Kingston photographer is honoured by nationwide photograph contest

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A Kingstonian was among the many finalists as Canadian Geographic journal introduced the winners of its 2025 Canadian Wildlife Photography of the Year competitors.

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Announced Wednesday in a press launch, the competition celebrates outstanding photos of Canadian wildlife captured by Canadian photographers. This yr, 9 photographers had been acknowledged out of greater than 10,000 entries.

Quebec City-based photographer Maxime Légaré-Vézina was chosen because the Canadian Wildlife Photographer of the Year and now begins a two-year time period because the Audain Emerging Photographer-in-Residence with Canadian Geographic.

With the assist of the Audain Foundation, whose wildlife conservation mandate is targeted on British Columbia (BC) Légaré-Vézina could have the chance to shoot on project for Canadian Geographic in B.C. — and take part in occasions selling visible storytelling.

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Kingston photographer Haolun Tian, a researcher and PhD candidate at Queen’s University, was runner-up within the class of flora and fungi, second to Jillian A. Brown of Squamish, B.C.

With wildfires dominating so many headlines throughout North America this summer season, Brown’s harmful but stunning flames consuming moss on a cliff face couldn’t be ignored.

Tian began his foray into pictures whereas researching algal blooms within the Kingston space in 2017. His sampling websites had been north of Kingston on the Rideau canal and smaller lakes in jap Ontario.

Tian stated in a cellphone interview that he used drones to check the blooms.

“Initially, I would use the drones to survey the blooms hourly and daily growth, but drones are very good at taking photos as well, so I started doing that,” Tian stated.

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According to Tian, when this thick, pea-soup like substance that varieties on the water’s floor, it’s disturbed by animals and boaters. He stated they act as paintbrushes and the physique of water is the canvas.

Tien has received different competitions together with his photographs. He stated as stunning as they’re, the blooms are poisonous. Beaches are sometimes closed to the general public by the ministry of pure sources and well being models when the expansion happens in abundance.

“Incredible wildlife photography is a pillar of our work at the magazine, and we’re always on the lookout for emerging talent,” stated Canadian Geographic editor-in-chief Alexandra Pope. “The magazine team and our judges were impressed with the amazing diversity of species and scenes entered into the competition this year — from enormous polar bears to tiny fireflies and everything in between.”

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Pope can also be the administrator of Canadian Geographic’s photograph membership. In a cellphone interview, she stated anybody can be part of the photograph membership and submit photographs all year long, however this contest is separate, which is run over a four-month interval.

She can bear in mind Canadian Geographic operating photograph contests of 1 sort or one other for greater than 35 years. Pope found some previous information.

“I personally went through a bunch of archives that people had submitted on CD Rom and on floppy disc,” she recalled with laughter.

Photos had been entered into 4 classes: terrestrial life, aquatic life, flora and fungi and issues with wings. All had been judged by Canadian Geographic’s editorial and design workers, in addition to skilled wildlife photographers Ryan Tidman, Jenny Wong and John E. Marriott.

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“We’re looking for those really outstanding, perfectly executed shots but also unique photos that tell a story about wildlife in Canada,” Pope stated.

With the arrival of synthetic intelligence, Pope stated she received’t permit AI to infiltrate the competition or the journal.

“My policy as editor-in-chief is that there will be no AI content in Canadian Geographic either written or photographic as long as I am editor,” she acknowledged adamantly.

She did add although that incidents of over-doctored photographs isn’t actually a difficulty as most photographers are keen about their craft and respect the artform. All photographs submitted are normally accompanied with a uncooked file, straight from the digicam with meta knowledge.

“That includes, shutter speed, whether a flash was used, the time of day — all of that is captured by the camera,” Pope stated. “Cropping, enhancing exposure or saturation a little is allowed but beyond that, nothing more.”

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Each photograph was scored out of 20 factors with 5 in every class — composition, technical high quality, visible influence and content material, and originality.

In the press launch, 36-year-old Légaré-Vézina, revealed he left his regular financial institution job to pursue pictures full time.

“So far, so good. I’m not bankrupt yet!” he joked.

Since then, he’s devoted himself to observing wildlife, studying animal behaviour and honing the persistence wanted to seize moments of piercing eye contact with totally different species.

Légaré-Vézina considers being named the inaugural Audain Emerging Photographer-in-Residence each an honour and a chance to maintain exploring.

“There are so many places in Canada I want to photograph.” he stated. “My passion is still there: to travel, discover new places, new species and live this life of adventure.”

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The winners can be featured within the November/December version of the Canadian Geographic journal, which can be launched in October. First revealed in 1930, by the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, Canadian Geographic journal is now Canada’s No. 1 paid journal with 4.3 million readers each month.

Canadian Wildlife Photography of the Year 2025 winners record

Canadian Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Maxime Légaré-Vézina, Quebec City

Terrestrial life

Winner: Jean-Simon Bégin, Quebec City
Runner-up: Reece Buruma, Petrolia, Ont.

Aquatic life

Winner: Alex Côté, Magog, Que.
Runner-up: Maxwel Hohn, Courtenay, B.C.

Flora and fungi

Winner: Jillian A. Brown, Squamish, B.C.
Runner-up: Haolun Tian, Kingston, ON.

Things with wings

Winner: Leslie Poulson, Bralorne, B.C.
Runner-up: Trevor Lowthers, Dartmouth, N.S.

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