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Aspen is as gritty as a picture, thanks to the Red Bull Illume Image Quest 2006, the first-ever international action-and-adventure sports-photography competition whose finalists go on display today at the base of the Little Nell Run on Aspen Mountain. “We really wanted to honor and celebrate the photographers in the action/adventure industry because we work so closely with them,” explains Chantal Chrétien of Red Bull Communications. “This is the launch, the first of five stops in 2007. In 2008, it goes to Europe and tours.”
But Europe is already well represented in the 45 photographers whose work made the cut for the show, with Fred Mortagne of France and Brian Bielman of the United States each providing three photographs for the final lineup. “We received 7,200-plus images from more than 2,000 professional and emerging photographers in over ninety countries,” Chrétien says. “We used a judging panel to bring that down to the top 250, then to five photos in ten categories.” Those are the photos included in the exhibit, and more judges, including photo editors from around the world, have selected a winner in each of those categories, as well as an “Image of the Year” that will be announced at tonight’s opening ceremonies.
“It certainly went beyond my expectations for the first year,” Chrétien says. “We thought it would end up being something on a smaller scale. But it’s been a very successful competition.” See for yourself in Aspen, where the exhibit will remain on display through February 4. For more details, go to www.redbullillume.com.
Jan. 25-Feb. 4
