A picture is worth a thousand words, but a photo captured by Cochrane’s Jacquie Matechuk left admirers from around the world speechless.
Fourteen months ago, Matechuk went out into the wilds near Cremona, a village located about 30 minutes north of Cochrane.
On that fateful moonlit night, she saw a hunter unlike any she had seen before, a great grey owl.
She watched the owl for 20 minutes, capturing photos of the majestic animal as it hunted mice.
Moments before the owl finished hunting, the stars aligned perfectly, allowing Matechuk to take an awe-inspiring photo.
As the owl took off to leave the area, it flew toward Matechuk and looked her dead in the eye. She didn’t hesitate to capture the incredible sight on camera.
In the next moment, the owl was gone. Matechuk anxiously reviewed the photos and was relieved to see the owl’s piercing yellow eyes on her camera.
“I can remember thinking, wow, he just looked right at me. I wonder if I caught that and I went through and looked in the back of the camera and just about fell over,” Matechuk told Cochrane Now.
In that incredible moment, Matechuk remembered what photography is all about.
“Time behind the lens is our chance to escape the day-to-day grind and rediscover our creative selves, to fearlessly explore all this world has to offer,” she said.
FUN FACT: The great grey owl is the tallest in North America. These birds are both beautiful and powerful. Despite only weighing 2.5 pounds, great grey owls can break through hard-packed snow to grab small mammals. One owl reportedly broke through snow that was hard enough to support a 176-pound human.
Team Canada MVP
Matechuk’s photo is getting the praise it deserves at the World Photographic Cup (WPC), a competition in which teams of photographers represent their country in an international competition.
This year, the WPC was held on April 28 in Dallas, Texas, United States. Team Canada was one of 30 teams from around the world competing in the event.
Matechuk represented Team Canada alongside other Canadian Photographers whose photos were selected by Team Canada’s volunteer committee.
Matechuck’s photo won Canada a gold medal in the Nature Wildlife category with her the photo above titled “I’ll See You Through the Darkness.”
The Nature Wildlife category is incredibly strict. Images must capture animals in their natural habitat, not in a controlled environment like a zoo.
Baiting techniques are not allowed, meaning photographers can’t use bait or attractants to lure animals for a photo.
Highly manipulating images is also prohibited, but minor adjustments, such as cropping, rotating, adjusting colour, and other small changes, are allowed.
Capturing a photo that is good enough for the WPC is no easy feat, but Matechuk pulled it off against the odds.
In addition to photographing in the middle of the night, Matechuk had no way of stopping the great grey owl for a photo without using her camera’s flash, which she refused to do.
“That’s not natural to the animals and doesn’t institute a comfortable or an ethical environment for them,” she explained.
Instead, Matechuk relied on her photo editing talents to bring the photo to life.
“So I was able to catch it in the late evening and was able to tone down the brightness of it and really bring out that beautiful golden eye that he shared between those wingtips,” she explained.
On a Creative Roll
Using her camera, Matechuk turned a split-second moment into a timeless photo that is now enjoyed by people around the world.
Her latest masterpiece won her the Best of Nation Award in the Animals category and a spot in the famous 2024 Loan Collection.
In addition to winning gold for Canada at the WPC, Matechuk was named Commercial Photographer of the Year by the Professional Photographers of Canada for the second year in a row.
In 2023, she earned the prestigious title of Nature Photographer of the Year (NPOTY) after snapping a photo of an endangered Andean bear titled “He Looks to the Heaven.”
Matechuk has really been on a roll for the last several years and is considered one of the top nature photographers in the world.
Through The Lens Of Canadian Talent
Matechuk wasn’t the only Canadian proudly representing Team Canada at the WPC.
Canada earned two gold medals, one silver medal, one bronze medal, and three top-ten finishes.
Kari Carter, from St. Albert, placed seventh in the world in the Illustration category. Her work highlighted the many layers of expectations placed on women.
Kristian Bogner from Dead Man’s Flats also made our province proud with his silver medal-worthy photo of a surfer launching off a massive wave.
Craig Minielly from Vancouver, British Columbia, won Canada’s second gold medal. Minielly earned a gold medal in the Reportage category for his film stills.
Canada finished third place at the WPC, just behind Team USA and Spain.
Canada may not have won the competition, but our country earned more medals than ever before.
This year’s WPC showcased incredible Canadian talent, but Alberta’s photographers stole the show.
Whether it’s sports or photography, put a World Cup in front of us, and we will go for gold.
Follow Matechuk on Instagram @jacquiematechuk
