.Brenda Makin won the People and Places category with this picture she took in Waskesiu. (photo/  Brenda Makin (Tourism Sask))

By Kenneth Cheung

AWARD WINNER

Maidstone photographer wins award from ExploreSask photo contest

Nov 30, 2024 | 10:00 AM

A photographer from Maidstone has triumphed in one of the categories of Tourism Saskatchewan’s 2024 ExploreSask Photo Contest, standing out among 2,400 entries.

Brenda Makin won the People and Places award with a picture of a serene sunset view over a calm body of water, with silhouettes of children and a lady standing on the wooden deck of a lake house in Waskesiu.

“The lake was coloured and beautiful, and seagulls were flying, then this lady and the little girl walked in and had a bit of a conversation in my viewfinder, and I just knew that was going to be my shot,” Makin recalled.

Believing that unexpected moments often lead to stunning photographs, she shared one of her favourite moments in Prince Albert Provincial Park, where she encountered a ‘surprising guest.’

“A friend and I were talking, and the other fellow went to change lenses. As he was walking back, a lynx crossed the road behind us, so we turned around, aimed our cameras, and shot, hoping we would get something. I had my camera set on continuous, which is what I always do when shooting animals,” she recalled.

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“I got him leaping, which was kind of cool.”

The lynx that she captured in Prince Albert Provincial Park.(photo/ Brenda Makin)

As moments like these could happen in a split second, she believes it is important to always be ready and expect the unexpected.

“You just turned and shot because that’s all you could do. You had no time to think,” she stated.

Reflecting on her journey, Makin shared that although photography has always been her passion, it wasn’t until 2012 that she started to master the skills.

“And after the very first day, I never put my camera back on Auto again.”

“I remember being extremely afraid that I would never get my camera back to the original setting, but then I realized that it just becomes automatic after a while. You don’t even think about that, and you just change the buttons [accordingly],” she noted.

(photo/ Brenda Makin)

Makin noted that Aurora is one of her favourite subjects to photograph. (photo/ Brenda Makin)

As a dedicated wildlife photographer, she looks forward to capturing even more special moments, using her photography to explore the world through her unique viewfinder.

“Any miserable day can turn into a great day if I have my camera in hand.”

(photo/Brenda Makin)

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Kenneth.Cheung@pattisonmedia.com