For us ITV F1 commentator James Allen was the star of this short Sony Ericsson camera phone photo showcase.
Update: James Allen interviewed on DPNow
Starting yesterday, but only running until this Sunday (17th December), Sony Ericsson is exhibiting a selection of prints from photos taken with Sony Ericsson camera phones.
Called 'Sony Ericsson Newsflash', the exhibition covers a variety of topics from straightforward artistic photography, to spur of the moment records of dramatic events. In the official Sony Ericsson
press release, we're told: "The exhibition marks the end of a campaign, commissioned by Sony Ericsson in partnership with The Times, which encouraged photographers of all abilities to use their mobile phones to capture images in a bid to win the title of ‘Cameraphone Photographer of the Year - 2006’.
The pictures were taken by both professional and amateur photographers. Some clever printing on canvas media has masked some of the expected quality shortcomings of some of the pictures that you might expect from camera phone images enlarged to around 10x8 inches or even more.
But some of the images from the latest 3.2 megapixel Sony Cyber-shot K800i camera phone have been reproduced surprisingly well.
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| These views of the Sony Ericsson Newsflash exhibition were taken using a K800i camera phone. |
The work of a particular contributor to the exhibition that caught my eye is that of James Allen, well known here in the UK as the new voice of Formula One Grand Prix TV coverage on ITV. Several of his photos show a definite eye for a picture and being members of the F1 media on the 'inside' has provided some great opportunities for unique shots that he has certainly not wasted.
Jenson Button, snapped by ITV F1 commentator, James Allen, using Sony Ericsson K800i camera phone at the 2006 Hungarian Grand Prix
His picture of Jenson Button bear-hugging a team member (we think it's the Honda F1 team CEO, Nick Fry) is a perfect example. Allen legged it out of the commentary box after the Hungarian Grand Prix this year, to snap Button, who had just won his first F1 race, as he made his triumphant return from the track. Allen's picture shows the joy and emotion in Button's face – while the official photographers that you can see in the background have a great view of the back of his head.
Allen was also able to sneak some shots in the unlikeliest of places, like during a behind the scenes meeting where, I'm sure, big DSLRs would not have been welcome.
We hope to have more on this topic in the near future and we're currently testing the K800i ourselves. But in the mean time, if you are in London's West End in the next few days, it's well worth a quick detour to the Air Gallery in Dover Street, not far from Green Park tube station, where the exhibition is running, in the basement gallery, until Sunday.
