Grand Prize - Ian Syme

When given the opportunity to spend 27 days in the backcountry of Banff National Park on horseback, photo opportunities abound.

Ian Syme took full advantage of that opportunity, snapping the grand prize winning shot in The Fitzhugh’s third annual photo contest.

“There are so many wonderful shots that can be taken,” Syme said. “These are mementos for the future.”

Travelling with Margot Simpson on horseback (a mare called Nugget) on the north fork of the Cascade River, behind Cascade Mountain, the couple encountered a variety of obstacles – and breathtaking scenery. But when they came across a snowy morning, before the trees had a chance to change their leaves, right before a tricky incline Syme quickly got ahead and framed the shot perfectly.

“We debated going over the pass. The shot was a little bit of a set-up. We came up some steep switchbacks,” Syme said.

Syme, a resource conservation manager with Banff National Park said this is the first photo contest he’s ever entered, and is quite modest about his accomplishments.

He took the winning shot with a Panasonic Fz3, which he kept around his neck for the entire trip.

Wildlife

First Place - Joe Kozakewich

For Joe Kozakewich, being at the right place at the right time resulted in this great pic.

Fortunately for Kozakewich, Medicine Lake is one of his favourite places to be.

The Kraft Food supplier loves to check the water levels at Medicine Lake during his bi-weekly visits, and on this occasion, he had a visitor. A female moose strolled along the banks, right beside the road where Kozakewich was parked. He quickly framed his shot and captured the best wildlife pic of the year.

“She just walked right into the picture. I had just one shot to get it,” Kozakewich said, who uses a Kodak Easyshare camera to snap the winning shot.

“I like scenes and kids and I’m just a shutterbug to begin with,” the Edmonton native said, who’s been taking photographs for 30 years.

This is his first photo contest win, and he hopes to enter the Fitzhugh contest again next year.

Portraits\Personalities

First Place - Sonia Deleo

The portrait category boiled down to capturing character, and the top place photo has it in spades. What a look.

Taken while on vacation with her family, Sonia Deleo took this photo of one-year-old Adele in the hotel pool a year and a half ago. Deleo said Adele’s expression was just so funny, she had to take a photo.

Never having entered a photo competition before, she said it was really Adele who made the photo.

Mountain Life

First Place - Jeremy Salisbury

Patience is a virtue for photographers, and one Jasperite Jeremy Salisbury displayed with his winning shot.

After dropping off his friends for a hiking trip in late September, armed with his Nikon D700, Salisbury patiently waited for the perfect balance of golden light and still water to hit Maligne Lake.

“This one’s always been a favourite from day one,” Salisbury said. “I was there from 5:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. waiting for the light to be right.”

Using HDR, which captures a series of light and dark shots to create one clear and clean image, Salisbury was able to display incredible texture and colour.

“These came together quickly. I just had to tweak the saturation and contrast and it came out great,” Salisbury said.

A photographer since 2002, Salisbury has been trying to get into panoramic photography for some time. He’s been specializing in landscape photography, but says he’s still quite the amateur when it comes to wildlife.

This is his first win in a photography contest.