Celebrating Canada, the youth photo way

The Take Your Best Shot youth photo exhibition has landed at the Musée Héritage Museum a little earlier than usual this year. It's all for a good reason though.

Curator Joanne White said that you could thank Canada Day for it.

"We thought we'd switch it up," she said. "It would be open for the summer and for tourists to see."

The annual contest is open to young people from Grade 3 to Grade 12 with the photos being judged by local experts for prizes in three separate age categories. Every edition of the exhibit has a theme, and naturally, the country's 150th anniversary seemed like excellent inspiration for these budding photographic artists to develop their talents.

"We've got a great group of really interesting photos. A large number of them are nature based. Our Canadian environment defines us."

She also pointed out the iconic symbols of Canada such as Canada geese. "We have one beaver," she laughed. "It's very Canadian."

Expect majestic mountains, maple leaf flags, and a pretty cool ice sculpture. And yes, there are more geese than you can shake a hockey stick at. There are some great shots and viewers might be surprised at the level of technical and artistic achievements of many of these young masters.

"We're just so happy that everybody still wants to participate because this is our seventh year, and everyone that entered is excited. It's so great to see what the kids produce. They're amazing."

St. Albert Photo Club Exhibit

In conjunction with the exhibit is a special adjunct show being put on by the St. Albert Photography Club, which is celebrating its own 25th anniversary.

"It's interesting to see what the adults have done and what the kids have done," White said, adding that the number of photos is approximately 30 for each of the two groups. "It's an interesting mix. It's an even split."

"We are excited to celebrate this occasion and Canada's 150th birthday with an exhibit of our members' art," Catherine Page said.

"Our aim is to offer a place for photo enthusiasts to share what they've photographed and to learn and improve their photography skills," she said.

The club offers presentations by expert guest speakers, workshops, critiques, field trips, as well as other tools to its members.

"Through this process an interest in photography will hopefully turn into a lifelong love of photography, as a hobby and as an art form," Page said.

The club is also notable for being open to all ages and all skill levels. All of the young talents in this edition of Take Your Best Shot are certainly qualified on many levels to join up.