Wedding and Portrait Photography Excellence Celebrated by Kodak at Imaging USA

ROCHESTER, N.Y., Jan. 17, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Wedding and Portrait photographers from Iowa, Florida, Tennessee and New Jersey joined the ranks of the elite, named the 2012 recipients of the annual KODAK PROFESSIONAL Gallery Elite Awards. The awards recognize outstanding creativity and skill of wedding and portrait photographers who have also utilized KODAK PROFESSIONAL Products and Services to produce exceptional photographic prints for their clients. Kodak will showcase these images in its booth, #1929 at Imaging USA (I-USA), the annual conference and trade show of the Professional Photographers of America (PPA).

Ben Shirk, Shirk Photography, received the grand prize, for his image, A Wild Ride. Shirk, based in Wilton, IA, took what started as a hobby in photography and built a thriving studio with his wife, focusing on creating unique portraits. The judges described Shirk's photograph, printed by White House Custom Colour, as extremely well composed and a "believable fantasy" with a "whimsical feeling."

"Each KODAK PROFESSIONAL Gallery Elite Award winner represents the trifecta of wedding and portrait excellence – professionalism, talent and a unique style," said Christopher S. Van Zandt, Vice President & General Manager, Paper & Output Systems, Americas Region, Eastman Kodak Company. "They also all recognize that working with a professional lab to create output printed on KODAK PROFESSIONAL Products contributes to the high quality and lasting memories they provide their clients."

In addition to Shirk, three photographers received KODAK PROFESSIONAL Gallery Elite Awards:

• 2^nd Place: Peter Burg, Burg Photographix, Maitland, FL for Art Deco Classic
• 3^rd Place: Dorma Tabisz, Photographic Art by Dorma, Franklin, TN for Nature's Simple Moment
• 4^th Place: Jim LaSala, Jim LaSala Fine Art Photography,Flemington, NJ for Burden of Haiti's Future

Each winner will receive the KODAK PROFESSIONAL Gallery Elite Crystal trophy and a cash prize. In addition to showing the images in the Kodak booth, Kodak will showcase the winners' images on kodak.com, and in Kodak promotional materials. During 2012, professional photographers affiliated with the PPA in all 50 states and Canada competed for KODAK PROFESSIONAL Gallery Awards.

State and regional winners of KODAK PROFESSIONAL Gallery Awards who used KODAK PROFESSIONAL Products, such as KODAK PROFESSIONAL Film, Media and/or Chemistry in the creation or production of their works, were eligible to compete for the KODAK PROFESSIONAL Gallery Elite Award.

For more information on KODAK PROFESSIONAL Media and all KODAK Product offerings for the professional markets, please visit www.kodak.com/go/professional or follow us on FACEBOOK at www.facebook.com/KodakProfessional.

About Kodak
As the world's foremost imaging innovator, Kodak helps consumers, businesses, and creative professionals unleash the power of pictures and printing to enrich their lives.

(Kodak and Kodak Professional are trademarks of Eastman Kodak Company.)

2013

SOURCE Kodak