Nikon Auckland Photo Day winners

Each year, for a 24-hour period, Auckland becomes the collective subject for the masses of photographers who reside in the city, competing in the Nikon Auckland Photo Day competition.
This year the competition, held in conjunction with the Auckland Festival of Photography, found its winner in Dave Baker, whose image, Time for a Fag, was picked as the judge’s champion amidst over 1000 other entries from throughout the metropolis.

All submissions to the competition are added to a collection the Festival has been amassing since 2004; this archive of images of Auckland and its communities throughout the years now totals more than 11,000.

First place: Dave Barker

Time for a Fag

Barker’s image captures a newlywed couple snatching a relaxed moment together at Auckland’s waterfront. The judges praised the image for its fortuitous timing and beautiful golden light, saying it was a photo that begs questions of people, customs, traditions, and consumption.

“It’s brilliant because of the multiple readings that can emerge from this single image,” the judges report. “A split world of idealism versus reality.”

As this year’s champion Barker wins a Nikon D5300 DSLR with kit Nikkor AF-S DX 18-140mm VR lens.

Second place: Katie Quinney

Rugby People

Quinnley’s second-place image takes the viewer into the stands during a rugby match at Eden Park, a quintessential Auckland experience. The judges enjoyed the image’s narrative aspects as well as its idiosyncratic approach to subject.

“A decisive moment capturing a lone English supporter amidst a chaotic scene of varying reactions, made more intriguing by the reversed emphasis away from the game.”

The photographer wins a Nikon 1 AW1 waterproof compact interchangeable lens camera for her efforts.

Third place: Chris van Ryn

Smoko Time

Venturing onto a construction site in the middle of the day, van Ryn’s image captures the relaxed and light-hearted atmosphere of local workers taking a break.

“A building site becomes an outdoor lounge for three men relaxing, using wheelbarrows as loungers, it’s an outdoor setting with the intimacy of a living room,” the judges report.

Third place prize is a Nikon Coolpix P340 compact camera.

People’s Choice: Mirjam van Sabbe

Through Fire and Water For You

Following the official judging of the Nikon 2014 Auckland Photo Day competition, members of the public were invited to view this year’s submissions and vote for their personal favourite from the top 30 submissions. Rising to the top in that category is van Sabbe’s light painted-landscape at Piha beach.

As this year’s People’s Choice winner, she takes home a Nikon S9700 Coolpix Wi-Fi –anabled compact camera.

You can view the rest of the competition’s top 30 entries here.