Pham Ngo Dinh Luan takes home the main prize in the 2017 HCMC Canon PhotoMarathon

October 29, 2017
vi-lang Xem Tiếng Việt

Canon’s 2017 PhotoMarathon’s wrapped up its second phase with Ho Chi Minh City contest attracting over 7,000 participants to District 1’s Hoa Lu Stadium.  The 12th staging of the event capped off the company’s four-day Canon EXPO, one of the flagship events of Canon Marketing Vietnam’s 15th anniversary.

In an arena bubbling with excitement, the judges picked 10 of the best works from the thousands submitted by the ‘marathoners’ on the day.

Indeed, as the 7,000 strong crowd held their breath, an archer stepped to his podium, drew his bow, and let fly with an arrow shot that bisected its red target and revealed the first theme of the day: Saigon Smile.  Every three hours, further topics were revealed, as participants were later asked to capture images on the topics In The Middle and Condominium.  By 8 am, every corner of the city named after that nation’s great leader had become a studio for the red-shirted Canon brigade.

Outstandingly images abound, but there can be just a few winners.  The ten selected included:

  • Grand prize: qualification to compete at Canon PhotoMarathon Asia Championship 2018 in Japan, 1 Canon EOS 6D Mark II camera, 1 Canon PIXMA Pro 100 printer.
    • Winner: Pham Ngo Dinh Luan
  • First Prize: 1 Canon EOS 77D camera + EF-S18-55mm IS STM lens, 1 PIXMA TS8070 printer
    • “Saigon Smile” topic: Winner: Trinh Phuong Thao
    • “In the Middle” topic: Winner: Truong Thi Kieu Tien
    • “Condominium” topic: Winner: Nguyen Thanh Tuyen
  • Second Prize: 1 Canon EOS 800D camera + EF-S18-55mm IS STM lens, 1 PIXMA G2000 printer
    • “Saigon Smile” topic: Winner: Tran Thi Thoang
    • “In the Middle” topic: Winner: Do Dang Quang
    • “Condominium” topic: Winner: Nguyen Minh Hoang
  • Third Prize: 1 Canon EOS M6 camera + EF-15-45mm IS STM lens, 1 PIXMA MG3670 photo printer
    • “Saigon Smile” topic: Winner: Lieu Lam
    • “In the Middle” topic: Winner: Huynh Thanh Huy
    • “Condominium” topic: Winner: Bui Thanh Thuan

After a long, hot day on the streets of steamy Saigon, the , 7,000 contestants rested their weary feet to the rhythms of Hoang Son Soobin.

Once again the photos taken amazed judges and organizers alike with their creativity and the nuance of city life that they were able to capture.

Hiroshi Yokota, CEO of Canon Marketing Vietnam, said of the event: “With over 7,000 people here today, we have almost doubled the number of participants we had last year.  This is not only a record for Ho Chi Minh City’s 12th staging of the event, but a testament to the hard work of the Canon Marketing Vietnam team’s efforts, and to the way in which the people of this vibrant city have come to embrace Canon PhotoMarathon.  In a city that has changed almost unrecognizably in the 12 years we have been running this event, it is remarkable how this event has remained a ‘must-do’ for photography fans.”

“This is more than a day-long photo contest however.  It is an opportunity to lift people’s photographic ambitions into photographic careers. Young photographers here dazzle both myself and our judging panel with their creativity under looming deadlines, which holds them in great stead for a life behind the lens.  I would like to extend my most sincere congratulations and gratitude to each of the 7,000 people who chose to spend their Sunday with us today.”

Pham Ngo Dinh Luan won the grand prize of Ho Chi Minh City’s race.

“This is a brilliant piece of art, one that shows a professional perspective from Luan,” said judge Justin Mott.  “It features a three part layout and multiple layers, with impressive colors and fantastic composition.”

