Professional Photographers of Canada – Alberta

The Professional Photographer’s of Canada – Alberta recently held their annual image competition and convention in Calgary. We are pleased to announce that our 2013 Portrait Photographer of the Year is member and master photographer Duane Franklin from Leduc, AB! This is the fifth time Duane has earned this title! Congratulations Duane!

“”I first started in photography in 1978, that first year I worked at a Pro Color Lab which was a small photo finishing lab that catered mainly to professional photographers. I then had the opportunity to manage an existing studio, Nielson’s Photography which I managed for five years before striking out on my own. I bought Cantelon Photographs at that point from a retiring Bob Cantelon, Bob was a great friend and mentor. Cantelon Photographs was the first studio in Alberta to go to color I believe. I changed the name to Franklin Photographs and have been in a store front studio ever since. I have had an in house lab since day one and like to have my hand on every aspect of my images, I do my own artwork and printing and still get excited to see the finished product coming together.

This image won Best in Class – Wedding Portrait:

I started entering print completion in the early 80’s and won the photographer of the year award in 1987, 1989, 1992, 2008, and 2013. I have now won this award in four different decades and I think I will still be competing in the 2020’s, so who knows. For those just starting to compete I believe print completion will strengthen your skills and I advise don’t get discouraged if you don’t do well. My first print case I sent my scores were abysmal, rather look for growth and consistent improvement.

I joined the PPOC as soon as I started in photography and greatly value the educational opportunity’s as well as the fellowship with other like minded people. My dearest friends in the association are Robert Bray, Fred Katz, and Bill Hill. They are fellow old timers and I have learned so much from each of them over the last thirty years.

This image won Best in Class – Figure Study:

This is an exciting time to be a photographer. The equipment and technology available to us is staggering. The advances in camera’s and digital technology though are a double edged sword. A marketing educator Charles Lewis about twenty five years ago used to say, photography is hard and it’s good that it’s hard because if it was easy everyone would be doing it. Interestingly enough, he is still using the same expression today but I believe the meaning has changed. Photography has become easy in a sense and everyone is doing it. So now the challenge is to be as good as you can possibly be so that you can stand out from your competitors and that is the part that is hard. Education, print competition, practice, experimentation, etc, etc. I am still very much a student of photography. There are so many really talented young photographers that continuing to grow as a photographer no matter how long you have been doing it becomes imperative.

I still very much love what I do and hope to be doing it for a long time to come. I’ll leave you with this quote from Ansel Adams:

“ You don’t make a photograph with just a camera. You bring to the act of photography all the pictures you have seen, the books you have read, the music you have heard, the people you have loved. ” – Ansel Adams”

To view more of Duane’s work, please visit: Franklin Photographics