Every year, this open-air curated group exhibition – hosted by Orms in collaboration with Canon and SJ Artists - thrills promenade visitors, who take time to pause their wanderings and take a closer look at the magnificent, often evocative, images featured.
In previous years, photographers have been invited to explore themes like movement, South African landscapes, the ocean and birdlife. However, this year’s competition focuses on subject matter that’s a little harder to see and might, in fact, frequently be overlooked: Wonders Through Focus, or, in other words, the worlds within worlds that are revealed through outstanding macrophotography.
“This is a chance for our community to really push themselves as they try to find the magic in the everyday. It’s about bringing the beauty of the everyday to the fore,” says ORMS marketing manager, Alex Ressel.
“With the sea as its backdrop, there is something incredibly powerful about this exhibition,” she continues. “Our key purpose and motivation for this competition is to create a showcase for those who may otherwise not have the chance to exhibit. At the same time, we’re bringing photography to the public, helping to grow the appreciation of this beautiful art form.”
SJ Artists’ Shani Judes agrees that this is a critical element of the competition. "Public art along the Sea Point Promenade plays a vital role in fostering community engagement and cultural enrichment. These photographic exhibitions provide a platform where people of all ages and backgrounds come together, sparking conversations, inspiring creativity, and creating a shared sense of pride in our local environment."
The competition, open to all South African residents, is an exciting opportunity for photography enthusiasts – amateur and professional alike – to push their creative boundaries and display their photographs to the greater public. “We think of the exhibition as our way of giving back to this vibrant community,” Ressel says.
The top 20 finalists are chosen for their creative and technical abilities – but also, says Ressel, because they have that certain something that makes walkers-by want to immerse themselves in the image.
Roger Machin, Canon’s product manager says, "Canon is excited and honoured to team up with Orms once again for the Sea Point Promenade exhibition competition. For the past five years, our collaboration has celebrated the remarkable photographic talents of South Africa’s vibrant community. This competition is a fantastic opportunity for amateur and professional photographers to showcase their work to the world. This year’s theme invites us to get closer and view the world from a fresh perspective. We can’t wait to see all the exciting competition submissions.”
The winning entries are selected by a blind judging panel, to ensure complete impartiality, and will earn the photographers prizes to the value of R100,000 from Canon, Orms, Orms Print Room & Framing and Orms Cape Town School of Photography.
First prize is a Canon EOS Canon EOS R8 Mirrorless Camera Body with a Canon RF 85mm F.2 Lens valued at R52,090, R6,000 Orms Print Room and Framing voucher and R4,000 Orms Cape Town School of Photography voucher.
The winner of the student prize will take home a Canon EOS R50 Mirrorless Camera with a Canon RF-S 18-45mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM Lens and a Canon RF-S 55-210mm f/5-7.1 IS STM Lens worth R18,995, a R5,000 Orms Print Room & Framing voucher and R4,000 Orms Cape Town School of Photography voucher.
The third and fourth runners up will each win an Orms rental voucher valued at R5,000.
To enter, photographers must submit their landscape pictures (JPEG format, no larger than 5MB) to the link (please supply). Participants may enter as many times as they wish, loading five images at a time, and winners will be notified via email.
Deadlines for entries: 9 August 2024.
For more, go to www.ormsdirect.co.za
