Here are the winners of our photography contest held over the summer of 2020. There are three categories: Alumni, Student, Incoming Student and three themes: Community, Optimism, and Serenity.
Alumni Winners
Ben Spergel — Community
This one view encompasses the tiny cottage community of X-Bay on the French River, our planetary neighbours, Jupiter and Saturn, and ultimately the Milky Way where the light of 500 billion stars runs across the heavens and spills out over the horizon. Similarly, we see that communities are scalable, mutable and easily redefined in terms of distance and point-of-view. Sometimes, during the covid lockdown, I felt like my community was shrinking to fit within four wooden walls, but it’s just as easy to look up and feel like we’re part of something unimaginably vast and beautiful.
Hayley Moher — Optimism
Summer 2020 has been a trying time for many, blemished with uncertainty, caution, and dismay over the summer that could have been. But like the farmers who plant seeds every Spring, hoping without guarantee for Summer’s good weather and a bountiful Fall harvest, we remain confident in achieving the fruits of our own socially distanced labour. While we continue to weather this storm together, optimism keeps us all looking for the rainbow.
Natalie Craig — Serenity
This photo represents serenity for me, as that is exactly how I was feeling when the photo was taken at sunrise in mid-July. It was a perfectly calm morning with a beautiful fog across the lake. The Great Blue Heron peacefully watched the sunrise over the trees and I felt so immersed in my environment. When viewing this photo, one is able to feel the stillness and the quiet. This photo also demonstrates serenity through its muted colour palette and soft background, which provides the viewer with a calming effect.
Student Winners
Bilal Latif — Community
Foundationdisplays a rock cairn on a water surface with a backdrop of Lake Ontario just before sunset. The rocks resemble a community where each individual rock represents an individual of the community. A community is built on a strong foundation of leaders who inspire others to accomplish their goals. Moreover, when the “waves” hit the community relies on one another to stand strong and persist.
Eden Rosenblatt — Optimism
This is my grandfather, Abe. He was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease a few years ago, which came as a big shock to the large, close-knit family he worked to create. I could say we have optimism about his prognosis, but treatment options are not encouraging. Instead, I see optimism in the way my grandfather has lived his life. He came to Canada as a refugee from Poland, and has built a life and family after losing his in the Holocaust. Every decision he has made has been with optimism and hope.
Amaan Ahmed — Serenity
Summer 2020 has been a year of learning and growth for me. With everything happening around the world, I always find time to calm myself by visiting places that give me a sense of peace. The attached picture was captured at a local beach here in the United Arab Emirates. I have always found beaches and sunsets to be very calming. The relaxing sound of the waves hitting the rocks at the shore and the reflection of the setting sun over the sea is something that I always find to be serene.
Incoming Student Winners
Daniel Robertson — Community
Henry Street has been my High School and community for the last 4 years and to see the final year-end the way it did was disappointing. I decided to visit the school one evening to take some drone photos to share with friends and teachers. The principle liked this specific one so much that she was contemplating putting it up in the school to commemorate the graduating class of 2020 and the amazing community we helped contribute to during our years at the school. Taken on my DJI Mavic Air on July 12th, 2020.
Lianhao Qu — Optimism
In times like these, it is important to keep a positive mindset as it is easy to fixate on the negatives and get enveloped by it. As a first-year student, being optimistic can be beneficial for me as it can help me cope with any challenging events, especially stress. Similar to the bird in the photo, all I have to do is fly towards the light and focus on my path to my objective. This will allow me to soar through any obstacles along the way, inevitably allowing me to be successful.
Le Chang — Serenity
Thank you to Georgia Kirkos, McMaster photographer, for judging this contest.
