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J(X > 2 · l>iw ic I '> 1 W hen a picture' s worth a thousand words By Angela Blackburn OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Barrie Erskine is Ontario' s top community newspaper photographer O a kville B eaver p h o to g ra p h e r B a rrie E rsk in e 's talent lies in his ability to see w h at's interestin g and uniq u e behind th e obvious o r the m undane. " B arrie has the ability to tu rn an everyday occurrence into a m em orable keepsake. He cap tu res the m om ent brillian tly ," said E d ito r in C hief, Jill Davis, o f M etro lan d 's H alton Division, w hich includes th e O a kville B eaver. "Barrie's great at going to ordinary assign ments and coming back with something great." agreed B eaver Managing Editor Rod Jerred. Erskine, 35, was named Photographer of the Year last weekend by the Ontario Community N ew spapers' Association (OCNA) which doles out awards for excel lence in community journalism annually. Erskine's kudo was new this year to the competition, which saw the O akville B eaver also pick up top honors for overall excel lence. The awards were handed out at OCNA's Better Newspapers' Competition awards din ner held Saturday in Toronto. "1 don't tell people that I'm going to take their picture. I like saying I'm going to make your picture because I'm 'not taking some thing from them. I'm making or creating something," said Erskine of his philosophy of what works behind the camera lens. A native of Rawdon, Quebec, Erskine moved to Oakville with his family in 1985. He continues to live in town. After two years of studying applied pho tography at Sheridan College, Erskine earned his diploma and began freelancing with the O akville B eaver, B urlington P ost, and M ississauga News. The Oakville B eaver staff photographer community o f Oakville," said judge Brian Clark of the Kitchener-W aterloo Record. "(Barrie) is a valuable asset to the B eaver and to the community of Oakville," added Clark. Erskine's entry was among 17 and fin ished ahead of second place winner, the M ilton C anadian C ham pion and the Etobicoke Guardian. has continued his studies of photography over the years and has picked up more than a dozen awards for his work, including two from the Halton Regional Police Service. Erskine has won awards for his sports, spot news, feature, photo feature and comput er-enhanced photos. "Barrie Erskine of the O akville Beaver showed strengths in all categories of his entry. From a photo of a swim meet, a photo page on a kids' house league hockey tourna ment, to an illustration for a story about a spirit walk and more, Barrie captured the "I look for a different type of image, I look to find something different, unusual, a differ ent angle on things," said Erskine. "A photo has got to grab you and tell you the story right off the bat," said Erskine. Though that may prove difficult to some, it comes naturally to Erskine who shrugs, "It's just a matter of seeing things different ly " Even to the talented Erskine, the everyday assignments can be the biggest challenge. W hile Erskine loves to photograph wildlife and nature because it relaxes him in his spare time, it's capturing just the right image at assignments for cheque presenta tions or ground-breaking ceremonies that can be the toughest job. "It can be a challenge at times, especially at assignments that you've been to time and time again, to try to find something differ ent," Erskine said. While Erskine said it's "prestigious" and "good to be recognized" in his field, his sub jects and even those who simply appreciate his work have often offered equally valuable praise. Last year, Erskine received a card of thanks from someone -- whose photo he had n't taken -- who wrote to express their appre ciation for his work. Lucky for Erskine that his first choice at a career -- he tried his hand at being a chef -- didn't pan out. "I went to school to be a chef, but 1 found I didn't like cooking for 500 people," laughed Erskine, adding, "So I tried the next best thing, photog raphy. I enjoy taking and making pictures." This photographer, who got his first camera from his mom and dad, Lyn and John, as a high school student, has a passion for photography and his profession as a newspaper photographer. Whether it's anticipating the action in order to "make" a sports shot on the fly or capturing the emotion of the moment, Erskine admits newspaper work is his fort£. "Barrie's a compassionate, caring individual and that comes across in his photographs. He really loves being a newspaper photographer and that sets him apart in his field," said Director of Photography, Riziero Vertolli, for Metroland's Halton Division. The worst part of the job is taking the tough news shots. "I'm not big on photographing people's tragedies. I do it because it's my job, but it sticks in the back of your mind. There are a few incidents in Oakville that I'll never forget. I've seen too much of it," said Erskine. The best part of the job is that Erskine has an end less supply of raw material -- opportunities to apply his trade. "We have opportunities to photograph that most people don't get. We get to see celebrities and sports figures," said Erskine. The advent of digital photography has made work interesting and has improved the field of photography, said Erskine. Yet somewhere in the photographer, the artist yearns for the old days when he got stains of his shirt from darkroom chemicals and the true beauty of photogra phy was evidenced in black-and-white film. S ir * ^ v yd a '-v it x r ,·. m \ 4 - M ·" I look for a different type of image, I look to find something different, unusu al, a different angle on things. A photo has got to grab you and tell you the story right off the bat." · Barrie Erskine Ontario Community Newspaper Association s Photographer o f the Year