Congratulations to John Shim, whose winning photograph — Delicate Hands — was submitted to the Worldwide Photo Walk contest!

The toughest part about being the leader of the Downtown Knoxville Photo Walk was choosing which image would go on to represent the group in the big competition. Everyone submitted such awesome photographs to the pool, and it was so difficult to choose just one to submit.

After much deliberating, I picked John’s image. The black and white photo is beautifully composed. The perspective and depth of field is interesting. I like how the soft, bokeh’d background contrasts with the subject’s gritty, clay-covered hands. The moment captured is amazing, too. See the way the artist’s fingers are forming the sculpture (with pinky and index fingers up!)? And the tiniest details, such as the sharp clay knife on the ball of clay and the silly t-shirt graphic… all of those details make this seemingly simple black and white photo so visually complex and full of interest.

So once again, congrats to John — and congrats to all of the photographers who participated in the Photo Walk! Thanks for sharing your creativity with photographers around the globe!

In front of Remedy Coffee on Jackson Avenue -- ready to start walking!

The Worldwide Photo Walk on July 18 was awesome! It was a beautiful day in downtown Knoxville, and it was so amazing to make new friends with great photographers in the area.

We had a wonderful turnout. And in fact, because there were two walks in Knoxville, there must have been a hundred photographers running around the Old City and Market Square. A photog flashmob!

Thanks to Remedy Coffee for being the starting point for the walk. Remedy is the best coffee shop in the area! They even gave out free drink coupons to all of the photo walkers. Thanks to Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria for setting up a pizza buffet for the hungry walkers. And thanks to Express Photo for giving the photogs a special discount on gallery wraps!

Now that the walk is over, there are images all over the place. To see pictures from the Worldwide Photo Walk, you can go to the main event site — or you can check out the Worldwide Photo Walk group on Flickr. Photos from the Downtown Knoxville Photo Walk can be found at the following sites:

• KNOX PHOTO
• Worldwide Photo Walk 2009 – Downtown Knoxville (on Flickr… just created today!)

Also, you can check out the individual photographer’s sites to see photos. Check out the KNOX PHOTO group or KNOX PHOTO Facebook Fan Page to find some of the photographers. I’ve posted my photos on Flickr.

I’m really excited about doing this again next year! Can’t wait.

(And in the meantime, KNOX PHOTO is going to host some mini-walks just to keep the momentum going. Yippee!)

My Reflection

This shirt is available through Cafepress, and the coolest part about it is that 100% of all t-shirt sales will benefit Kids with Cameras — a wonderful organization that I first learned about through the documentary “Born Into Brothels.”

Kids with Cameras was founded in 2002 by photographer Zana Briski out of her work teaching photography to children in Calcutta’s red-light district. We believe that photography is an effective tool in igniting children’s imagination and building self-esteem. We believe in the power of art to transform lives, for both the artist and the viewer.

Kids with Cameras is a non-profit organization that teaches the art of photography to marginalized children in communities around the world. We use photography to capture the imaginations of children, to empower them, building confidence, self-esteem and hope. We share their vision and voices with the world through exhibitions, books, websites and film. By linking with local organizations, we work to strengthen the children’s education and general well-being, providing financial support through sales of their prints or by developing our own homes with a focus on leadership and the arts.

I’m really grateful to Bobby for coming up with such a wonderful design for the t-shirt. We’re really proud that the Downtown Knoxville Photo Walk has grown from being a social photography event to a socially conscious photography event.

If you’re interested in purchasing this shirt, visit Bobby’s Cafepress store at http://www.cafepress.com/wwpw2009.

Also, there’s still room for more Photo Walkers! Click here to sign up for the walk.

What is a photo walk? Jeff Revell knows… According to Revell, master photographer and photowalker, a photo walk is:

…the act of walking around with your camera and photographing your surroundings. Recently the term has become synonymous with a group of photographers, walking in predetermined locations and then sharing their imagery. Alone or with a group, the purpose is still the same and that is to go out and shoot.

Simple. And so much fun.

Last year, Scott Kelby (of Adobe fame) initiated the first ever Worldwide Photo Walk event. He did this as part of the new Lightroom 2 release, and the event was successful — with thousands of photographers participating from around the globe.

Today, Kelby announced that the second annual Photo Walk would take place on July 18. At this moment, there are already 192 walks registered. And Downtown Knoxville is one of the places that will be holding a Photo Walk event! YESH again!

Because I received approval to lead the event just this afternoon, I’m still working on the details. But be assured, this is going to be a fun walk and social event for photogs in Knoxvegas. There will be surprises and prizes and more.

To learn more about the event, or to sign up (participation is limited to 50 photogs), click here. I’ll be posting updates on the official Downtown Knoxville Photo Walk page in the weeks leading up to the event.

You don’t have to be a pro photographer to participate. As long as you enjoy exploring and have some way to capture images (pinhole cameras accepted, too!), you’re welcome to come along. Oh, and it doesn’t cost anything to join the photo walk. Just bring some enthusiasm and curiosity.

The walk will be followed by lunch at one of the hot restaurants in Market Square (to be decided). So bring your appetite as well.