A local Cochrane photographer will be representing Canada and recognized by a prestigious international photography competition 2021.

Jacquie Matechuk says, she’s grateful to be part of Team Canada, and have the opportunity to showcase her photo entry at the “Olympics of photographic art”. Further, she said, the world photographic cup is truly an international event that involves 38 to 40 (approx.) different countries around the globe. They have kind of dubbed the Olympics of Photographic art to harvest each country’s top images.

In this Olympic event, Jacquie is amongst four Canadian photographers who are all competing for a podium spot and a chance to win a Gold, silver or bronze medal for her photo entry.

The Submitted photo was taken in the early days of COVID lockdown by Matechuk. Jacquie says, on those days, she felt isolated like most people; she went out for some air and a change of scenery. Usually, while she walks in downtown core Calgary, it bustles. But instead, she was greeted by eerily empty streets.

The buildings just had such a different feel to them because they're usually something that's such a hub for the city. Millions of people use the Calgary downtown core and all of a sudden it was just vacant. The buildings rather than being these big dominant entities were just so empty and lonely feeling. That ended up being the motivation behind that particular image, says Matechuk.

Telus Sky building’s black and white photograph is the image that Matechuk said empty and lonely. The towering still image, a typically bustling part of Calgary's Cityscape.

Most commonly-known for her sports and travel photography, Matechuk says that broadening her line of work allows her to keep growing her skillset and stay inspired.

She said, when I work in different genres of photography, each one has different demands and challenges. It makes me better overall as a photographer. "I find, no matter what I'm shooting, if I continue to shoot in a broad spectrum all of them just seem to get better and better and you just continue to push yourself."

The medal ceremony of the World Photographic Cup 2021 is scheduled to take place in Rome, Italy on April 19, but that will ultimately depend on COVID-19 health and safety restrictions.