Photography Prize 2001

The Photography Prize goes to the winner of Epica’s European advertising photography category.  The prize is awarded jointly to the winning photographer and art director:

The winning ad features a simple, stylish image of a woman’s hand imitating the shape and form of a brown leather boot, promising "Handmade Shoes".

The ad was developed by YokYor, Amsterdam, a new division of Young & Rubicam. The agency offers total communication programmes for clients who require more personal service like Albert Nolten, a Dutch shoe retailer based in The Hague.  Albert Nolten has five outlets in Holland and imports handmade women’s shoes from Italy under the Toscanini brand name.

Edo Kars is a well-known and established Dutch photographer who works internationally out of the centre of Amsterdam.  His growing areas of expertise encompass people, landscapes, cars, locations and lifestyles.  His clients include names such as ABN AMRO Bank, Peugeot, Ursus Vodka, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, ING Bank and BMW.  His work has achieved recognition in the ADCN awards (Dutch art directors club), at the Cannes and Montreux festivals and at the Clio awards in the USA.

Edo Kars is also involved in film direction and is working on his first book "Visions of the World".  He recently returned to Amsterdam after more than 8 months travelling the world.

"As soon as we returned back in Holland we were contacted by YokYor.  Mart and Ralph showed me a very simple sketch of the handmade shoes concept.  I knew this could be the perfect combination of a beautiful photograph expressing their strong idea.  The hand and arm had to be dark as brown leather.  I wanted to keep the original idea alive using hardly no manipulation.  Lightning the arm as a glossy elegant boot took a lot of patience on behalf of all those concerned but we ended up with a perfect and beautiful result."

The Albert Nolten ad won the Stone Prize from a final short-list that included Kookai (by Rankin for CLM/BBDO, Paris), Oui Clothing (by Anatol Kotte for RG Wiesmeier, Munich), Ligne Roset (by Christine Kettiger for Callegari Berville Grey, Paris), the Air France campaign (by Nicholas Moore for BETC Euro RSCG, Paris) and the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (a self-portait of Helmut Newton for Scholz & Friends, Berlin).  The Albert Nolten ad also won its category, Footwear & Personal Accessories.