And now for the fourth of six winners of our inaugural Best In Show prizes for the 8th annual Exposed DC Photography Show. We invited a panel of distinguished Washington-area photojournalists to pick, in their esteemed opinion, their favorite photograph from our group of 49 images. Each Best In Show winner receives a $100 prize made possible by the Corcoran College of Art + Design.
We’ll be announcing the winners each day through next Monday. Tickets for the show, which opens next Wednesday, March 19, are available now.
Today’s Best in Show image is “Do or Dye” by Rey Lopez. Congrats Rey! His photo was chosen by judge Nancy Walz, the Director of Photo Services at Discovery Creative.
Exposed: For those that may not know, can you explain what was happening in this photo?
Lopez: At the finish line of the DC 5K Color Run, the promoters put on a party with a live concert, dancing and color throws for the participants. People were running around, excited from the endorphins of finishing a race and ready to have a good time. This photo captures just a piece of the finish line festivities.
Exposed: How did your camera hold up covering the Color Run? Did you destroy any equipment that day?
Lopez: I got lucky that day! I hadn’t experienced a color run before, so I didn’t realize that by the end of the day, I’d be just as paint-coated as the runners I was photographing. But, the weather called for rain that day and I prepared by encasing my camera and lens bodies in plastic. It didn’t end up raining, but the plastic saved my equipment from any potential damage or discoloration.
Exposed: Did you follow any of the controversy over the image used by the Color Run in an ad without permission from a photographer? Has anyone from the Color Run approached you about the photo?
Lopez: I did follow the controversy. Given what I do, I am always interested in the legal disputes that seem to come up so often in the photography world (the right to shoot in a particular venue, the rights of a photographer in his/her own work, etc.) No, I have not been approached about this photo, but worked with the Color Run in capturing it.
You can see more of Lopez’s work on his website.
