Winners

“This amazing photo of pine cones was taken on May 1 2024 at 4:25 pm in a field at Atrium Park on unceded Algonquin territory.

This photo is called Beauty Through My Lens. The aim was to take this photo to show the hidden beauty and details of dried pine cones. When we see pine cones in our daily lives we do not appreciate the beauty of these pine cones. Through my lens, these are like brown roses. The botanical name of pine cones is strobilus. When I see the pine cones in the parks I always admire the beauty and want to capture the beauty through my lens. One thing that can be improved is the camera I used to capture the beauty. I might have used a professional camera instead of a phone camera to showcase the beauty in more detail.”

“The clouds are long and thick with bursts of purple, pink and orange everywhere, which make you think of the ocean and a rainbow at the same time. Below is the glistening ice, the marvelous landscape of glowing snow, and rustling pines as the sun floats away.

The goal I had when I was taking this photo was to take a picture of the sky and the ice together to make the picture look extra aesthetic and I think I achieved that. I wanted to take this photo because when I looked at the sky it made me feel warm inside and it put a smile on my face. The reason the colors are like this is because when the light comes through the thicker atmosphere the shorter wavelengths of light are scattered away by particles left in the atmosphere leaving the color you see in my picture. The picture was taken in a Boreal Forest biome and the ecozone is Boreal Shield. I think this photo could be improved if I took a picture of the sky a little bit more and pointed the camera more to the left.”

“A pair of ravens have stayed over the winter, and have built a nest in a nearby pine tree. We are connected to these ravens because we have known them for so long. The ravens are nice to us, and we are nice to them. When we see them flying they are so majestic.

I took this picture on my mom’s iPhone. The picture was taken in Sudbury, Ontario. I like how the trees bring your eyes to the raven. I think I could have got the raven in a different angle. I named the picture The Ravens of Erebor because I was reading The Hobbit. In that story, the ravens are important messengers.”

“The title of my photo is “Dead Leaf On A Stick.” The goal of this photograph was to focus on all the tiny intricate lines in the wet leaf. I like this photo a lot because I consider it one of the best photos I have ever taken because it shows the leaf and the stick in very close detail. The thing that really made me want to take a photo of this was how the leaf is draped so perfectly over the stick like a curtain. I thought this looked very nice and I wanted to capture it in a photo. I also liked how wet both the leaf and the stick were from the snow and how it made the lines on the leaf stand out even more.

I took this photo in the country on a winter day when there was lots of snow and all the trees and sticks and dead leaves were slightly damp making for some interesting photos. The only thing I wish I’d done differently in this photo was to maybe take a closer look at some of the other leaves and sort of compare them in my photo.”

“The goal of this photograph was to capture a bee on a flower trying to collect pollen. I think I achieved this goal. The emotional connection is that a long time ago my dad took a close up picture of a bee, and I like that I got the opportunity to do something like that too. The photo is appealing because it depicts a bee taking pollen from a purple aster. Also, the bee is right in the center of the photo meaning you can focus on it, and lastly the background is blurred unintentionally but i think this makes the picture better.

The biome is Temperate Deciduous Forest Biome and the ecozone is Mixedwood Plain Ecozone. The scientific aspect is that bees take nectar from flowers like asters in this photo, once they have the nectar they feed their larvae. They also provide pollen to other plants which give them the services they need. I don’t think I could have improved anything.”

“Fern is one of the many beautiful plants in Canada. Fern has an elegant pattern texture and shape which looks very appealing and was why I was drawn to the leaf. I wanted to click this picture because I love gardening. It reminds me of when me and my family do gardening, it gives me so much joy, so I wanted to show my love for plants, especially leaves.

I like this picture very much because the contrast between the black background and vibrant green really highlights the gorgeous design of the leaves, showcasing the front and blurring out the back when you look at it. I think this is one of my favourite leaf pictures that I have clicked but I could have done a better job by centring the subject and having clicked from a different angle.”icture.

“The goal of this portrait taken in the Carolinian zone (Ontario) was to capture the harmless and shy nature of garter snakes. These snakes like to stay hidden in their habitats, typically beneath forest floor duff or tall grasses, and are known for eating pests that otherwise grow out of control. They are non-aggressive, but many misjudge them out of fear without realizing that the snakes are just as scared as they are. The innocently curious gaze in the snake’s eyes was perfect to demonstrate my appreciation of small animals.

Even if we do not realize it, they do a lot to keep our ecosystems healthy, including keeping pest populations in check, providing fertilizer for plant growth, pollination, and so much more. The image highlights the vibrant yellows and blue freckles on the snake’s face that contrast well with the brown background. Moreover, the texture of the snake’s scales is significantly clear, allowing the viewer to imagine how the snake feels without being there to touch it. Ultimately, I could have improved my photo by positioning my camera from another angle to remove the plant that interferes with the focus on the snake’s face.”

“Life on Earth is an enduring fascination; it embraces an ever-evolving and adventurous nature that demonstrates a journey of exploration for us all. This theme illustrates the goal of this photograph, which is the shared connections between all life on Earth. Life makes our world remarkably special in our galaxy, being the only planet to support it as we know it thus far. Located in the Boreal Forest Biome, unlike most ground squirrels, the Golden-mantled prefers to live and traverse alone after the beginning of its life.

This photograph features the perspective of a Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel standing on the edge of a cliff hundreds of meters off the ground, looking over the world and the mark between life and death, is characteristic of an impressive attainment. Although potentially not to that high of a standard, its bold action is a commentary of what many people are afraid to do; which is being able to step up, put oneself out there, push boundaries and take risks.

The photograph could be improved by emphasizing the focal point of the image more, which is the chipmunk, by changing the perspective from where the photograph is taken, such as the angle or direction”.

“The place the photo was taken was at Lakeside Park that is behind the water treatment in Kitchener. This is a spot that my mom and I go to get spring photos of the goslings there. We went out well prepared to getting low to the ground, by using a towel so I could get on my stomach. After half an hour of shooting, I was able to get this shot.

One of my favorite part of this photo is that every gosling has a different personality with some of them in a line and even one of them leading the full group.

The thing I liked about this photo is that the image is very simple in the way that there isn’t much to look at but has a little story that it’s showing. The only thing I could improve is even though the gray backdrop makes them stand out, it still would have worked well if they were in grass and would have added an extra element of nature into this photo.”