"24 Seven Heartland Beats" Photography Competition
26th Feb, 2010 ~ Late last year, for the first time in my life, I joined a photo competition & it was a nation-wide one. The "24 Seven Heartland Beats" Photography Competition was organized by HDB(Housing & Development Board) of Singapore with Nikon as the sponsor. I indulged in photography, but isn't much of a hobbyist photographer, just an opportunist one. Took pics if & when passing by only, lazy in going after any particular subject in earnest. Worse is, didn't own & dislike carrying a bulky DSLR. When I learned about this contest, I was quite hesitated in taking part coz I knew in such major event, 99% of the entries will be shot using DSLR & many contestants will be pro, semi-pro or devoted hobbyists. Me with my silly point & shoot camera won't stand much of a chance. It would be a very very tough challenge going against those odds. However, the prizes are very attractive, camera & cash. I plucked up my courage, took faith in my skill/talent & submitted 10 photos for the Open Category. The closing date was 31st Oct, 2009. Nov, Dec & New Year of 2010 passed without news. Actually I had forgotten about the whole thing until...
Imagine my utter surprise & joy when in mid-January this year, I got a call from the organizer saying that I won a prize! OMG! WOW! I was EXHILARATED! There were over 8000 entries for the open category. Imagine pitting my small camera against all those pro, semi-pro or devoted hobbyists with their big powerful DSLRs & I won! Among the selected 63 winning photos in the open category, I believe mine is the only 1 shot by a point & shoot camera. WOOT! xD
So, on Friday, 26th Feb 2010, I went to the prize presentation ceremony cum official opening of photography exhibition at the HDB Hub Mall, Toa Payoh Central. The winners wasn't told what prize we had won till our arrival at the venue. I discovered I had won a Merit Award. To tell the truth, I couldn't care less what prize I'd won. I mean, this is the very first time I'd taken part in a photo contest, an open category nation-wide one at that & I couldn't believe that I had won something using my little camera! Can't blame me if I am a little proud of my achievement, can you? Power to the Hamsterish Photographer! xD
Prize presentation cum photo exhibition @HDB Hub Mall
Proud Hamster Photographer! =P
The event started off with some stage performances after the arrival of the guest-of-honor, Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman, Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of National Development.
Stage performance watched by VIPs, contestants & guests.
Hamster patiently waiting in the audience
The performance was followed by an opening address by Dr Mohamad Maliki who is also presenting the prizes to the winners.
Opening address by guest-of-honor, Dr Mohamad Maliki
Prize presentation time came & oh boy... I was so excited & at the same time, scare! I had stage fright, mouth dry! Luckily nothing unduly happened & I got through the presentation smoothly. xD
Dr Mohamad Maliki giving me my prize
Merit Award winners with Dr Mohamad Maliki
After the prize presentation, comes the opening of the photo exhibition by the guest-of-honor, CEO of HDB & Nikon representative.
Official opening of photo exhibition
It was also the start of the buffet dinner & it had sushi, my favorite food! Yummy! =P
Buffet Dinner
All the winning entries were displayed at the photo exhibition. I took pics of the 1st, 2nd & 3rd prize winner of the open category, but I forgotten to take the photographers name. My apologies if I did not credit the winning photos below.
1st, 2nd & 3rd prize winner of the open category
And of course, most importantly, to me at least, is my Merit Award photo displayed at the exhibition. To see the original photo in my album, please click on the below pic.
My winning photo with admirers taking pic of it. xD
What did I won? Beside the glory, S$100 cash(cheque), a Nikon CoolPix L21, a certificate & a 5R photo of my entry.
Merit Award Hamster Photographer! xD
Am proud to say, with just my small, but faithful point & shoot Canon A630, I Did It My Way! YEAH! =D
Me with my trusty Canon A630
Now, I'm a fully certified photographer... with point & shoot camera only! Heeheehee... LOL! xD
posted by Nikita Hengbok @ 11:59 PM
15 comments
15 Comments:
Congrats and Cheers! =)
Excellent Niki, way to go!!!
Very good narrative blog, and thank you, i felt i was there and i give you a great big HURRAY !!!!
Many thanks guys. :D
i love the composition of your picture! with the use of rules of third, leading lines, and colours s black/white.
Great work =0 how come i didnt see it in ur flickr?
Wow, great Niki!!! Congratulations! Well deserved, your picture is Awesome!!!
Congratulations Niki! It is not the camera that take the winning shot.
Nice photo!
Paul from vr-zone
Wow! congrats
That IS a pretty nice shot! You've sure got an eye.
:)
Wow wow wow! Many congratulations, Niki my friend! I think it really shows that skill, planning and good preparation count for a lot, whatever kind of camera. it is great to read all about your efforts here and see the photos from the event! I hope you will get many more recognitions for your talents!
Bob (shiroi)
congratulations!! that's a very well taken pic by you! i personally love it! very unique... and beautiful. congrats once again!
Hey
Good job. i saw your winning pics.
Congrats!!!
Ellen sac
I have to say, I like your picture more than the Second and Third place pictures for sure.
Congrats to you.
Ok Hamster girl, I'm a few days late with this but congratulations on your award. I remember your birdie picture from your Flickr stream a while ago, as it was quite a striking image. Maybe you should go back to that place you took the shot and put out some breadcrumbs for him as thanks?
I like how different you look to everyone in the picture where you're receiving your award. Can you believe it, nobody else turned up with long stripy gloves and socks, nor a stylish mini-dress. Not even the ladies! I'm surprised they didn't give you an extra award just for looking fabulous. Maybe a little certificate for Best-Dressed Prizewinner, or perhaps a commendation for Nicest Skin-Tone And Arm Bracelet. I think that would've been only appropriate and fair. But it sounds like you were content with just the award you got, and it did come with a camera so now I guess you've got one spare. Maybe that birdie could use it? No, probably a bit heavy for him - just the breadcrumbs will do.
Also I like the shot of "Hamster patiently waiting in the audience". When you went up, apparently you had stage fright but "Luckily nothing unduly happened". Glad to hear it! But hey, it's not like they were going to ask you to do a song and dance was it? Or maybe that's what you were worried about. "Ok girlie, sing loud, and it better be good or we're keeping your prize". Good job they didn't ask; everybody knows you can't sing for toffee. I can imagine the headline: "Parliamentary Secretary flees mall in Hamster girl song disaster - many hospitalized". They'd lock you up probably.
And they fed you with sushi too? If only they'd known how much you loved that, they could've kept the Nikon and just given you extra fish instead! Enough for birdie too.
Hey babe, Congratz! (:
Thank you all for all your kind support! :D
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