holko, Julie Fletcher, Marcio Cabral, Stefan Hefele, Mark Gray, Mel Sinclair, Denis Gadbois, Aaron Spence and Bill Bailey.

AIPP The Working Pro Magazine Feature Article

The current May 2015 issue of the AIPP The Working Pro magazine features a short article (along with photographs) on my Polar Photography workshops and specialisation in the Polar Photography genre. You can download the complete article by clicking on the image below. The full edition of the Working Pro magazine is available for free to AIPP members.
workingpro2015

May Photo of the Month Winners: Ronny, Brian and Rachel

Congratulations to the fifth print winners ‘Ronny Nielson, Brian Peters and Rachel Mailais’, for the photograph of the month for May 2015: ‘Ice Bear’. This month I had three comments come in within just seconds of each other so have decided to give away one print each to the first three to comment.

What Ronny said: Great capture of the polarbear. Shows it in its environment and how isolated these animals live. And how they are the king in the arctic.

What Peter Said: This is an absolutely magnificent image of a threatened species in an endangered environment. I’m hoping to get something half as good when I’m in the Arctic in July. This image has my name all over it.

What Rachel Said: Great shot, Joshua. A gorgeous bear out for a stroll, blending in its white environment. It seems to suddenly notice you, kind of wondering what is this new type of animal on it the horizon?

Congratulations Ronnie, Brian and Rachel, you were the first, and your prints will be sent to you at the end of May when I return home from the South Island of New Zealand.Svalbard

Keep an eye out on my blog for the next print giveaway with the June photograph of the month. Remember the best way to get instant updates is to subscribe via email.

Extraordinary Vision Magazine : Landscape & Nature Photography with Emotion

The latest issue number #28 of Extraordinary Vision magazine features Part One of a series of Articles I recently penned on creating Landscape Photography with Mystery and Emotion. Look for Part Two and Part Three in subsequent issues. Extraordinary Vision is a free magazine available for mobile devices and can be downloaded from iTunes or Google Store.extraodinaryvision2015

World Photography Cup 2015 – Bronze Medal Reportage Category

The World Photography Cup winners were announced last night at Montpellier in France and I was thrilled and very honoured to receive a Bronze Medal for Australia for my photograph of Penguins on the sea ice near the mouth of the Lemaire Channel in Antarctica. This particular photograph scored a Gold award at the 2014 AIPP Awards and was one of the four images in my winning portfolio in the Science, Nature and Environment Category. Fellow Australian James Simmons also medalled in the Wedding category. Overall, Australia placed third in the World Photography Cup this year. Next year the World Cup is coming down under to Australia. VPPY - Gold with Distinction