Honouring shutterbugs

 Greater Sudbury is a city of lakes.

“No city in the world can boast 330 lakes in its boundaries,” said Mayor John Rodriguez.

He was speaking last week at a launch at Tom Davies Square for the latest nature calendar by the artist co-operative, Artists on Elgin.

A number of those lakes, and the names of the photographers who took their pictures, have been included in the latest 2010 Picture Our Lakes Calendar.

Now in its third year, the calendar not only highlights the beauty of the area, but is also a fundraiser for the artists’ store located at 168 Elgin St., said Inga Kaletka, communications person for the store.

This year, more than 240 photographs were submitted. The public voted for the best 50 selections and then a panel of experts pared the list down to 13 photographs for the cover and months of the calendar.

Photographers ranged from cover winner Blaine Nicholls, a retired architect and resident of Wanapitei Lake, to 16-year-old youth winner Emilie Thibault, a resident of Nepahwin Lake.

Nicholls used a Nikon D-700 digital camera.

He said he took the winning photograph at Wanapitei Lake very early in the morning.

Thibault said she enjoyed participating in the contest and learning photography.

“I live on the lake so it is natural to be taking pictures of it. I used a digital Pentax camera I bought a year ago,” she said.

Other winners of the photography contest include Greta Clarke, Merrilyn McDonald, Carmen Roberts, Pierre Echanbard, Louise Rochon, Karen Oman, Steve Blomme, David Wood, Bob Blaney, Karras Gravelle and Lynn Gainer.