Thursday, January 31, 2008 ‘Faith’ clicks with photo judges
A PHOTO that captured the Cebuanos’ religiosity and devotion to the Sto. Niño bagged the grand prize for a professional photographer and dentist in the Sinulog 2008 photo contest.
Erwin Lim will get a trophy and P30,000 cash for his photo of a little boy in tears, clinging to an old lady as she joined devotees in singing praises for the Sto. Niño at the Basilica.
Photographer Mikhail Arrogante got the second and third prizes, as well as 12 other awards in four categories.
Their photos were selected from some 7,000 entries of 647 photographers from all over the country, with some coming from other parts of the world.
“The grand prize winner captured the emotions of the devotees, the religiosity of the Cebuanos and their devotion to the Sto. Niño. It’s both a human interest shot and something that imparted the message of the Sinulog,” Sinulog Foundation Inc. (SFI) executive director Ricky Ballesteros said.
Colors
It was the first time Lim won the grand prize in the Sinulog photo contest.
Sun.Star Cebu chief photographer Alex Badayos’ entry landed in the ninth place in the fluvial and solemn procession category.
Ballesteros said the judges awarded Arrogante’s entry as second grand prize winner for showing the true colors of the Sinulog through the Municipality of Carmen contingent.
His other photo was also judged as third grand prize winner for showing the children’s innocence and their joy despite a hard day’s work selling candles near the basilica.
Arrogante will bring home at least P67,000 in cash prizes during the awarding ceremony at the SM City Cebu Entertainment Plaza.
Digital life
In a phone interview yesterday, Ballesteros also defended the Sinulog photo contest from criticisms that most of the winning entries were digitally enhanced.
He said that of the 647 photographers who joined the contest, only three used film while the rest used digital cameras.
“There’s nothing in the guidelines that says the photos cannot be enhanced. The rules are silent on lighting alterations and other enhancements. In digital photography, you cannot avoid adjusting the colors or lighting. So as long as there are no major alterations, we accepted the entries,” Ballesteros said.
He emphasized that the judges did not see any major changes or enhancements in any of the winning photos.
Ballesteros said the organizers are considering changing the rules for next year’s contest and separating the digital art photography contest and a photo contest without digital enhancements. (LCR)
