| Armed Forces Entertainment worldwide MEGA-PIX photo contest has named six winners— Sergeant Harly Aguilar, Senior Airman Dorothy Burns, Lieutenant Jim Condon, Legalman Second Class James Hills, Jenni James and Major Timothy Soderholm—who will each receive a new Nikon D40 digital camera, 1.0 Gigabyte memory card and a camera bag. This first-ever Armed Forces Entertainment “troop photo contest,” which ran from January 1 through September 31, 2008, was eligible to military personnel and their dependents who were stationed overseas. Over 300 images were submitted, with the winning photographs conveying the excitement and fun that Armed Forces Entertainment shows bring.
The contest required entrants to submit still photos taken at Armed Forces Entertainment performances, capturing the essence of how Armed Forces Entertainment “brings a piece of home” to military audiences. The submissions were professionally judged and selected based on composition and creativity. In the spirit of the holidays, a time considered for giving, Armed Forces Entertainment will present the prizes to the winners during December.
“We are thrilled with the entries we received,” said Air Force Colonel Edward Shock, Chief of Armed Forces Entertainment. “It really goes to show just how much entertainment boosts the morale of our troops— and how important it is to bring a slice of good, old Americana to our personnel serving overseas.”
With levels of expertise ranging from a photojournalism major to a purely recreational interest in photography, the six military winners’ photographic perspectives and techniques were all different.
Having taken some photography classes, Senior Airman Dorothy Burns of Ramstein Air Base, was able to capture an interesting lighting effect in her photograph of rock band, Building 429. “I was pleased with the way the fog machines and light created the effect and I was able to position myself just right to get that perfect shot,” explained Burns.
Army Sergeant Harly Aguilar from Ft. Stewart shot his winning photograph of the rock band Puddle of Mudd performing in Iraq. “While deployed, I attended as many Armed Forces Entertainment shows as I could, and it was always great to hear how the artists are thankful for our efforts, and that they expect us home soon.”
“Being deployed away from your home and family can be tough; any kind of a break like an Armed Forces Entertainment show can really help you relax and recharge, and keep your spirits up. I'm exceptionally grateful to the performers like King Cone for traveling to the ends of the earth to provide that service for us—that’s what inspired me to take the photo,” said U.S. Air Force Major Timothy Soderholm who is an operations inspector and pilot at Hickam Air Force Base.
The prizes for the Armed Forces Entertainment MEGA-PIX photography contest were donated by the U.S. Air Force Services Arts & Crafts program.
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Armed Forces Entertainment is the lead Department of Defense agency for providing entertainment to U.S. military personnel serving overseas, with priority given to those in contingency operations and at remote and isolated locations. The Department of the Air Force is the executive agent of Armed Forces Entertainment. Founded in 1951, Armed Forces Entertainment brings a touch of home to more than 500,000 troops annually, embracing the best of Americana that stretches across all genres of entertainment. Visit www.armedforcesentertainment.com for more information.
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