The Milky Way rises above the abandoned Utopia School, an old one-room schoolhouse that opened in 1904. This photo is part of the portfolio of Shane Turgeon, the grand prize winner of the Canadian Geographic annual photo competition. (Photo: Shane Turgeon)
We are thrilled to announce that Alberta-based photographer, founder of the Light Chasers Conference and great friend of The Camera Store, Shane Turgeon, has won the Canadian Geographic 2024 Photographer of the Year Award! The Canadian Geographic’s Canadian Photos of the Year competition brings to life the meaning of photography - drawing with light.

Sunset adds a warm glow to this developing supercell near Bentley, Alta. (Photo: Shane Turgeon)
Shane has been chasing the light he found in photography since 2012, after a nervous breakdown, where he found the healing effects of nature and photography. Capturing the small dots of light in astrophotography soon transitioned to capturing all aspects of nature photography.
In 2024, Shane's dog, Kwinn, got sick and he started looking for inspiration closer to home. The Tsuchinshan-ATLAS comet soared across the sky the day after Kwinn passed. Chasing the comet with his camera was both physical and metaphorical representation of Shane chasing his grief, and preserving a memory, which ultimately led to this achievement.
Left: Comet C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS returned to the skies on October 12th, one day after Turgeon’s old pup and adventure buddy Kwinn returned to the cosmos. (Photo: Shane Turgeon). Right: When Turgeon's eyes met the eyes of this cinnamon phase black bear in Waterton Lakes National Park, Alta., it was a profound moment. “You understand that we are all deeply interconnected,” reflects Turgeon. “That we are all a part of nature. That we all require a clean environment and have a need for a safe existence.” - Shane Turgeon interviewed by Abi Hayward, Canadian Geographic. (Photo: Shane Turgeon)
“Photography is this place of light...", We’re constantly chasing the light, figuratively and literally, because, in life or photography, we want that light in our life.” - Shane Turgeon interviewed by Abi Hayward, Canadian Geographic.
A huge congratulations to Shane on the incredible achievement!

Turgeon found this old Ukrainian Orthodox church to be a compelling foreground for the summer Milky Way. “One is the oldest form of worship we have as humans and the source of all things in the universe. The other, a comparatively new form of human worship with doctrines and beliefs surreptitiously influenced by the movements of the night sky.“ (Photo: Shane Turgeon)
To read the original article, and see the other winners, click here.