Wilkes Photography !!!!WINS!!!! Mayors photo contest.

Great News for Wilkes Photography!! 

I was just informed that my Skyline Photograph will be used to represent Nashville in its Advertising and Media/Online Publications.  I am very honored to have won this contest and can't wait to see My Photograph do Nashville Proud.

Here is the Press Release:

Mayor Announces Winners of Skyline Photography Contest

 ‘Nashville’s Sky Through My Eye’ Winning Photos to Help Promote City

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Mayor Karl Dean today announced the winners of a photographic competition called “Nashville’s Sky Through My Eye,” which challenged professional photographers and hobbyists in the area to get the best shot of the Nashville skyline. Winners are receiving a cash prize provided by sponsors and the honor of producing the city’s official skyline photograph.

“The winning photos creatively captured the beauty of our skyline and the vibrancy of our downtown,” Mayor Dean said. “Congratulations to our winners, as well as those who received honorable mentions, and thank you to all the photographers who participated.”

In the hobbyist category, the winner was Ryan Maciej and the second-place hobbyist was Tabitha Hawk.

• Maciej shot the winning photo from the Korean Veterans Bridge with a Canon 5D Mark III. He liked the shot because it included Cumberland Park and showed more than just the downtown skyline. An IT healthcare consultant, Maciej has been taking photographs as a hobby for three years. He is a Nashville resident.
• Hawk shot her photo with a Canon 5D Mark II from the Shelby Street Pedestrian Bridge. The General Jackson Showboat just happened by during her photo shoot. She has been shooting on and off since 2006, and she is the owner of Nashville Computer Guru and a Nashville resident.

In the professional category, Leslie Wilkes was the winner and Kerry Woo came in second place.

• Wilkes, a resident of Hendersonville, Tenn., has been a professional photographer for more than 20 years, focusing on family portraits and teaching beginner photography classes. He uses a Nikon D800 camera and was on the Korean Veterans Bridge early one morning to capture the winning photo. He also works at Vanderbilt University Medical Center as a health systems analyst.

• Woo, a Nashville resident, has spent the past year shooting photographs professionally and previously worked in search engine marketing. He used a Nikon D7000 and shot the photo from the Bridge Building. He waited two hours before sunset to capture downtown in the moment between daytime commerce and the city’s nightlife.

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Page 2, Mayor Announces Winners of Skyline Photography Contest

Judging was conducted by professional photographers and representatives from the Mayor’s Office, Metro Arts Commission, Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce and Nashville Visitors and Conventions Corp.

The judging panel identified seven photographs in each category worthy of honorable mention for their unique perspective or creativity.

Honorable mentions in the hobbyist category include:

• Jeffery Moore – Knoxville, Tenn.
• Caitlin Selle – Nashville, Tenn.
• Michael Brannin – Nashville, Tenn.
• Jeffery Johnson – Nashville, Tenn.
• Paul Schatzkin – Pegram, Tenn.
• Hanako Kobayashi – Nashville, Tenn.
• Tom Hamilton – Nashville, Tenn.

Honorable mentions in the professional category include:

• Julie Cannon – Nashville, Tenn.
• Bruce Cain – Mt. Juliet, Tenn.
• Patrick Collins – Nashville, Tenn.
• Dwane Crews – Franklin, Tenn.
• Mike Noble – Nashville, Tenn.
• Kenn Stilger – Old Hickory, Tenn.
• Donald Claussen – Hendersonville, Tenn.

Winning photographs will be used by Metro Government, the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce and the Nashville Convention and Visitors Corp. for promotion of the city, including websites, publications and submission to national media outlets.

First place winners in the hobbyist and professional categories are receiving $1,000, generously donated by the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce and the Nashville Convention and Visitors Corp. Second place winners are receiving a $250 gift certificate for in-house photofinishing services at Dury’s. Winning photographs will be printed courtesy of Chromatics and put on display at the Historic Metro Courthouse. Winners will also be featured in the January issue of Nashville Arts magazine.

The winning photographs and honorable mentions in each category are available to view online at www.skylinecontest.nashville.gov, as well as in an album on Mayor Dean’s Facebook page.

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All photos were taken between Oct. 1 and Oct. 31, 2013. Participants were told that photographs must capture the Nashville skyline to qualify, but there were no rules regarding time of day the photograph is taken, perspective from which it is shot or editing used on the photograph.