B.C. photographer captures top prize in Canadian Geographic competition

For Sara Kempner, home is where the waves of the Salish Sea meet the driftwood-strewn shoreline of the east coast of Vancouver Island and the Cumberland, B.C., residenthas now welcomed millions of people to share it with her.

The emerging photographeris the winner of a recent competition held by Canadian Geographic magazine that asked people to submit an image that captureswhat home means to them.

With more than three million readers in Canada and abroad, Kempner's shot ofSeal Bay, thebeach she grew up playing on in Courtenay, B.C., is getting a lot of exposure.

"It was quite the honour," she told Gregor Craigie, host of CBC's On The Island.

The winning image, of Kempner standing atop a log jutting out over the water, was taken at sunset using a tripod and timer. She told Craigieher intent was to shoota playful, self-portrait that was an homage to the place she explored so much as a kid.

"It just worked out perfectly," she said about the golden-hued results.

Kempner, who prior to COVID-19was working as a substituteeducation assistant, said a silver lining of the pandemic is the opportunity it has given her to hone her photography skills and try to turn her passion into a paycheque.

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"It made me focus on things that I really wanted to focus on, so I'm very grateful for that," she said.

Kempner is currently working on expanding her career behind the camera by taking business classes and teaching photography skills online.

According to Canadian Geographic, Kempner's photograph was selected from hundreds of entries.

The magazinewas launchedin 1930 and currently publishes six issues a year.

Tap here to see Kempner's winning image complete with submitted caption as it appears in the online version of the magazine, as well as the second- and third-place winners.