A travel writer has received national recognition for his photography.
A photograph taken by Gerry Feehan, showing a family on the streets of India’s sacred city of Varanasi, finished first place in the Best People Photograph category at the Travel Media Association of Canada’s annual national conference and awards in June.
“It’s a real honour and a real pleasure to be recognized by your peers in any endeavour,” Feehan, a former Red Deerian who now lives in Kimberley, B.C., said Monday.
This is his fifth TMAC award, but it was his first time winning for a photographic category and his first time for taking home first place in a category.
Feehan has contributed to The Advocate many times over the past decade or so.
“I’ve enjoyed the opportunity to get published in The Advocate and create an audience,” he said.
“I get told repeatedly by people they enjoy the stories because they get to travel with me vicariously.
“They’re not just a verbatim record of where we went, what we did and what we ate while we were there. There’s always an element to it that enables me to take a reader along with me. That’s always been very fun for me.”
The judge’s comments on the photograph, which was taken in 2017, said it “powerfully encapsulated the realness of urban and street life in India.”
“The approach the photographer employs on this image gives and interesting and appealing ‘vintage’ look to the composition, which really adds to its overall appeal,” said the judge’s comments.
“The faces of the individuals precisely illustrate a sort of ‘mixed emotion,’ as you can see both the hardness of their life situation, yet the beauty of their togetherness. Stunning photo.”
The Best People Photograph category asks the photographer to depict an aspect of culture, life or society, as perceived through the image of an individual or group.
TMAC is a nonprofit association with about 400 members, that services industry and media travel professionals.
sean.mcintosh@reddeeradvocate.com
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