ESTEVAN - Estevan’s Marleen Vicary has earned accolades from Tourism Saskatchewan for her photography skills.
Vicary received an honourable mention in the People and Places category for this year’s ExploreSask photo contest. Another photo that she took will be in the Tourism Saskatchewan calendar.
Both photos were from the Ocean Man First Nations’ powwow earlier this year.
“I’ve always wanted to go to a powwow, but that was my first one. That was with a few group members from the photo club,” she told the Mercury.
There was some tough competition in the category, and she recognizes the judges had some tough decisions. The photos were selected because they are colourful and they captured the powwow participants during their dances.
Vicary has been into photography for over five years. She is a member of the South Saskatchewan Photo Club, which meets at the Estevan Art Gallery and Museum on the last Monday of the month. People of all skill levels are welcome to join.
“Everybody is actually getting pretty good at photography in that group, but we’re always looking for new members,” said Vicary.
Club members enjoy going out to find great photos.
Photography provides an instant reward for Vicary because she gets to see her work immediately. An avid painter, she noted that it takes a while for her other art forms to take shape.
Vicary said she recently wrapped up a year-long photography challenge in which she committed to taking photos every day. She purchased a new Canon R6 camera a couple of years ago, but found she wasn’t getting enough use of it.
“My husband was saying ‘You’re not using your new camera’, so I thought ‘I’m going to challenge myself’, so I used it every day for a year. So I was pretty happy to get something out of it,” said Vicary.
She believes she’s much more familiar with the camera now.
“That was a long challenge, but I did finish it. I finished it in early September. So I was pretty excited to share it. I was posting pictures on my Instagram and my Facebook accounts.”
The Tourism Saskatchewan competition, launched in June, received over 4,100 entries by the Sept. 15 deadline.
Tourism Saskatchewan said the winning photos and honourable mentions, selected by a panel of external judges, capture the province’s natural beauty and dynamic spirit. The images feature extraordinary landscapes, winter scenery, diverse experiences, magnificent wildlife and the unique character of Saskatchewan people.
