Herald photographers nominated for awards
Stampede image and ballerina’s feet in spotlight
Two Calgary Herald staff photographers are being recognized nationally for excellence in photojournalism.
Leah Hennel and Lorraine Hjalte have been nominated for awards by the News Photographers Association of Canada, a non-profit group made up of professional and student photojournalists across Canada.
“It’s wonderful that two of our photographers have received this recognition. They, along with our entire team of photographers and videographers, do a fantastic job of capturing images of Calgary on a daily basis,” said Monica Zurowski, managing editor of the Herald.
Hjalte, a staff photographer, is nominated in the Sports Action category for a photo of a rodeo cowboy wrestling with a steer during the Calgary Stampede.
“I love shooting rodeo and I am really happy that it’s a rodeo image from the Stampede,” she said. “These are the top photographers from across the country so I am happy to be in that group.”
Hennel, who has worked at the Herald for nearly 11 years, is nominated in the Single Multimedia category for a video on Alberta Ballet dancer Nicole Caron’s feet. The video was linked online to a photo essay in Swerve, a magazine that comes with the Herald every Friday.
“I’ve always liked photographing feet,” Hennel said, “so I thought it would be interesting to collaborate with a ballet dancer. Nicole was the only one to return my call. She’s my lucky charm.”
Hennel’s photo essay, The Black Swan’s Feet, won an award last week in the Society for News Design competition.
Being nominated for a video is particularly satisfying for Hennel because she considers herself a newbie in the multimedia area of journalism. “I taught myself so it’s even more gratifying,” she said.
Zurowski said it’s nice to see Herald photographers recognized in two distinct areas of photography.
“Our photo department’s work is compelling on a wide variety of topics, ranging from news and business to entertainment, features and sports,” Zurowski said.
Hennel and Hjalte’s work was nominated for the national award after judges considered more than 2,330 images submitted by 124 member photographers from across the country.
Winners will be announced at the 2011 National Pictures of the Year gala event on April 28 at the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa.