http://vimeo.com/26729314
Tim Zimmerman’s show was the first to be shown last night at the third annual Deep Summer Photo Challenge and I personally thought it was the winner without seeing the rest. It turned out the rest were rather good, very good, but still I thought Zimmerman was robbed when he didn’t win anything other than some swag. I had Robin O’Neill, Dan Barham, and Tim Zimmerman as the top three (in no particular order), but in the end the judges’ call was final and Robin O’Neill took first place ahead of Dan Barham and Margus Riga.
Local photographer Robin O’Neill, the first woman to ever participate in the Deep Summer Photo Challenge, impressed the judges the most and took home first place and the cheque for $5,000. She will add this win to her second place showing at the 2011 Arc’teryx Deep Winter Photo Challenge.
A panel of five expert judges had the unenviable job of assigning first, second and third to a field of six world class mountain bike photographers. After the deliberations Margus Riga, a photographer just two years in on the pro scene, emerged in second with $3,000; and Dan Barham took home $2,000 for third place. Justin Olsen, Tim Zimmerman and Pinkbike.com Wildcard photographer John Wellburn were also competing for the Deep Summer title.
Make your own mind up as to the placings because most of the photogs have placed them on-line. Here you go…
My two favorites at the Deep Summer Photo Challenge were Zimmerman and O’Neil! If I were to place a bet Wednesday night, I knew that both slideshows would place in the top three winning slots.
Zimmerman’s creativity and superb images were hilarious with Death following behind. It told a story and still managed to show the rad mountain biking images that made me oooh and aaaw throughout the slideshow. The soundtrack was perfectly matched to the images. I knew for sure this one would place at least 2nd if not be placed as the winner of this contest.
O’Neil’s slideshow told a story in a simplistic way. She managed to smitten me through vibrant, rich colors and her precious moments of seizing movement of splattering mud and water from spinning fat tires. The attention to details, water droplets falling from a leaf or images of the components that allow mountain bikers to do what they do! I love the abstract view point that O’Neil has! The photography, soundtrack, editing and mountain bikers were phenomenal! I was actually sad to see that the slideshow ended when it did. I wanted it to keep going, I was hungry for more!
In my heart and mind, O’Neil deserved first place and Zimmerman would have been granted second place! All of the photographers that competed ARE truly AMAZING but I had to share my two cents worth! I look forward to next year’s competition and forecast 1st Place for Zimmerman next year!