The sun is rising over a typical American city, complete with modern office blocks, industrial parks and a ferris wheel in the background. But wait a minute. Look more closely. Those rooftops over there? They're actually computer chips. And the road cutting through the middle of town? A strip of cable, running through the middle of a motherboard.

In its second annual "Photographers of Tomorrow" contest, Olympus Imaging America Inc. asked students at top photography schools across the country to capture an image that conveyed "Your World: The Art of Technology through Your Eyes." The winning image, "Dawn of Technology," by Lisa Norman-Hudson, nailed the concept with stylish elegance.

"When Olympus asked us to 'photograph the technology that has most impacted our lives and make it beautiful,' an idea started to come together," says Norman-Hudson, a student at Pellissippi State College in Knoxville, Tennessee. "I've been fortunate enough to photograph a Chicago morning sunrise overlooking Lake Michigan and Navy Pier. so when I was presented with a motherboard that had what resembled the Pier’s ferris wheel, the image idea became clear."

To recreate the city's appearance, Norman-Hudson used four different computer motherboards, which she placed on a folding table with a white wall as the background. She pointed two blue and mauve gelled lights onto the wall behind the table, then added a yellow gelled snoot for to give the effect of sunrise. The tilting Live View screen on her Olympus E-3 camera helped her get a good angle on the shot. "Shooting this image was quite funny because I was lying on the edge of my own table for over an hour, trying to capture just the right angle," she says. "I've always been impressed with the vibrant colors Olympus cameras produce, so I was quite pleased with my sunrise image."

A 38-year-old single mother of three who's made it onto the academic achievers' list every semester since beginning at Pellissippi State, Norman-Hudson says it was "nerve-wracking" waiting for the results of the contest. In an ironic twist, she says, the winning e-mail announcement was initially sent to her spam mailbox. "How funny, that the technology that has 'most impacted my life' didn’t deliver the announcement to me," she says.

As the grand prize winner, Lisa will receive a $5,000 scholarship and an Olympus E-3 camera, ED 12-60mm f2.8/4.0 SWD Zoom lens, ED 50-200mm f2.8/3.5 SWD Zoom lens and gadget bag. Lisa’s professor, Wade Payne, will also receive an E-3 camera.

For the first time, the Photographers of Tomorrow contest posted the 20 finalist images online and opened voting to the public. Erica Smith of the Art Institute of Colorado in Denver, Colorado was selected for her image titled, “Foggy Day on the Lake.” The serene image features a man in a boat among the mist. Smith will receive an Olympus E-520 kit. See her image below.

“The participating schools are known for producing some of North America’s top photographic talent, and the entries we received reflected that,” said John Knaur, senior marketing manager–DSLR, Olympus Imaging America Inc. “We congratulate Lisa and Erica on their accomplishment, and encourage all students to continue to expand their artistic horizons.”



For more on the Photographers of Tomorrow contest, click here.