Here are the winners of the 2020 photo contest

The grand prize winner of this year's photo contest, Jayne Primeau, hikes around Canatara Park on the shores of Lake Huron, Ont. almost every week when the weather is nice. She takes her camera with her 90 per cent of the time. “So often you’ll see birds far off,” says Jayne. “But when I turned the corner on a trail winding around Lake Chipican, I saw this great egret only 30 feet away.” Our judges were amazed at the movement and the splash of water captured in this shot, done by setting the aperture and shutter speed, plus a bit of luck. The background is dark and soft with shimmers of light, which makes the great egret and fish stand out. Jayne's love of birds continues to grow with each visit to the park. “I didn’t know anything about birds when I first started walking here,” she says. “But you meet people and a lot of them have binoculars, not cameras. You get to talking, learn more, and you get hooked.”

Jodi Kirkup was hanging out in her friend’s yard in Tiny, Ont., taking photos with her phone, when she spotted these two grasshoppers. “You can't believe what you can see when you slow down and look at what’s around you,” she says. Our judges agree. It’s amazing Jodi used her phone and got so close to the two grasshoppers without one of them hopping away. The soft, complementary colours of the day lily play well off the bold shapes of the detailed, alien-looking insects. The close-up offers a view into a world we often overlook.

Our judges immediately gravitated towards the serenity of this image—it’s easy to want to shoot an entire flower, but the crop of the long, pure yellow petals fill the space and give the photo room to breathe. The bright hues create a sense of hope, much like the feeling Hal Chapman had when he spotted this bee on a cool summer morning in his backyard in Azilda, Ont. “It was sitting on a sunflower, immobilized and at the mercy of the cold until the sun could warm him up,” he says. Hal knew he only had a couple of minutes before the bee would be on the move, so he quickly set up his tripod and “fussed around” with a few different angles until he captured the pollen-covered bee. The level of detail is impressive—the macro shot shows off what you can't see with the naked eye. Hal has been taking close-ups of nature for over 40 years. “Normally bees are, well, busy. I was so lucky.”

“The cottage is a dog’s happy place,” says Emma Webb, and her puppy, Fletcher, proves it. The Nova Scotia duck tolling retriever was jumping all over the place on Mississagua Lake, Ont., while Emma’s partner tossed pebbles into the water. Our judges agree this action shot is filled with anticipation, their exact definition of capturing the moment. “I picked up photography as a hobby during the pandemic,” says Emma. “Plus, Fletcher is a puppy, so I thought it would be fun to have a few memories.” In order to capture the water frozen in time, our judges say Emma had to use a fast shutter speed. She also followed the rule of thirds, giving Fletcher space in the frame to “jump” into. He is sharp and in focus and the exposure is spot on—an achievement for one photo.

Maggie Scott says there has been a rope swing on Trout Lake, B.C., for as long as she can remember. She caught her son, Rory, 15, during one of his first jumps after a morning swim with his friend Eloise Allen, 16. “I’m not the photographer in the family, but I had my phone and it was lovely light. I had to take a picture,” Maggie says. Our judges think black-and-white images can often look cold, but the movement and morning sun bring warmth and a sense of nostalgia to this photo. The one-piece bathing suit, swim cap, and goggles create a feeling of timelessness—like it could have placed in the contest 30 years ago.

Alexis Lloyd was up at her cottage on Whitestone Lake, Ont., over the August long weekend when she used her phone to capture her family taking a swim. “It was one of the most beautiful eve - nings of the summer and it’s a cottage rule to always have dinner after the sun sets,” she says. “My dad goes to the water and watches it go down almost every night.” Our judges agree Alexis captured one of the hardest things to photo - graph: a feeling. We all wish we were in the lake, experi - encing the magic of the eve - ning. It was smart to wait until the sun dipped below the horizon to start shoot - ing; as our judges pointed out, that's when the best light and colours appear. “I’m sure this one is going up on the wall,” says Alexis.

Andrew Smith knew this double rainbow was a rare moment that he had to capture at his cottage on Deer Lake, Ont. “Our dock sits far out into the water and we have a lot of frontage, so our neighbours don’t have this view,” he says. The composition of the photo is what makes it so successful: the island is almost centered beneath the brilliant full rainbow, creating a “summer snow globe” effect. The bright pinks and reds add a sense of magic and wonder. Luckily, Andrew saw all of the elements line up just in time. “My wife was taking a bath and my daughter was asleep,” he says. “And I didn’t want to risk waking her up, so they both missed out.” Quick tip: save bath time for when after the sun goes down.

Anyone who has played a game of croquet knows it can get intense and this winning shot captures the sweet relief of victory. Tori Overbeeke was at her father’s new property on Bain Lake, Ont., where he had invited the extended family for the first time. “We were playing games all afternoon and I thought I would get photos of everyone together,” she says. Our judges agree the warm tones encapsulate the feeling of summer. Plus, the family cheering them on at the top of the frame, slightly out of focus, creates visual interest beyond the moment of pure joy. "Everyone's reaction is priceless," Tori says.

Thank you to all of our photo contest sponsors!