At 13 he’s already winning many awards

Chris Graham, of Airdrie Rd., was 11 when he attended a GTA Photography Teen Summer Camp.
Since then he has been winning international nature photo awards, one resulting in his shot of a howling wolf at the Toronto Zoo among the 12 featured in Nature Canada’s 75th anniversary 2015 calendar.

The photo will be on display at the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa until early January.

The latest award was for Kissing Kestrals for the 2014 Get to Know Contest for the City of Toronto Gallery.

And he has been named as a finalist in the 2014 Travel Photographer of the Year contest. The winner, chosen by photographers from entries from all kinds of photographers around the world, amateur and professional, will be announced Dec. 4.

He has been a contest winner in New York state’s Jamestown Audubon Society annual nature photo contest and for Viewbug, a world-wide collection of photo contests.

Chris Graham is now 13 years old, a pupil at Bessborough school.

Here’s what his mother, Deborah Graham, wrote about him:

“Chris always has his camera with him as he spends time in Ontario’s provincial parks or travels through Quebec, Alberta, Nova Scotia, British Columbia, Florida and Alaska. He loves when wildlife rewards him with a glimpse and a pose.

“Up early to catch a sunrise in Prince Edward County this summer, Chris was rewarded by seeing three foxes on his way to the beach. He got some great fox photos, but missed the sunrise. He has captured sunrises and sunsets in beautiful Algonquin Park and Sandbanks Provincial Park.

“He is an avid birder and has the patience to get ‘up close and personal’ to the birds he loves so much. He has captured beautiful bird photos in Point Pelee National Park, Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary (a National Audubon Society sanctuary in southwest Florida) and J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge.

“He enjoyed spending a day with Canada’s award winning nature photographer, Chris Dodds, at Point Pelee during 2014 spring migration. He particularly enjoyed his summer travel adventure to Alaska where he spent time in Denali National Park, Kenai National Wildlife Refuge and the Chugach National Forest.

“Chris upgraded his camera to a Canon 5D this year and is looking forward to going back to Alaska in the summer of 2015.

“His photos are on display (and for sale) at Millwood Melt (on Millwood), along with a series of greeting cards. In a few weeks, his 2015 Nature Calendar will be on display and on sale as well.

See his website at www.chrisgrahamphotos.com.