ESTEVAN - The photography talents of Estevan-area residents were celebrated on Tuesday night during the annual in-house competition for the Estevan Photo Club.
A record 84 pictures were received from club members this year. Photographers of all skill and experience levels submitted their creative efforts to be evaluated by adjudicator Jon Gillies, the club's former instructor, who came down from Weyburn to be the adjudicator.
He selected the top three in different categories and explained his reasons to the club.
"To have Jon come back … to judge our photos, and for him to see how much we've developed, how much we've grown as photographers, it's fantastic," said member Heliana de Souza-Wagner.
The club was not expecting to have so many photos from its 15 members.
"You could tell by his comments that we just have grown," said de Souza-Wagner. "We've learned from Jon and from each other, and all these workshops that we take."
Ellen Delorme's cat photo was selected as the photo of the year. Gillies reminded the club's members that he is not fond of cat pictures, but he loved Delorme's submission.
"As we were setting up the tables, we were talking about things that we remember about things that Jon used to tell us in the past, and one of the things that we were all giggling about was we saw the cat pictures, and we thought 'Oh, I wonder what Jon is going to say when he sees this.' And amazingly enough, it took best of show," said de Souza-Wagner.
The club meets on the third Tuesday of the month at the EAGM. De Souza-Wagner said they bring in local photographers as guest speakers to talk to the club and offer advice on technical settings and the art form.
"We go on outings. We go on road trips together and try to learn as much as we can," said de Souza-Wagner.
Members learn a lot during their photo trips, she said, because each member has their strengths. De Souza-Wagner said improving her night photography skills helped her develop.
"You can't use auto. You have to be on manual. And it's dark, so I learned where all of the buttons on my camera are. So, night photography is really good. It really teaches you about white balance and ISO, and you become really good, and you learn about the settings."
Further information about the club can be found on the EAGM's Facebook page.
