Posted March 29, 2004

As part of its ongoing In Focus employee photo contest, hpNOW recognizes seven honorable mention images. These employees will receive an HP Photosmart 945 digital camera courtesy of hpNOW and the Imaging and Printing Group (IPG).

Click on the images below for a larger view.

Up and away

Photograph by Cody Rayl

When a group of professional freestyle snowmobile jumpers came to Boise, Idaho, Cody Rayl couldn't resist checking it out.

"The jumps were set up indoors in a hockey arena, which gave little room for error but left plenty of room for them to soar 25 feet in the air," recalled Rayl, HP Services.

Rayl snapped shots of riders' tricks, like the double nac nac or no-footed can can, with his Canon 10D and Sigma 70-200 lens.

Awaiting his new HP 945, Rayl is looking forward to having a camera that packs so many functions into such a small package. "My current camera does just about everything I need, but with four lenses and other accessories, I end up carrying more than 15 pounds," he explained. "I'm also excited to experiment with the new HP Adaptive Lighting feature."

Past meets present

Photograph by Michael Christensen

Shortly after Michael Christensen and his wife moved from Denmark to Dubai, his parents came to visit.

"We went to watch a camel race, but it was cancelled," said Christensen, account support engineer. "The camels were only training, which turned out to be great to watch."

Christensen thinks the photo, taken with his HP Photosmart 812 digital camera, shows the contrasts in a fast changing world. "The foreground shows the camels training, an old tradition in the Middle East," he noted. "The background is the fast-evolving city of Dubai -- a city aiming to be the No. 1 tourist destination in the world."

Already an avid photographer, Christensen can't wait to upgrade to the HP 945. "I'm looking forward to the advanced zoom feature -- big time," he said.

Surprise shot

Photograph by Choon Keat Yong

Choon Keat Yong forgot he had even taken this photo at the Singapore Botanical Gardens until stumbling upon it a few months later.

"This was what I had been trying to achieve in the more than 1,500 shots I had taken," noted Yong, infrastructure engineer. "I was stunned by the details."

The gardens are a haven for these sunbirds, he added. "Their singing fills the air, creating a symphony that is totally mesmerizing," Yong said.

Sunbirds, typically a jittery bunch, frequent the heliconia patch where they use their long beak and tongue to drink the flowers' nectar. "I was actually packing up to leave, when this opportunity presented itself," he said. "It is quite rare for them to be so trusting."

Yong is happy to replace his Canon EOS 10D with Sigma 50-500 mm f/4-6.3 telezoom lens with the lighter weight HP 945. "My current setup weighs a ton, about 3.5 kg total weight," he explained. "With that kind of weight, it makes it impractical to carry around, especially when I travel.

The HP 945 gives me the flexibility of a mid-range zoom without the hefty weight to lug around. It makes a great walkabout camera. I'll be bringing it with me on a trip to Australia to take some landscape shots."

A modeling mandrill

Photograph by Chi So

The Houston Zoo is full of subjects, but Chi So favored the mandrill.

"The mandrill is the most photogenic because of its exotic looks," said So, project engineer.

It wasn't easy for So to get the shot, with his Canon Digital Rebel, though. "The mandrill was fenced off. I had to wait until he got into the right pose with enough distance behind the mesh so I could focus through it and not have the mesh show up in the picture."

So thinks the HP 945 is a great prize. "I look forward to using it," he said. "The Digital Rebel is a good camera, but it can be troublesome to use at times because of its size and the need to carry multiple lenses."

Under cover

Photograph by Lon Overacker

As the most exciting lightning storm danced above Livermore, California, Lon Overacker stood ready and waiting.

"I had always wanted to capture a lightning strike on film, and now was my chance," said Overacker, storage account support consultant. "The thunder and lightning were appearing almost simultaneously so I knew the strikes were close."

So, he grabbed his Nikon 35mm and HP Photosmart 850 digital camera, two tripods and set up in the backyard. "What's wrong with this picture -- tripods and lightning?" Overacker joked.

Just before the rain drove Overacker under cover, he was able to freeze a horizontal strike above his house with the HP 850, set to manual with a 16 second exposure. "I also realized how stupid it was to be out in the middle of the storm," he admitted. "But, I got an image that I won't soon forget."

Overacker is sure the HP 945 will help his photography. Typically a large-format photographer of landscape and nature, he uses digital tests to help with exposures and compositions. "Once I'm confident of a certain exposure with the digital, I can shoot with film," he explained. "And, with the HP 945's larger resolution and manual capabilities I'll also use it to shoot images. The future of digital photography is here -- and it will be much easier for me to get images on the Web to promote my work."

A little oasis

Photograph by Nicolas Le Petit

First and foremost, Nicolas Le Petit wanted to shield his daughter Ana from the August heat wave engulfing the south of France.

"All day long we cooled her with drinks and baths," explained Le Petit, IT program manager in Isle d'Abeau, France.

Le Petit took this shot with his HP Photosmart 812 looming about an arm's length above the colorful swimming pool, without using the viewfinder. "You can do that with digital photography," he said. "If the photo isn't correct, it doesn't matter. Just shoot again."

An avid photographer with thousands of photos already under his belt, Le Petit will use the HP 945 to take images with great precision. "The optical zoom lens is amazing," he noted. "Moreover, I'm impatient to try out the HP Adaptive Lighting Technology."

Desert dusk

Photograph by Rei Hayashi

Rei Hayashi and her twin sister roamed the Sahara desert during a trip to Morocco last January.

After a day-long drive across the rugged countryside of the High Atlas mountains, the pair mounted camels and rode back to camp. "We started the ride as the sun was setting," said Hayashi, associate consultant in Japan. "It was the first time I was able to see my shadow so clearly. I will never forget the twilight of the desert."

Hayashi captured her dancing silhouette with a Casio Exilm S2 camera. "I plan to use the HP 945 to help my mother chronicle her cooking recipes for a side business teaching Japanese cuisine," she noted. "Using the HP Adaptive Lighting Technology will surely help display my mother's masterpieces."