Tamron Announces Winners of "An Emotional Appeal" Photo Contest

Leading Professional Photographer and Contest Judge Selects Grand Prize Winner and Twenty Favorites Now Posted on Tamron’s On-Line Gallery

December 17, 2007, Commack, NY—The overwhelming majority of great photographs, especially those including people, has one thing in common—they effectively capture, express, and convey human emotions. In other words, photographs that are judged to be the best are almost always those that evoke a strong emotional response in the viewer. Bearing that simple but profound concept in mind, Tamron, acclaimed for manufacturing innovative lenses of superlative quality, created an entirely new kind of photo contest, An Emotional Appeal that debuted in 2006. Instead of basing it on the usual range of specific subject categories, we asked all entrants to submit pictures that best express the universal theme of human emotion and emotional interaction.

The rules were equally broad—the pictures submitted didn’t even have to be taken with a Tamron lens. “The response to last year’s contest surpassed even our high expectations, and we’re pleased to say that we received well over 1,000 entries this year as well,” stated Stacie Errera, Chief Marketing Officer for Tamron. The lucky Grand Prize winner will receive a superb Tamron AF18-250mm all-in-one zoom lens that is bound to expand his pictorial—and emotional—horizons considerably. The winner and twenty selected favorites can be viewed at http://www.tamron.com/galleries/PhotographerInfo.asp?id=21&cat=16&item=0.

“We extend our heartfelt congratulations to all those whose pictures were selected for posting, our sincere thanks to all who participated, and our deep gratitude to Contest Judge Andre Costantini, whose experience and keen professional judgment helped us accomplish the arduous task of selecting the winners” said Errera.

The Grand Prize Picture— “Mixed Emotions” by Lance Taylor

Lance Taylor of Ft. Meade, Maryland took this charming picture of his wife Jacqueline and 3-year old daughter Jillian at a beach near Corolla, North Carolina. “The water was pretty frigid,” recalls Taylor “and Jillian couldn’t stand up in the waves by herself, so my wife would pick her up and lift her up over the water as they rolled in. In this instance, she didn’t catch her in time and Jillian fell down and got chilled as a wave rushed in. I grabbed this shot of my wife smiling broadly as she picked the baby up, but my daughter’s somewhat pained expression shows that she was none too pleased about being dunked. For obvious reasons, my informal name for this shot is ‘mixed emotions.’” Indeed the juxtaposition of divergent expressions and emotions, as well as the tight close-up composition emphasizing the essentials is what makes this shot a winner.

Lance Taylor, a Captain in the US Air Force, is a semi-pro photographer who hails from Austin, Texas. He shoots model portraits as a sideline and plans to expand this creative activity going forward. “I love working with people and creating artistic images using studio and portable lighting. Directing models is easier than working with the general public and gives me more freedom to create something unique.” To see his model portraits, go to www.lancetaylorphotography.com.

A happy prize winner, Lance Taylor says, “I’m really looking forward to receiving the Tamron 18-250mm lens—I’ve heard very good things about it.”

Favorites

“Home on the Ranch” by Becky Maness

Becky Maness of Victor Idaho (“a teensy farming community of 2000 on the western side of the Grand Teton Range”) captured this iconic image of her grandparents, Ross and Phyllis Kunz, on their over-100-year-old cattle ranch in Victor. “I wanted to create something to remember them by that also expresses their lives and their deep love for each other,” says Maness. “They’re the sweetest people ever.” She certainly succeeded—the expressions, attire, and rough-hewn setting against weathered wood siding combine to create nothing less than an Idaho version of American Gothic. The simple, straightforward composition and the conversion to black-and-white enhance its timeless “old time photo” quality.