Results from the Air North First Light Image Festival Photography Contest

In the summer of 2016, a group of local photography professionals got together over beer and pizza at a local pub to talk about issues facing photographers in Yukon. At some point in the
Out of that meeting came the creation of the Writing with Light Society and the annual First Light Image Festival in Whitehorse, Yukon. The group decided that the festival should start small and include local presenters, a series of photography contests, prints from the presenters, and always plenty of socializing. The date was set for an evening event on April 7.
The enthusiasm for the festival from photographers, lovers of photography and sponsors was overwhelming. The festival sold out a week before the event. Over 100 people attended the opening free talk and book launch of Beyond Mile Zero: The Vanishing Alaska Highway Lodge Community by Lily Gontard (author) and Mark Kelly (photographer). The main event also saw over 100 people for presentations by Derek Crowe (Small Camera, Big Adventure), Mike Thomas (Moments), Cathie Archbould (From assignment to project: The power of personal work), Manu Keggenhoff (Haunted by Ideas – How to Pitch to Magazines), Gary and Brianne Bremner (This Is How I really Feel) and Peter Mather (Dene Hand Games).
The Camera Store enthusiastically agreed to sponsor the presenters and the photography contest. The photography contest saw images from all over the world by primarily Northern photographers. We had 25 entrants with 63 images all hoping for a chance to win a GoPro Hero 5 Black provided by the Hougen Group of Companies. The Camera Store added a $50 gift card and a lens cloth to the grand prize winner and all the
The Winners of the 2017 First Light Image Festival Photo Contest are:
Grand Prize: Into the Light – Reindeer Herding NWT
Danny Swainson – Inuvik, NT
“Earlier this year
Bob Nishikawa – True Grit
Jason Wolsky – Firefighter
Jim Welsh – The Last Canadian Reindeer Herder
Michael MacLean – Carmen Obscura – North End Knockout