Nikon Canada + Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival: Lecture Series, Weekly Contest & Prizes May 1-June 1, 2014

This is an update to the previous blog, 2014 Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival May 1–31, 2014 in Toronto.

PRESS RELEASE

Join Nikon Canada as We Celebrate the World’s Largest Photography Event
with an Engaging Lecture Series, a Weekly Contest, and Prizes!

Mississauga, ON, April 30, 2014 – For the fourth year in a row, Nikon Canada, as the official camera partner of the Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival, will host a series of events designed to inspire passion for visual arts and celebrate creativity and innovation in photography.

This year’s theme is the concept of “Identity” and its role in influencing and informing photographic images that explore individual and collective attributes. The Festival’s primary Exhibitions and Public Installations will include photo-based works by Canadian and international artists, both emerging and established, that address issues of character, nationality, migration, race, class, gender, feminism, masculinity and sexuality.

Nikon Canada is hosting two initiatives at this year’s CONTACT festival, and we’d love for you to join us!

Nikon Lecture Series
Interested in learning how to take photos like the pros? Every Wednesday throughout the month of May, Nikon Canada will present lectures featuring world-class authorities who would like to share some of their techniques, tricks, and experiences. They will take place at St. Paul’s Bloor Street, Cody Hall (227 Bloor Street East, Toronto, ON, M4W 1C8). Register early at contactfestivalnikon.ca as seating is limited!

Attendees at any session of the 2014 Nikon Lecture Series are invited to bring up to two Nikon DSLR or HD-SLR cameras to receive a complimentary sensory cleaning from Nikon Professional Services (NPS) Canada.

Tony Beck: The Travelling Naturalist – Through the Lens of a Professional Nature Tour Guide
Date: Wednesday, May 7, 2014
Time: 6:30 – 8:00 p.m.
Tony will discuss his distinctive approach to wildlife photography and share field techniques and post-processing tricks.
Michelle Valberg: Adventure, Landscape, and Wildlife Photography
Date: Wednesday, May 14, 2014
Time: 6:30 – 8:00 p.m.
Michelle will share techniques learned from her experience capturing landscape and wildlife images in extreme conditions – from the wonders of the Arctic to deep underwater with humpback whales.
Kristian Bogner: Capturing Spectacular Travel Images – a Photographic Adventure Through Nepal
Date: Wednesday, May 21, 2014
Time: 6:30 – 8:00 p.m.
Kristian will share insights and techniques on how to shoot with confidence and create captivating images on any global adventure.
Sam Sciarrino: Timeless Contemporary Portraits
Date: Wednesday, May 28, 2014
Time: 6:30 – 8:00 p.m.
Sam will demonstrate practical techniques to support and enhance your current style or explore a new one.

IDENTITY Photo Contest
Who doesn’t love a good contest?! Show us your photography skills by submitting your creations that best define what “Identity” means to you.

Enter your submissions to our weekly Identity Photo Contest at the Nikon Canada CONTACT website at contactfestivalnikon.ca.

Each weekly Identity Photo Contest winner – selected by a panel of judges – will receive a Nikon D5300 HD-SLR with 18-55mm VR lens and a $50 gift certificate from Vistek. One grand prize winner will be selected by public community voting at the Nikon Canada CONTACT website from June 6 to June 13, 2014, and will receive a signed, 24”x18” CONTACT Limited Edition chromogenic print by Andrew Wright (http://scotiabankcontactphoto.com/store#image_35– retail value $1,200). The winning photo will also be featured on the Nikon Canada CONTACT website, the Nikon Canada Facebook and Twitter pages, and on the CONTACT website.

Here are the weekly assignments:

Week 1: Thursday, May 1 to Sunday, May 11, 2014
Self-identity: Others may not necessarily see us the way we see ourselves. Share with us images that reflect yourself, either through your views of yourself or your relationships to people, things or places around you.
Week 2: Monday, May 12 to Sunday, May 18, 2014
Group/Collective Identity: Show us what it means to belong, whether it is an immediate family, a small community, a circle of friends, or a club or other organization.
Week 3: Monday, May 19 to Sunday, May 25, 2014
Aspirational Identity: What do you (or your subject) want to do or be? Share images that demonstrate dreams, desires, fulfilled passions or hopes for self, family or the world.
Week 4: Monday, May 26 to Sunday, June 1, 2014
National Identity: How do you identify as being part of the Canadian fabric? Capture images of what being Canadian means to you.