It’s that time of year again when the results of the regional image salon come in. Last year, I was a judge so I couldn’t participate in my own region. Even though I’ve been a judge, it’s still a nerve-wracking experience to put my work out there to be critiqued. While judges look at four main components, vision, impact, composition and technical merit, it is still a subjective art form and sometimes there can be heated discussions on the panel.
I’m very pleased with my results this year since all four of my entries were accepted and three received a Merit score (the highest is Excellence and I’ve only received that once). I was in the running for Photographic Artist of the Year and all of my images were nominated in their respective categories (two in Animal, one in Pictoral/Floral and one in Fine Art) but while I didn’t get any of those coveted awards, I did receive a Judge’s Choice award. I really love this award because sometimes there are so many great images and it really is hard to choose a winner so each judge gets to pick a favourite. Sometimes it’s the same one that won an award but often, it’s one that they feel really stands out and deserves to be recognized. So thank you, Jay Terry, for thinking my photo of a grizzly bear going for a swim was special. It certainly was an incredible experience to be that close to such a magnificent animal (from the safety of a zodiac boat) and I still pinch myself that I got to go on that trip to the Khutzetmateen Grizzly Sanctuary. You can check out more photos from that trip here.
While I did dig into my archives for two of the images I submitted (the lioness was from my 2018 photo tour to Namibia), two were taken in 2020 during the pandemic at our cottage. This crazy time has certainly made me appreciate the beauty that is in my own backyard even though I am itching to start travelling again now that restrictions are easing and vaccine rates are up.
Click on an image below to see it bigger and don’t forget that I offer prints in various sizes and mediums. Contact me for more information.
