For the inaugural ‘Deconstruction of a Profile Pic’ assignment, the brief was to load up a memorable and meaningful profile pic that best presented the photographer and would potentially be cool enough to help to lift their online status.

Actor Joel Phillips and actress Holly Brisley were more than excited to feature in the video promotion for the competition – the videos captured all the action, fun and bizarreness that can go into the perfect profile pic, using Nikon Coolpix cameras of course!

Contestants had to simply upload their favourite profile pics and tell us how they would spend $5,000 to create their ultimate profile pic.

Here’s what they have won:

• A $5,000 budget to shoot the ultimate profile pic, including:
  • Travel for up to 3 people within Australia
  • Up to $1,000 worth of Nikon products
  • Up to $1,000 spending money
• A Nikon COOLPIX S8000 digital camera, valued at $499

Joel and Holly lent their time as judges for the competition that sought to find the best profile pics with the following criteria:

• The “memorable instant, often captured by chance” variety – hanging out with your mates, the mankini you wore to the work party, that crazy face you pull … or simply that look that says who you are
• The carefully constructed and posed shot – which takes hours (or even days) to perfect but it’s one that gets heaps of comments and feedback.

We had a lot of very fun, wacky, extreme and ‘out there’ entries, and we would like to thank everyone who took the time to enter and share their profile pics. Great work!

But there can only be three winners. And they are:

1. Andrew Chiknaikin – ‘Chikn’

Photo Name: ‘The moment’

Photo Description: “A water balloon being dropped on my head by my little brother – he loved it! This took forever to get just right and I was freezing by the end of it!”

Ultimate profile pic – what would you do if you win? “Cover part of a building in stickynotes flutter them down from the air and be in a big pile of them at the bottom, or the same for marshmellows. Or arms spread on a stage at a big concert. Or skydiving with my head, the plane, and skywriting in tvhe shot.”

Comments Joel Phillips: “Brilliant. Lots of character – it is bold and visually stunning. It is striking and draws attention, and is not a boring profile shot! Love the black & white.”

Comments Holly Brisley: “LOVE THIS. Super cool and it would have taken forever as he says. I also think what he’s going to do with it all seems quite funny….”

2. Monique Rothstein – monique

Photo Name: ‘9 Balloons: Step #2’

Photo Description: Went to a gig at Big Jesus Burger Studio and the room was heaving with hundreds of balloons. My friend and I (fulled by beer and balmy Summer nights) thought we would see how many helium balloons it would take to make my glasses fly away. The result: 9.

Ultimate profile pic – what would you do if you win? “Ultimate Profile Pic will include me, wearing these glasses, + 1000 helium balloons. The experiment: to see if 1000 coloured helium balloons are capable of lifting me off the ground.”

Comments Joel: So fun! What a cool shot. In the moment, colourful & quirky. An indication of someone who loves spontaneity & fun? Especially by the sounds of what you want to do with the prize! What an imagination.

Comments Holly: I LOVE THIS! And what she’ll do with the money.

3. Caity Wyhoon – ‘Caitbahhh’

Photo Name: Profile Photo One

Photo Description: … completely original idea.

Ultimate profile pic – what would you do if you win? “I want to go out to a field with the grass coming up just below our knees, & to go at sunset. I want to take a photo of my boyfriend & I kissing.. We would be sitting down with our backs to the camera, with the light shining through the gap in between us.”

Comments Joel: Great shot! Full of character! Love the black and white except for the blue eyes! Makes the pop, and bring attention to them. This could easily be used as a promotional shot for your future indie music career???

Comments Holly: Quirky!

Nikon Australia sincerely thanks Joel Phillips ad Holy Brisley for their time and for judging the ‘Deconstruction of a Profile Pic’ assignment and a special thanks to everyone who entered!