2010 photo contest winners

Brian Barbeau takes a lot of photos, but “most of them are the kind you discard because they don’t turn out well.” Not so with this scene of six of his grandkids—aged five to 12—buying the first ice cream of the summer at the local marina on Manitouwabing Lake, Ont. The kids, absorbed in choosing flavours, didn’t know he was there. “It was quite an event; more involved than buying a house.”

Judges’ comments

We immediately all agreed that this was first place. You know the kids’ expressions without seeing their faces, you can feel the cold air conditioning, you can hear the bell above the door. And it’s cottagey without being at the cottage. Technically, the light is soft, everything is clear and sharp, and the scene is framed to include telling details, like the door. Excellent.