Round Four
Our fourth installment of “Oh Snap” would be the final round before our tournament of champions. There was only one spot left so everyone knew the competition would be fierce.
Jordan Roberts used the power of before and after photos to tell his story. The first photo was of his dog on the day his parents moved from his childhood home in Pennsylvania. The dog looked longingly at his yard as the car pulled away. The second was a shot of the dog happily enjoying a beach day in his new hometown. Jordan was happy to report that his dog has totally adjusted to his new life in Florida.
Cate Oyler’s submission, taken during her recent vacation, was the classic beach sunset shot. The theme of her presentation was reflection. Cate pointed out that it is rare to have a moment to just catch your breath and enjoy something as simple as a sunset.
Brittney Horner’s presentation centered on her relationship with Bruce, her younger brother. He was recently in a serious accident, which helped Brit realize more than ever how much she valued their special bond. Her presentation was a series of photographs that highlighted key points in their growing up together. Her final photograph, and submission, was a shot of her brother with one of his best friends taking a break from surfing. The photo and story won over the judges and Brit was primed to win this month’s contest.
Unfortunately, the round ended with a bit of controversy. Although Brittney had the highest point total, it was clear her photo was not taken in the timeframe that she was involved in the contest. This was a violation of “Oh Snap” rules. Consequently Jordan Roberts, with one point less, was crowned our round four winner and advanced to the tournament of champions to be held in the near future.
One final round four highlight that simply can’t go without mentioning was a guest judge appearance by Neiman’s own Nick Jaquith. Every guest judge brings their own unique flavor to the competition, and Nick wasted no time making sure contestants understood the importance of “composition” in their work. Ratings spiked during Nick’s appearance, and we wouldn’t be surprised to see him land a full time judging gig in the near future.
Winning Photo
Artist: Jordan Roberts
Title: Happy Macy
Device: iPhone 4
Round Three
Our third installation of “Oh Snap” was going to be a cage match for the ages. Dorsey Howard, Jen Gordon and Mike Bray came ready for the creative throw down.
Dorsey opened the competition with a photograph of his girlfriend’s new puppy. She had wanted a dog for years and recently found the perfect boxer/bulldog mix. After the first day in the new digs the dog was exhausted and snuggled up into her bed. Dorsey snagged the photo, processed it through Instagram and knew he had his contest entry ready to go.
Next up was Jen Gordon. Jen walked us through her short and admittedly terrible little league career. The culmination being a misread steal sign from her dad (the coach), which resulted in her stealing second while a baserunner was already occupying it. Jen recently visited the old field and took a photo from her vantage point on first base. To enhance the presentation she also created limited edition Jen Gordon baseball cards. The card featured a photo of Jen holding a tennis racket which she resolved by gluing a baseball bat cut out on top. Solid.
Our final photograph came from Mike Bray. Mike told the story (long story) of a forgotten junkman named Vincent and the recent trip to his dilapidated house/farm/museum. Mike spent 45 minutes with Vincent and got the entire rundown on amassing his collection and protecting it by chasing, and shooting, potential thieves. Mike’s photograph wowed the judges with its interesting composition, unique subject matter and color correction. Those high marks helped secure Mike’s title as our round three winner.
Winning Photo
Artist: Michael Bray
Title: Vincent Pastore
Device: iPhone 4
Extra Credit: Blog created with more photos. Vincent’s Yard
Round Two
Round Two featured the photographic stylings of Steve Aaron, Jack Hartman and Alyssa Keefe.
Steve’s sunset roller coaster shot was snagged on his family’s summer vacation to the Jersey shore. His presentation included the harrowing story of maintaining balance, holding on to his iPhone and ensuring that his son didn’t fall out of the moving car. All while framing up the perfect angle.
Jack told the tale of his mother, who, through a few phone calls, was able to convince her husband AND Jack that a PT Cruiser was the perfect car for Jack’s move to Philadelphia. We all left with a new found respect for Jack’s mom, and a little less for Jack.
Alyssa closed the presentations with an emotional story about the loss of a dear friend. In the days that followed she spotted the tree in her photograph and found some comfort in its simple beauty. Her presentation was a tribute to her friend and was accompanied by a song that held special meaning to Alyssa during her time of loss.
Winning Photo
Artist: Alyssa Keefe
Title: Unknown
Device: iPhone 4
Round One
“Oh Snap” kicked off with a strong opening round, featuring photos and presentations by Christine Smith, Kevin Abrams and Jim Brett.
There was a clear Jersey Shore theme running through all three photos and Christine opened with a shot of her daughter playing in the ocean surf. Christine loved that it captured the fun of summer and carefree nature of childhood trips to the beach.
Next up was Kevin Abrams. Kevin had a lengthy preamble clearly outlining that he missed his calling as a professional photographer. After getting the judges laughing Kevin presented his photograph, an iconic shot of an Avalon lifeguard station complete with lifeboat. A visual reminder of all Kevin’s beach trip memories.
Last but not least was Jim Brett, who did his best to recreate the actual angle at which his photograph was taken. Unfortunately projecting on the conference room ceiling proved too difficult and after Jim stopped crying he began his presentation. Jim’s shot, a seagull taking off from the classic Mack n’ Manco sign in Ocean City, NJ, required split second timing while juggling a piping hot pizza straight out of the oven. That balancing act, combined with the unique angle, drew high scores from our judges and we had our first “Oh Snap” winner.
Winning Photo
Artist: Jim Brett
Title: Unknown
Device: iPhone 4