Pham Ngo Dinh Luan shared his emotion: “I truly thank Canon so much for creating this contest and I am very happy to receive the highest award. I’m speechless. I don’t know how to express my emotions right now. I’ve attended the Canon PhotoMarathon four times and been pursuing a career in professional photography for around the same time. This award provides great motivation for me because right now, I’m feeling insecure and wondering whether this career path is right or wrong. But after today, I’m much more confident about the direction I have chosen. In the photo, when I got the topic “In Between”, I immediately thought of the balance and the way something silent and sacred can bring better balance. And after 2 hours at the Ba Temple, I captured this moment. ”

Trinh Phuong Thao won the 1st prize in the topic “Saigon’s Smile”

Judge Hai Thanh said that he was very impressed by Trinh Phuong Thao’s photo. “The children were playing together innocently, while the rings offer beautiful light to the space and helped to highlight the smile of the child. It’s a naturally beautiful photo in terms of both its content and harmonious color scheme.”

Sharing her feeling after winning the prize, Phuong Thao said: “In preparation before the competition, I wondered if Canon would pay attention to smiles. I like the idea of the smile, then when I saw the topic and the children exercisingin front of Hoa Lu stadium, I found it truly poetic. I had to wait an hour and a half to capture the moment, ultimately taking 300 photos before I selected this one.”

Truong Thi Kieu Tien won the 1st prize in the topic “In Between”.

The 3 judges Justin Mott, Hai Dong and Hai Thanh were totally impressed by the “static” expression in Kieu Tien’s artwork: “This is a difficult situation. So many people have taken photos of birds, mostly in flight, but with this photo, captured a “static” pigeon. The colored wires provide ideal light for the photo. The bird – the main subject of the photo – was alone, peering at a wire that looks dangerous, but somehow invokes a feeling of peace in us. We love and encourage photos which tell us new things as well as show us a unique perspective that we had not seen before, such as this bird on its wire. This is a rare photo where we think the photographer knows exactly what she wants to express.”

Kieu Tien said: “This work was taken at Phuoc Hai Pagoda. I had been waiting about 45 minutes to see a pigeon on the wire, and I caught the moment immediately. Capturing this moment was not difficult, but I had to be quick. This pigeon was quite “snobby”, just looked at me and turned away. I took a lot but as the judges said, at that time I came alone, and saw this pigeon was as lonely as me. When I chose this photo, I didn’t honestly think I would win from such a crowded field of talented people.”

Nguyen Thanh Tuyen won at “Condominium”

The condominium topic caused a lot of discussion among the judges, and choosing a winner proved no easy task.  In describing the winner, Judge Hai Dong said: “On first glance, this is not an impressive photo, yet it many stories. Each angle tells its own tale. We not only see three generations in the same photo, but also the life inside and outside of the condominium. This is a very different photo to the others submitted.”

Thanh Tuyen said: “I took this photo at the Khanh Hoi apartment in District 4. I want to say thank you to the girl in red in the photo, who was actually also a contestant in today’s Canon PhotoMarathon. I waited a long time for the man on the left-hand-side to walk into the frame ensuring that all generations appear in the same photo.”

In addition to the main prizes, the contest also had other prizes for categories such as:

  • Impressive photos: photography jacket, Canon hat, photography handbook and 16GB Sandisk memory card.
  • Humorous photos: 1TB Western Digital My Passport hard drive.
  • Best photo taken by Canon EOS M series: 01 Canon EOS M5+ EF-15-45mm IS STM

Bui Quang Vu and his EOS M5 won the “Best photo taken by Canon EOS M series”

Quang Vu said: “In The Middle somehow fit with me. I went all the way to Hoc Mon District in after the assignment has been announced to capture this moment. I was almost late for the submission. I am so happy that my image was appreciated by the judges.”

All fees contributed to the competition will be transferred to “Vì thế hệ tương lai” (For future generations) fund to build schools for underprivileged students, ensuring photographers become a meaningful bridge to build a better life for communities here.

After racing days in Danang on 8th October 2017 and in HCMC on 29th October 2017, Canon PhotoMarathon 2017 will continue in Hanoi on 5th November 2017. This is also the final racing day of the 12th Canon PhotoMarathon in Vietnam.

This year’s Canon PhotoMarathon added online contests for those who cannot join the “battles” in Danang, HCMC and Hanoi. The result of online contest will be announced on 15th November 2017 at Canon Vietnam fanpage. Terms and conditions for the online contest can be viewed at www.canon.com.vn/PhotoMarathon.