Tamron has announced the winners of its 2008 Wet & Wild user photo competition. John O’Bryan of Moscow, Idaho won the Grand Prize title, winning a Tamron AF28-300mm VC zoom lens, and Donald Handley was named the People’s Choice winner. The theme of the 2009 contest - Americana - Photographs That Define American Culture - was revealed earlier this week.

Tamron USA Press Release

TAMRON PROUDLY ANNOUNCES THE WINNERS OF THE 2008 TAMRON USER PHOTO CONTEST: “WET & WILD”

View the Winning Image, the People’s Choice and Twenty Favorites on Tamron’s Online Photo Gallery and on Tamron’s Fan Page on Facebook®

November 17, 2008, Commack, NY— The 2008 Tamron User Photo Contest: “Wet & Wild” was a huge success in terms of participation—nearly 1,500 photos were entered, a 50% increase in submissions over last year. Images submitted by Tamron lens users included subjects engaging with water of every kind: fountains, streams, lakes, oceans, pools, sprinklers, waterfalls, faucets, and on and on. The pictures submitted also exhibited a technical mastery that highlighted both the talent of the photographers and the performance of the Tamron lenses they used. Choosing the winners from the huge number we received was anything but easy, but we did our best and are gratified to honor those that made the cut.

The contest was open to U.S. residents submitting any original photograph that prominently included water and that was taken with a Tamron lens. The Grand Prize was the award-winning Tamron AF28-300mm VC zoom lens, plus having the winning picture showcased in the Tamron Viewfinder e-newsletter as well as in the Gallery section of the popular Tamron website. New for 2008 was a People’s Choice award that was awarded to the image that gallery viewers gave the highest combination of top-rating and views, and the prize was a $100 gift card to the winner’s favorite authorized Tamron dealer. In addition, twenty photographers whose images were selected as “Favorites” will also be published on the Tamron website gallery and Tamron’s Fan Page on Facebook® for all to admire.

The 2008 Guest Judge: Don Gale

“Contest themes are the best way for photographers to innovate their craft,” says award-winning photographer Don Gale who was the guest judge for this year’s contest. “As with this year’s ‘Wet & Wild’ Contest theme, photographs really showed great composition and creative genius by many of the photographers and, not surprisingly, it was extremely difficult to narrow to just one. As I instruct my students, participating in these award programs helps to build a stronger more diverse portfolio and provides an important outlet for honing and sharpening their craft.”

Grand Prize: John O’Bryan

John O’Bryan of Moscow, Idaho is the 2008 photo contest Grand Prize winner. Competing with almost 1,500 entries, O’Bryan’s photo truly captures the natural wonder of water and exemplifies an element that not only sustains us, but excites us as well.

O’Bryan began using Tamron lenses in college. “I purchased a 300mm F/2.8 Tamron lens and used it for a number of years, often shooting better pictures with it than many other photographers who were shooting with more expensive lenses,” says O’Bryan. “A few years back I decided to purchase a digital SLR and because of my positive experience with Tamron lenses, I bought a Tamron 28-80mm and a 70-300mm to go along with it. I have not been disappointed. I really love the quality and durability of these lenses and have taken thousands of pictures with them.” It was Tamron’s 70-300mm lens that has immortalized his daughter Allison, tubing on Priest Lake, in Tamron’s 2008 winner’s circle. The focal length of the image was 300mm with an aperture of f/6.0 @ 1/1000 sec.

“I am absolutely thrilled to have won the lens. I plan to use it for taking pictures of the family skiing this year. I really like the idea of not having to change lenses on the mountain and am anxious to try the Vibration Compensation since I am not as steady with a long lens as I used to be.”

People’s Choice: Donald Handley

Donald Handley’s intriguing photo of the cowboy and his new bride took the People’s Choice Award. “I picked this particular photo because it tells a story. What story it tells depends on the frame of mind of the viewer. I was very pleased with the lighting and the overall balance of the exposure.” The couple were actually models for a photography class. “I used the Tamron 18-200mm zoom, which I had borrowed to try out. Based on how well this and other shots that day turned out, I bought the newer 18-250mm.” Handley, of San Dimas, CA, used a Pentax K10D with the Tamron lens. The focal length was 138mm with an aperture of F/6.3 @ 1/250sec. “[The lens] gave me the quick ability to adjust composition on the fly before making the exposure,” says Handley. Handley earned a $100 gift card to his favorite Tamron authorized dealer, Samy’s Camera in Los Angeles, CA.

Congratulations and Appreciation 
We at Tamron extend our heartfelt congratulations to the winners and our deepest appreciation to all the talented photographers who participated in the 2008 Tamron User Photo Contest: “Wet & Wild.” We encourage all photo enthusiasts, especially Tamron shooters, to take a close look at all the outstanding “Wet & Wild” images posted in the photo gallery under Photo Contests at http://www.tamron.com/lenses/learning_center/default-new.asp or on Tamron’s Fan Page on Facebook® at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tamron-Lenses/43482787993 (or search Facebook® pages for “Tamron Lenses”). We hope the winning and favorite pictures will also inspire you to go out and shoot great Tamron images of your own—and to enter them in the 2009 Tamron User Photo Contest.

Announcing the 2009 Tamron User Photo Contest Theme: Americana—Photographs That Define American Culture

Baseball, apple pie, diners, drive-ins, folk art. From its music to its main streets, America is defined by its history and its present, how we live and breathe within the fabric of our society. Enter the 2009 Tamron User Photo Contest and showcase your image of what makes America tick! The Grand Prize Winner of the 2009 contest will receive a Tamron AF18-270mm F/3.5-6.3 Di II VC LD Aspherical IF Macro zoom lens—the world’s first 15X ratio zoom— featuring Tamron’s new Vibration Compensation mechanism (a $599 value). This year’s guest judge is Judith Pishnery, professional photographer and SCAD/Atlanta professor.

Pictures submitted must be original, the property of the photographer, and photographed using a Tamron lens. The contest is open to Tamron users residing in the United States and all entries must be received no later than October 31, 2009. Complete details about uploading entries* to the “Tamron Share Your Photos” section of the website and an entry form can be found at www.tamron.com. Submissions are limited to a maximum of three per person.

In addition to receiving the latest Tamron lens featuring new VC (Vibration Compensation) technology, the winner’s picture will be showcased in the Tamron Viewfinder e-newsletter, and a complete album of images by the winner will be posted in the gallery section of the popular Tamron website and on the Tamron Page on Facebook®. In addition, twenty photographers whose images are selected by our judges as Favorites will have their names and winning images published on the website and on the Tamron Page on Facebook® for all to admire.

About Tamron
Tamron is a leading manufacturer of photographic lenses. Among its many optical and mechanical innovations since the founding of the company in 1950, Tamron’s development of mass-produced hybrid aspherical elements paved the way for today’s compact high ratio zoom lenses when, in 1992, this technology was incorporated into the groundbreaking 28-200mm. Tamron continues to lead in this category with the new 18-270mm — featuring an unprecedented 15X zoom range—and featuring Tamron’s proprietary Vibration Compensation (VC) system. Tamron has garnered international acclaim for its high ratio zoom lenses.

*In case a photo cannot be uploaded, send the photo via USPS or email and we will upload it for you—see the rules on our website for details or call us at 1-800-827-8880.

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