Snap-happy readers from near and far submitted outstanding pics for Up Here’s eighth-annual photo contest. Here, we present the top shots.
Anyone who heads North brings a camera. And why not? It’s a place only a handful of travellers ever visit; taking home snapshots of Canada’s Arctic holds more caché than shooting the Eiffel Tower or Grand Canyon. So it’s no surprise we received so many fantastic pictures for our reader photo contest. From the Yukon’s formidable Tombstone Mountains to Nunavut’s wind-swept polar snowscapes, you truly captured the North’s rich diversity and cultural appeal. The photos here tell stories of the people and places through the keen eyes of you, our readers. So sit back and enjoy this visual tour of life North of Sixty.
Grand Prize Winner: Some of the best landscape photos are taken from the sky. Lee Thomas of Inuvik, NWT snapped this stunning aerial shot of the Yukon’s Sleepy Mountain poking out of dense fog creeping in from the Beaufort Sea. “The mountain got its name from locals travelling to Herschel Island,” Thomas says. “They called it Sleepy Mountain because when they spotted it, they knew it was time to rest.” Camera used: Nikon D300.
Travel & Adventure Winner: Pangnirtung, Nunavut resident David Kilabuk used a difficult panning technique to capture this picture of local youth Billy Akulukjuk, 9, wheelie-ing past the town high school. “Billy’s been riding his bike a few years now and he’s become pretty adept at handling it,” Kilabuk says. Camera used: Nikon D300.
Honourable Mention: Whitehorse’s Christiane Boisjoly was hiking near Carcross, Yukon and stumbled upon a long-forgotten mining operation. “Minerals were carried down to the lake for transport and some structures were still there, including the buckets,” Boisjoly says. “This is typical of a Yukon experience: We hike unused trails and discover interesting pieces of history.” Camera used: Nikon Coolpix S4.
Arts & Culture Winner: Sled dogs are enduring, iconic figures of the Arctic. Hamish Matheson of Yellowknife was on an overnight trip to Clyde River, Nunavut with a local guide and captured this poignant shot of dogs resting near the shore of Davis Strait. The early morning light and cool colours make this photo a winner. Camera used: Canon EOS 1VHS.
Honourable Mention: It’s all in the family as cousins Alice Blake, Caroline Kay and Mary Firth sit with their great niece, Nadira Begg, a news anchor with CBC North. Robert Alexie of Inuvik took this portrait at Midway Lake, a Gwich’in summer-use site about 40 kilometres south of Fort McPherson, NWT. Camera used: Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT.
People & History Winner: When you go for a swim at 80 degrees north, you need a really, really big fire to keep you warm. Iqaluit’s Todd Windle, a warden at Quttinirpaaq National Park on Ellesmere Island, was at the Eureka Weather Station for Canada Day celebrations and decided to take a dip in the frigid ocean waters. “It wasn’t too hard to warm up by that fire,” he says. Camera used: Nikon D50.
Honourable Mention: “It’s easy to see how one would have chosen this location to build their dream house,” says Teslin, Yukon photographer Robert Postma. He was in the Yukon’s Keno City with his father and brother and walked up a hill on an otherwise overcast day. Then the sun broke through and illuminated the valley, creating a surreal and beautiful landscape.
Camera used: Canon 1DS Mark III.
Science & Nature Winner: Canada’s North is synonymous with polar bears and Arctic hares. But pelicans? Tom Koidhis of Fort Smith, NWT captured this American white pelican – one of several thousand that migrate to the Slave River on the NWT/Alberta border each summer. “They aren’t much appreciated locally, but when you take a closer look they are truly graceful and majestic,” he says. Camera used: Olympus E-410.
Honourable Mention: This image of frosted lupin shows the finer details of Northern landscapes. “I took this picture because it reminds me of a Dutch legend called The Blackberry Picker, a tale about a man who mistakes morning dew for diamonds,” says Christiane Boisjoly of Whitehorse. Camera used: Nikon Coolpix S4.
