At the Harmony and Discord photo competition on Tuesday, graduating student Eric Crawford won first place with a picture he took with his camera-phone.
Crawford was taking part in the photography exhibition which was open to all Environmental Science students. They were asked to take photographs of human impact on the environment. One honorable mention photograph was a seat that looked to be on the O-Train filled with newspapers.
“Right now, the best we’re doing is putting things in the blue box and think we’re saving the planet, which we’re not,” said Brian Burns, Director of the Institute of Environmental Science.
“One of the things I find interesting is that we have to be able to perceive it, and there’s a visual aspect of things, trying to make us a little more aware of what we see,” said Burns.
Not only does it help the public make connections between humans and their effects on the environment, it also helps students in the program see the connection between what they read in textbooks and real life.
“It is something different from the routine of studying and this is a way of opening your eyes and looking around and seeing applied nature, what you study in books,” said Marisa Romano, a government research scientist who was selected to judge the photographs.
Crawford’s winning photograph was a shot of a bicycle in the Rideau Canal after it had been drained. The bicycle was stunning due to the fact that it looked fossilized.
“I was just walking home and it was on my way right before the Heron Bridge and it was just sitting in the canal and I had my phone on me,” said Crawford.
Provost and Vice-President at Carleton University Peter Ricketts was asked if he was surprised that the winning shot was taken by a camera-phone. He answered after a slight pause.
“It’s interesting because Eric must have been walking along and the opportunity to take that picture was pretty slim, and if he had gone back to find a camera it may have been gone so he was able to use the cell-phone to capture the moment,” said Ricketts.
Along with having his winning picture put on display, Crawford also won $100. When asked what he will do with it, he replied with a laugh.
“Put it in the bank and pay off some debt.”
Photo Credit:
http://newsroom.carleton.ca/2012/03/08/environmental-science-students-capture-harmony-and-discord-in-photo-competition/
http://www.charlatan.ca/2012/03/enviro-photo-contest-seeks-to-raise-awareness/