Besides the blogging contest (which I won), there was also a photography contest. The theme was "Relationships with nature", and the top prize was a trip to Horqin and Jiuzhaigou, S$1,000 in cash, and S$1,000 worth of Timberland vouchers.
Out of all the entries, Jervis Mun's photo, Payback Time, was selected as the overall winner.
Once a year, farmers in West Sumatra ride their precious bulls in Pacu Jawi... once a year, splashing your master with mud is allowed. It's payback time!
And here is a photo of Jervis receiving his prizes from Timberland's Marketing Manager for Southeast Asia, Cheryl Kow;
I met Jervis a few weeks back in July, when we were being briefed by Timberland on some of the basic preparations needed for the trip, and at one point in time, he had mentioned that he had recently returned from photographing polar bears in Svalbard. It's a most challenging environment, since even in the summer, the average temperature ranges from 3°C to 7°C. Not to mention the wildlife isn't exactly friendly; just last week, a polar bear mauled a 17 year old boy to death and injured 4 other tourists in Spitsbergen, an island in the Svalbard archipelago.
Here are some of Jervis' photos from Svalbard.
There's the majestic wildlife native to the Arctic.
Some beautiful scenery.
And some interesting perspectives of the ship he was on.
And of course, a gallery of photos from the Arctic can never have too many photos of polar bears.
Jervis has been a photographer since January 2010, officially starting during the Siem Reap Photo Safari with Julian W. A creative director in environmental branding, he shoots with a Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III, EOS 1D Mark IV and 15 very specialised lenses. Besides Svalbard, other places he has visited this year include the Arctic Circle in Alaska for the aurora borealis or northern lights, as well as West Java, in search of padi fields and human interest stories. Last year, he explored the floating market in Kalimantan, South Borneo, the Pacu Jawi or bull race in Sumatra, the glaciers and fjords of Alaska, Maldives, and Siem Reap in Cambodia. Have I already mentioned how envious I am of his experiences?
And here are some other photos taken by Jervis, which have received recognition in other competitions.
Capitaland Building People Photography Contest – June 2011
Title: Our Nation's Beautiful Past
Award: Top 32 Finalist
Exhibited in CapitaLand "Building People" 2011 Photo Exhibition
Capitaland Building People Photography Contest – June 2011
Exhibited in CapitaLand "Building People" 2011 Photo Exhibition
Runbikeswim Expo Photography Competition – May 2011
Theme: Run Bike Swim
Title: The Wave
Award: Second Prize
I can't wait to see what sort of magic Jervis manages to capture in Inner Mongolia and Jiuzhaigou!
Timberland also had a Young Photographers contest, a category exclusively for those aged between 18 and 25 years. Tan Chee Fan won with this entry:
He wins an all expenses paid trip to Inner Mongolia and Jiuzhaigou, as well as S$1,000 worth of Timberland vouchers. I've yet to meet Chee Fan, but I'm sure we'll have the chance to find out more about him after the trip.
Here's Chee Fan receiving some of his prizes;
Congratulations to both Jervis and Chee Fan for winning! I'll be seeing them at the airport on Saturday night, as we join Timberland on their annual trip to fight desertification in Inner Mongolia.
1 more day to go! I'm really feeling the excitement as I start packing and make some final preparations.
