News release

Wild Photos Win Awards

Environment and Labour (Oct. 2000 - March 2008)

A computer consultant with hopes for a professional photography career is the overall winner of the first annual My Favourite Wilderness photo contest.

Joseph Howse of Halifax won the contest with his photo of a stand of maple trees in Terence Bay Wilderness Area.

"The great response to this contest shows how much Nova Scotians enjoy the province's wilderness areas," said Environment and Labour Minister Kerry Morash. "I'm thrilled to see so many outstanding images through their eyes, and encourage everyone to get out and visit these beautiful, wild places."

Mr. Howse's prize is a mounted wilderness area poster and a guided one-day photo expedition with the department's protected areas co-ordinator Oliver Maass, who is also a naturalist and photographer.

"For photography, I'm constantly looking for variety and contrast, and Nova Scotia's wilderness areas have it -- from the vast seacoast to the smallest life in the forest," said Mr. Howse.

He took the winning photo while on a hike with his brother, Samuel.

"Bring the family along," he said. "If my brother hadn't wanted to get to the next hill, I wouldn't have got the picture."

Phil Talbot of Hammonds Plains won the wild nature category for his photo of a forest floor in Sporting Lake Nature Reserve, in Tobeatic Wilderness Area. His prize is a mounted wilderness area poster.

Nicole Johannsen of Pleasant Bay was the runner up in this category, winning a set of unmounted wilderness area posters for her photo of a sunset over water in Pollets Cove-Aspy Fault Wilderness Area.

While the contest was meant to be limited to photos of wilderness areas, the department received many worthy submissions of provincial and national park photos. Honourable mentions were given to five:

  • an aerial image of Blomidon Provincial Park by Christopher Ball, of Mahone Bay
  • Withrod Lake in winter in Long Lake Provincial Park by David Hayes, of Timberlea
  • white-tailed deer in Shubenacadie Wildlife Park by Sherri Ashton, of Nine Mile River
  • surf and sand dollar, both at Martinique Beach Provincial Park by Jennifer Rector, of Head of Jeddore.

The contest was judged by freelance photographer Jamie Stevens and Communications Nova Scotia photographer Shirley Robb.

The winning photos may be seen on the department's website at www.gov.ns.ca/enla/protectedareas . Details on next year's contest will be available on this website early in 2006.