Announcing the Winners and Runners-up of our Tdot Shots 2024 GTA-Toronto Photo Contest
🏆 Our judges scoured through 1200 images to find a short list of finalists and to whittle that down to the cream of the crop to pick this year’s winners and runners-up. It was a tough job but here we are with the announcement! 🎉
Yesterday we met with our meetup group and announced the winners in person. It was a good photo walk in the downtown and we even had a surprise appearance – we welcomed Nikki from Prolab Canada, our generous sponsor.
You can review all the images submitted by viewing the hashtag #Tdot_24. Note: we recommend viewing inside the Instagram app as only “top posts” from a limited group of photographers are shown in web browser mode.
Prizes and Sponsors
Thanks to our generous sponsors including Prolab Canada and Tdot Connect.
Prizes are the following:
- 1st place: Professional printing credit from Prolab Canada (value $100)
- 2nd / 3rd place: 128 GB high speed USB drive and Pro membership at Tdot.co (value $75)
Here then are the categories and winners plus descriptions from our judges. The best images of the bunch included carousels of alternate images and descriptive captions. We have included embeds of all the original images in their original posts – scroll to end of blog post to view.
Special thanks to our judges
We are grateful for their hard work and time contributed by our judges Kurt and Michele. Additional contribution by our founder / co-judge Mike Simpson. Please support their photography by checking out their Instagram pages.
Michele Thompson – @magpie_n_moo
Kurt Wang – @kurt.wang
Mike Simpson – @tdot_mike
Winners Cityscape and Architecture
#1 Cityscape and Architecture
TD Centre Lookup by @crystlevs
Comments from our judges: “Classic lookup spot in the financial district and capturing it with mist and fog is a great approach. The fog adds an additional layer of interest in this frame. Love the gradient of tones and use of the buildings themselves as leading lines toward the centre i.e. the tip of the flagpole. The caption also describes the creators creative process meeting the theme of this year’s contest . We love the bold perspective here and the mesmerizing mist: Toronto’s towers stretch towards infinity!”
The photographer writes: “If you are ever in Toronto’s Financial district, you will find numerous skyscrapers and heritage buildings that make for some dramatic street photography shots and epic lookup shots. These were taken near Wellington (ed: or King) Street and Bay Street that are pretty popular for tall financial buildings and getting shots like this. If you want something more dramatic, try shooting in foggy conditions and you will get epic results with the building hidden in fog, using the ultra wide angle lens.”
#2 Cityscape and Architecture
Gooderham Building and Downtown Skyline by @jordan.kogut
An interesting image that had our judges debating which category it fit best, we ultimately decided that it was a hybrid hitter touching elements of both cityscape, architecture and even an aspect of street.
The photographer had a great caption, which helped our judges understand the context and process: “Twice a year for sunset and twice for sunrise, the TorontoHenge magic happens! When the sun aligns perfectly with the city’s east-west streets, they have stunning glow. This alignment, inspired by Manhattanhenge, has become a tradition here, creating a moment where the city grid meets nature’s beauty.
I wasn’t sure the clouds would let the sunset shine through, but luckily, the light broke through just in time. Shoutout to the kind stranger who stopped their car in the middle of the road, letting me capture this moment without the traffic rush!
For those wondering, these “Henge” events are named after Stonehenge, where the sun aligns with the stones during solstices. In the city, it’s a brief but magical alignment of urban planning and celestial timing.”
#3 Cityscape and Architecture
Moody cityscape by @his.visions
Comments from our judges: “Definitely a solid image with a sweeping aerial or elevated perspective of the expansive downtown core of the city. The desaturated edit adds some mood and lets the sunset become the subject of the frame. This image would have benefitted by including a caption, outlining their location gear or process.”
Winners Street and Culture
#1 Street and Culture
Rainy walk at Union Station by @manojklohar
Michele says, “Quintessential Toronto with Union station and the CN Tower, Great use of light, highlighting the pedestrian crossing. The choice of contrasting blue orange tones with the swirl of clouds in the night sky results in a great moody feel for this rainy evening moment.”
