Getty Images launches Grab photo competition in search of Australia’s best captured moments
Getty Images continues its search for iconic Australian images with the return of Grab, a photography competition that gives enthusiasts the opportunity to become Getty Images contributors and win a share in over $8000 of Nikon camera equipment.
Now in its second year, Grab aims to unearth and provide a platform for the outstanding creative talent that Australia has to offer. Anyone with a camera can enter and participate in Getty Images’ search for authentic Aussie imagery.
The brief is simple: Captured Moments, focussing on friendship, family and community. Entrants are invited to submit up to ten of their best images that convey a snapshot of everyday life in Australia. The net is being cast wide and entrants’ imaginations are the limit. The competition is open to those who find inspiration in the world around them and can capture this through the compelling medium of photography.
Says Grab judge Stuart Hannagan, director of photography and vice president Australasia at Getty Images: “Grab celebrates the rediscovery of everyday Aussie life as an art form and provides a unique platform for photography enthusiasts to showcase their creative talent”, “I am thrilled to see the competition return for its second year and continue to play an important part in fostering the impressive depth and range of photographic talent that exists within Australia. We have seen how much our clients love and appreciate local content and this competition will once again give Australians the chance to share their view of everyday life.”
The winner will walk away with a Nikon D700 DSLR & AF-S 85mm f1.4 lens, worth over $5,000. In addition, the runner up will receive a Nikon D3100 twin lens kit (18-55mm VR + 55-200mm VR lenses) and for the recipient of the People’s Choice Award, the brand new Nikon 1 camera, not yet available in stores and only announced last month.
The People’s Choice Award is a new addition to this year’s Grab program, handing the decision-making over to the public, who will be invited to vote for their favourite image, via the Getty Images Australia Facebook page from 28th November until 4th December.
“I was pretty stoked when I found out I had won the competition”, says Maddie Stevens, who was awarded first place in 2010, for her quintessentially Australian image of sun and surf, entitled Minolta Weathermatic 3. “I always knew my photograph was good, but to receive such recognition from an industry leader like Getty Images was a real buzz and has given me the confidence to pursue photography at a professional level.”
All entries are eligible for the major prize and inclusion in a public exhibition to be held at Showcase Gallery in Sydney, between 5th – 10th December.
All submissions will be reviewed by Getty Images and, in addition to the major prize pool, participants will have the opportunity to be invited to become Getty Images contributors, as part of the Flickr Collection . With over 250,000 images, the Getty Images Flickr Collection provides customers with an ever-growing source of authentic, unique imagery from a global community of contributors that includes over 570 photographers from Australia. The content is available to licence exclusively on Getty Images.
Entries will be judged by a panel of dynamic, industry-leading photographers, with expertise spanning the fields of sport, fashion, photojournalism, advertising and editorial. The panel includes:
Matt Batten, creative director, Wunderman
Batten is creative director of Wunderman Sydney, Australia’s leading brand response advertising agency. His career saw him work his way up through the studio, design and creative ranks in some of the country’s best agencies, collecting a slew of the industry’s most sought-after awards along the way. In 2004, he packed away his paint brushes in favour of a camera and has become an accomplished photographer – a finalist at 2007 Trampoline Projections, and a Judge’s Pick in 2009’s Creatives Behind the Lens – occasionally using his own shots in advertising campaigns for his clients.
Lisa Maree Williams, photographer, Getty Images
Williams has photographed some of Australia’s most memorable news and cultural events and many of the world’s notable personalities, from Oprah to Prince William. Her work has graced the pages of Time, The London Times, Wall Street Journal, Rolling Stone Magazine, The Australian, Vogue, Harpers Bazaar, The Washington Post and the Sydney Morning Herald, to name but a few. A photographer with Getty Images since 2005, Williams has received a swag of honours and awards, taking out first place in the Sony World Photo Competition (Natural History) 2009, being named a finalist for the Head On Portrait Prize 2009 & 2010, Reportage Photo Festival 2010, Moran Prize 2011 & 2008 and scooping an APA Documentary Award in 2003. Recognized for her documentary and portrait work, Williams covers assignments for both editorial and commercial clients that take her to Indonesia, Cuba, North America and Europe.
Stuart Hannagan, director of photography APAC and vice president of Australasia, Getty Images
Hannagan specialises in editorial photog
raphy and has covered many events including over five Olympics Games, four World Athletics, four Commonwealth Games, various global cricket tours, hundreds of AFL matches and various federal elections. He began his career in 1982 as a staff photographer for News Ltd in Adelaide, winning the World Sports Photo of the Year award in 1984. He moved to Melbourne in 1986 and worked for the Sun Newspaper for a year before moving to the AGE as its chief Sports Photographer. In 1993 Hannagan became picture editor of the AGE where he remained for 4 more years and won the AGE photojournalist of the year award in 1994, and various local and global photographic awards. Since then, he has been on board with Getty Images as director of photography for the Asia Pacific Region and vice president of Australasia based in Sydney. He has continued his travels globally for events and was chef de mission for the Sydney and Beijing Olympics where Getty had over 70 staff in attendance. He is currently in New Zealand, heading up the Rugby World Cup and the Getty team of 23 staff.
David Dare Parker, photojournalist, director of FotoFreo Photographic Festival and Nikon Australia Ambassador
A Nikon-Walkley Award winning photographer, David Dare Parker has photographed for a multitude of national and international magazines throughout Asia, the Middle East, Europe and Australasia. Publications include LeMonde, Stern, L’Express, Focus, Australian Geographic, The Bulletin, The New York Times, Fortune and Time Australia. Whether photographing issue related stories such as HIV/AIDS, or Third World conflict, he aspires to capturing history in a fair, truthful and informative manner. Dare Parker was one of the original co-founders of Reportage, is a Director of FotoFreo Photographic Festival and is also a former Nikon-Walkley Advisory Board Member.
Christian Blanchard, fashion photographer and Nikon School lecturer
Christian Blanchard is a freelance photographer and film director, recently named by Capture Magazine as one of Australia’s top ten. He works with local and international clients, including Mimco, Amstel, Nobody Denim, Nintendo, L’Oreal Paris and Puma, always striving to strike the delicate balance between creative expression and commercial acumen. Christian’s editorial work includes covers for international magazines such as Fashion Trend, Kurv and Spook. As a Nikon School lecturer, he teaches and inspires budding fashion photographers, guiding them through the creative shooting process, from initial concept to production. Blanchard has also received awards and accolades, most recently being named runner up for the Australian Fashion Photographer of the Year at the 2011 AIPP Professional Photography Awards.
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