Your Shot At Fame – Or At Least A Free Leica Camera

Marilyn Mai | Nov 11, 2011 12:00 pm | Add a comment | 1868 reads

Hey, you. Tired of using your mid-range smartphone as a camera? Wish that awesome shot of the chuan'r guy picking his teeth with an empty skewer was just a little less grainy? Or maybe you're an aspiring artiste who dreams of getting that perfect shot of your Beijing life, but you're held back by your utilitarian point-and-shoot's crappy aperture and slow sensor? Or are you prepping for that awesome trek through Xinjiang but afraid your bulky DSLR and five different lenses will break your back?

Well, whoever you are, this photo contest is for you. The Opposite House has teamed up with the supremo lens crafters at Leica to organize a photo competition that straddles Beijing and Hong Kong, with our city's theme being "Beijing Opposites." Prizes up for grabs include two different Leica cameras (the highest end of the compact camera market – and we hear their trademark "red dot" makes hipsters shake with envy) or one night's stay at The Opposite House (a little more fleeting, but still pretty sweet). Read on for more details.

The first thing you have to do is follow The Opposite House on Weibo or "like" them on Facebook (which means you'll have to get on your "vee pee en"). We know, this can be kind of annoying, but once you get it over with, your path to photographic enlightenment will be clear.

Then all you gotta do is take your photo and send it in. And luckily for all of us, they've just extended the deadline to Nov 30, so you still have almost three weeks to get your photo submitted. More specifics listed below, but we should note right now that the photo does NOT have to be taken on an expensive Leica camera. So don't get your panties in a bunch.

On their Weibo and Facebook sites, you'll find that the Hong Kong theme is different. Don't get distracted. There's an overall grand prize – a cream-of-the-crop Leica X1 – that runs across both cities, but there's also a first prize for Beijing: a slick Leica D-Lux 5. Runner-up gets a night stay at everyone's favorite boutique hotel.

For inspiration, the organizers of the contest have also commissioned four photographers – Madi Ju, Hanchao, Mandy Yeung and Xue Tan – to create their own shots to correspond with the contest's themes. Here's Madi Ju's take on the Beijing theme:

And Hanchao's take:

The nuts and bolts:

One photo entry per person (300dpi, 1280 x1024). Send to leicaphotos@swirehotels.com.
Name + email address + contact number + Facebook / 微博 username.
Photos have to be taken in either Beijing or Hong Kong under respective city’s themes.
Leica & Swire Hotels reserve the right to use your photo across their social media and press channels.
If prizes are not claimed within a month via correspondence, they will go to the next-in-line winner.
First "like" our Facebook page and follow us on 微博 before sending your photo for the contest.
Judges of the contest include a Leica Asia Pacific Representative; Brian Williams, Managing Director of Swire Hotels; and the four commissioned photographers: Madi Ju, Hanchao, Mandy Yeung and Xue Tan. Decisions are final.
Entries that don’t meet our theme and city will automatically be disqualified.
Results will be announced after November 30, please check back for updates.
Again, photo submissions do not have to be taken by a Leica Camera.