Kurt writes: This photograph has captivated judges on multiple levels. Its stunning composition masterfully incorporates iconic Toronto landmarks like the CN Tower, Union Station, and sleek high-rise buildings, set against the dynamic backdrop of bustling traffic and pedestrians. The photographer’s impeccable timing has also frozen moments of serendipity, including the wet conditions and the strategic placement of a walking figure, adding an extra layer of visual interest to the scene.
Judges wished there was more explanation to the creative process. However they were unanimous in picking this image as the #1 entry in the street category.
#2 Street and Culture
Royal York hotel B/W by @midnightnsix
Judges comments: “Great drama and shadows in this shot and edit. The composition is dope. Excellent contrast of light/shadow and white/ black, The well dressed man seems to suit. the “Royal “ in the sign also love the shadow of the traffic light which adds interest. Beautiful play of light and shadow, elevated to perfection in monochrome.”
#3 Street and Culture
King Street henge by @free_dp.ey.
Mike commented: “The creator has collaborated with a biker to nail this end of day sunset shot with streetcar. Vibrant cultural street and expression
Michele said: “Love this variation of a Toronto henge shot with the glow of the sun between the building as it rises or sets . The cyclist provides an additional layer of interest . Perfect timing. “
Kurt observed: “This photographer’s impeccable timing and planning paid off, converging the biker, Toronto Henge, and streetcar in a remarkable shot.”
Judges note that this image documents a dangerous act, and advises contest entrants and street photographers to stay safe and maintain distance from vehicles (using a telephoto lens may assist).
Winners Landscape and Nature
#1 Landscape and Nature
Forks of the Credit – @justsayantan
This late entry to the contest is a gorgeous image of a GTA conservation area taken by one of the members of the Toronto photography community. It was a near unanimous pick, earning high scores from all judges.
Michele explains: “Beautiful fall colours, great use of leaves as a frame. The trail leads your eye into the image and the size of the people provides some scale. Beautiful light and shadows.”
Kurt writes: “In my opinion it’s definitely the best one for this category. The photographer skillfully utilized the natural arch of the tree branches to enclose the couple, and the golden hues beautifully enhance the serene atmosphere.”
#2 Landscape and Nature
Morningside park aerial view – @viewsbyns
Judges commented: “I love these fall aerial shots showing the wonderful fall colours . The curves of the creek within these woods adds visual interest . The inclusion of the pedestrians provides scale. Breathtaking aerial view, leveraging curved lines to highlight dazzling fall colors. Really outstanding capture!
#3 Landscape and Nature
Butterfly in garden – @mappelphotography
This image had a simple caption: “Migration time 🦋 Day 5: macro” however it stood out as one of a few nature and wildlife images that our participants entered in the contest (we also acknowledge the great egret image by @gtatrails, another finalist).
Mike writes: “The photographer has made great use of depth to allow the subject to stand out from the background. Composition also showcases the cooler lovely green accents to the warm subject (butterfly/flower).”
Kurt observes: “This stunning wildlife photograph showcases exceptional natural colors and masterful depth separation. While it may not top the category, its inclusion acknowledges the underrepresentation of wildlife photography in our past contests. Selecting this image encourages more wildlife enthusiasts to participate in future events. Additionally, Marni’s consistent engagement and support within our community, including some Tdot events and meetups, make this recognition well-deserved.”
Summary
As Kurt noted we can always endeavor to widen our scope and reward those local photographers who play such a special role in the GTA creator community. THANK YOU to all of you – you are appreciated.
Celebrating amateur photography enthusiasts brings us joy. and indeed we may expand our categories and encourage a broader range of photography in future years. In this regard we did expand this year by including “nature” as a formal aspect of the landscape category.
We saw so many good images it was hard to pick our finalists and winners in each category. Looking forward to seeing your entries next year!
Photo Contest Awards Meetup
Here is our post showcasing winners and runners-up from our awards meetup.
Bonus
View winners’ original posts (swipe for carousels)
Thanks for reading and supporting the GTA photo community
Please follow the photographers and our page @tdot_shots
See you next year! đź‘Ť
Team Tdot Shots
