Aurora photographer Tom Sperduto was honored as the Grand Prize Winner of the 2008 APA National Photo Competition Grand Prize with his photo of ultra marathon runner Keith Knipling (shown below).  The annual contest recognizes outstanding photography in seven professional categories, including Lifestyle, Fashion, Still-Life and Action, among others.  The winning submissions were displayed at the APA National booth at Photo Plus Expo in New York City from October 23-25, 2008.

To view this and other winning entries, and for more information on the competition, visit http://www.apanationalcontest.com/.

Visit Aurora Photos to view more work by Tom Sperduto.

In honor of Aurora Photo’s 15 year anniversary, contributing photographers participated in ACTION:REACTION, a project that began with one photographer given 48 hours to conceive, shoot and deliver a set of images from which one was chosen and posted to the Aurora 15 site. Photographers are then contacted, one after the other, to produce a “reaction” shot to the image that preceded theirs. How one image relates to the other depends on the perspective and creativity of each photographer.

Check out what NPR writes at:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=96169893

View the project at:

http://www.aurora15.com/view/latest/single

At the 6th Annual Lucie Awards Ceremony, held on October 20, 2008 in New York City, Aurora photographer Justin Maxon was honored with the Deeper Perspective Photographer of the Year Award.  Sponsored by Pilsner Urqell and the Lucie Foundation, the ceremony was attended by 1600 people from 25 countries.  Maxon was chosen from six nominees who were culled from a field of thousands of photographers who were invited to submit entries which included the story behind their images. Entries were then judged on both image quality and the emotion they inspire.

When asked for his reaction on receiving this honor, Justin said, “I honestly felt extremely humbled to receive the award in front of so many photographers whose careers have shaped the landscape of photography today. I will never forget that evening, it was a big big deal for me at the start of my own career.  It will help motivate me even further to achieve my future goals in photography.”

For more info on the Lucie Awards, visit www.lucieawards.org.

The image below was part of Maxon’s award-winning submission.  “HANOI, VIETNAM – March 1, 2007. Every night, Mui, and her son, Pha, sleep in the street close to the Long Bien Train Station. While her son sleeps, Mui stays up late to clean up the newspaper she uses as a place setting for their dinner. Mui always carries her son to their sleeping area and covers him in a blanket before she finishes with her chorus. Mui, a Buddhist, has been living homeless for the last five years on the streets of Hanoi, Vietnam, with her son, Pha. Mui deals with the reality of having HIV. Even though they face many daily challenges, and have very little means of survival, they have an overwhelming sense of hope because they find happiness in their simple affection for each other.“

Visit Aurora Photos to view more work by Justin Maxon.

Aurora photographers Callie Shell, Heather Brand, Jay L. Clendenin and Scott Goldsmith will have images featured on Frontline: The Choice 2008 presented tonight on PBS. The two-hour program will explore the presidential race “that pits the iconoclast John McCain against the newcomer Barack Obama; the heroic former prisoner of war against the first African American major party nominee.”  The personal and political pasts of these two men will be examined and illustrated with poignant photographs by these Aurora photographers, among others.

Watch The Choice 2008 on PBS starting tonight, Tuesday, October 14th at 9pm EST or check your local listings for national rebroadcasts.  The program will also be streaming live and available on iTunes and YouTube beginning Wednesday, October 15th.  Click here for more info on how to download or watch online. For more information or to watch a preview, visit http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/choice2008/.

Photo © Callie Shell / Aurora Photos

Photo © Heather Brand / Aurora Photos

Photo © Jay L. Clendenin / Aurora Photos

Photo © Scott Goldsmith / Aurora Photos

Aurora Select photographer Katja Heinemann contributed to the Spelling Change campaign, a fun, innovative movement designed to encourage people to vote.  The non-profit was created by New York artists, photographers and designers, and hopes to spread awareness and passion about the Obama campaign by creating images that help people spread the word about issues concerning them.

Though Katja has lived in the US for 17 years, she was born and raised in Germany and will not be able to vote in November’s election.  Katja never quite felt comfortable telling people who to vote for (in her German accent), so volunteering her time as a photographer felt like a great way to contribute  to an important cause.  Check out the interactive web site at http://www.spellingchange.com.

To view more from Katja Heinmann, visit Aurora Select.

The French Institute Alliance Francaise (FIAF) Gallery presents Denis Darzacq’s exhibition, The Fall which explores the instability of youth culture through a series of photographs and videos.  Darzacq, who was recently presented with the award for First World Press Photo in the Arts and Entertainment category, presents photos which “become a metaphor for youth in precarious stability, playing a game of equilibrium and provocation. Featuring the bodies of young hip-hop, capoeira and contemporary dancers in weightless positions, The Fall opposes the elasticity of these bodies to the raw material of architecture.”

The exhibit is presented in partnership with Galerie VU and is part of the “I Kiffe NY” French Urban Cultures Festival in New York City.  Opening on October 16th, the exhibit will run through November 20, 2008 at the FIAF Gallery at 22 East 60th Street, New York City.  For more information, please click here.

Visit Aurora Photos to view more work by Denis Darzacq.

Todd Bigelow’s photos of NASCAR Sprint Cup leader Kyle Busch were featured in the September 15, 2008 issue of Sports Illustrated Magazine.  Busch, a driver with a reputation for no nonsense on the track is the winner of 8 races so far in the 2008 season.  “As is fairly standard these days, I was given a few minutes with Kyle in a small room adjacent to the garage where he was preparing to qualify for a race. It was the hottest room I’d ever been in. But Kyle, complete in his fire suit, never even broke a sweat. I guess they’re used to the heat,” Todd said of the shoot.

 Visit Aurora Photos to see more work from Todd Bigelow.