Wanda Harron has gained a reputation for her sports photography, both locally and provincially.
But thanks to a contest offered by the Canadian Junior Football League (CJFL), people across the country have taken notice of her talents.
Harron, who has been the team photographer for the Regina Thunder junior football program for the past three seasons, was voted as the winner of a CJFL contest for a photo she took during the 2019 season. It showed defensive co-ordinator Andrew Rumbaugh and defensive back Brandyn Martin after Martin made a key interception late in a game.
“He (Brandyn) came off the field all excited, and coach Rumbaugh came and embraced him after the interception when Brandyn was on the bench,” said Harron.
She noted that each season, the league’s media relations employee asks the different team photographers to submit their three favourite shots of the year. The pictures are posted on the CJFL website.
Each photographer is also asked to pick one of those three pictures for a Fan’s Choice Award competition. Harron received more votes than anyone else and was declared the winner.
Harron said she loves to take action shots of a great catch or a big play, but thanks to her sideline access with the team, she gets to take the emotional photos to tell the story. All three of the photos she sent to the league were pictures that, as she said, “tell a story.”
“It was really hard out of those three to pick the one that I wanted to go up for the favourite,” said Harron.
Players of the team and their families, as well as family and friends, voted for the picture.
Most of the photos that were entered by the other photographers were action shots, and they were terrific, she said, but there weren’t as many human interest photos.
Serving as the photographer for the Thunder has been a great experience. Back in 2016, she approached the team and asked if she could take photos for them. Based on her background from coaching youth football in Estevan, she knew where it would be best to stand.
“I took a few photos, went to a couple of games, posted some pictures on Facebook and then the next spring, their president contacted me and asked ‘Would you like to come out to all of our games?’”
She posts a few snapshots to the team’s social media account after the game, and some additional photos later. Her pictures have appeared on tickets and even billboards to promote the team.
Harron also takes photos for the local minor hockey teams and other youth sports teams, and she is also the team photographer for the Regina Red Sox of the Western Major Baseball League.
