Local photographer takes home bronze medal at World Photographic Cup

With Jones having her picture finish third in the world, she said she was stunned when she found out about the result.

“I was completely and totally overwhelmed. I was shocked and very emotional, so I did cry. It was so incredible. It was such an exciting moment and really special to experience such a prestigious award as a part of a team representing Canada.”

Initially the award ceremony was scheduled to take place in March in Rome, Italy. However, about a week before the awards could be handed out, the COVID-19 pandemic struck, which resulted in the show being postponed.

The ceremony was then moved to September 28 and done virtually on Zoom, with various artists hosting and presenting awards from around the world.

Jones says she was a little surprised that her entry finished so high, as the theme of the picture didn’t really match what everyone else submitted.

“If you look at the top 10 finalists, my entry was the only entry in the 10 that was just bursting with colour, so it stuck out like a sore thumb. I kind of felt like there was a vibe going on and I didn’t really fit into the vibe. They obviously saw something special there so it was a nice surprise and really exciting.”

In the end, Erich Caparas of the United States took home the gold medal, while Aleksei Malikov from Russia picked up the silver medal.

Jones’ picture features her son, who is sitting by the apple tree with a bucket of apples. She spoke how the portrait came to be.

“I shot it in an apple orchard. It was two years ago and we had a ton of wildfire smoke and there was a ton of haze everywhere.

“We were out in the evening and the sun was trying so hard to poke through all of that haze and there was this beautiful glow as a result. It was shining through just enough to give the leaves this beautiful iridescent metallic glow, but it was enough to be soft. So, the light was defused, but it was still kind of shining through and I think that’s what gives the image so much punch and impact.”

“It was one of those one in a million shots that just doesn’t happen every day. All of the conditions set out just right and my little guy cooperated so well. I’ve been back to that spot so many times and it photographs beautifully every time, but I’ve never been able to replicate that magic in that spot.”

According to Jones, the organizers of the World Photographic Cup are hoping that sometime next year during the award show that they’ll be able to invite the participants back to Italy to celebrate their accomplishments, along with the 2021 recipients.

As for Jones, she says she doesn’t have any plans for what could come next or if she will submit any more entries in the future.

Jones is the owner of Noelle Mirabella Photography and operates photography workshops with her business.

She says currently she is working on a photography book which could take several years to complete. It will include her life’s work and tell stories along with it. She adds that lots of work still needs to be done and it will be ready when she feels its ready.

You can find the full list of awards from the ceremony here.

by Shane Clausing

Local photographer takes home bronze medal at World Photographic Cup

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