2026 Alberta Portrait Photographer of the Year Finalist
I am incredibly excited and proud to share that I am officially a finalist for 2026 Alberta Portrait Photographer of the Year!
Even writing that feels a little surreal.
What started in 2014 with a Nikon D3200, a love for photography and absolutely no idea where this journey would take me has grown into a full-time career, a commercial photography studio, and now recognition at the provincial level.
Being named a finalist is an incredible honour, but for me, this accomplishment represents so much more than four photographs. It represents 12 years of learning, building, creating and continually pushing myself to become a better photographer.
My Story: From a Nikon D3200 to a Full-Time Photography Career
I started Sees the Day Photography in 2014 while still working a full-time career in the oilfield. For years, photography was something I built alongside my regular job, slowly developing my skills, growing my clientele and figuring out where this little business could take me.
Then, in January 2022, I made one of the biggest decisions of my life.
I left the security of my full-time career and jumped into Sees the Day Photography with both feet.
In September 2025, I took another huge leap and opened the doors to my commercial photography studio in Ardmore, Alberta.
And now, just one year later, I am a finalist for Alberta Portrait Photographer of the Year.
One of the things I am most proud of throughout this journey is building a photography career in a small community.
Being a small-town photographer means you really have to learn how to do it all.
I may have areas of photography that I especially love, but I don’t have the luxury of mastering only one thing. I am a portrait photographer. A wedding photographer. A family photographer. A child photographer. A graduation photographer. A headshot photographer. A sports photographer. An event photographer. And so much more.
Each genre requires a completely different skill set. Different lighting. Different posing. Different equipment. Different environments. Different challenges.
Learning to move between all of them has pushed me to become a much more versatile and well-rounded photographer.
It is also why continuing education has always been such an important part of my career. Every year, I invest significant time and resources into workshops, conferences, courses, mentorships and countless hours of practice.
Photography is a craft I don’t believe you ever completely finish learning. There is always another technique to master, another challenge to overcome and another way to grow creatively.
And I never want to stop learning
About the Alberta Image Salon
This year’s Alberta Image Salon made all of those years of learning feel especially meaningful.
To qualify as a finalist for 2026 Alberta Portrait Photographer of the Year, I needed to have four images accepted into the Portrait category of the Alberta Image Salon.
This year, I did it. All four.
Having my complete submission accepted into the Portrait category put my name in the running for 2026 Alberta Portrait Photographer of the Year.
Seeing those four images recognized at the provincial level is something I am incredibly proud of.
But I don’t think accomplishments like this happen because of one photograph, one competition or even one good year.
For me, those four photographs represent the culmination of everything that came before them.
The Nikon D3200 I started with in 2014.
The years of building my business while working another career.
Leaving my full-time job in 2022.
Opening my studio in 2025.
The workshops, conferences and education.
The photographs that didn’t work.
The experiments that failed.
The techniques I had to practise over and over again.
And the thousands of people and moments I’ve had the privilege of photographing along the way.
Those four images represent 12 years of becoming the photographer I am today.
About Kirsten Lynch
Kirsten Lynch is the photographer and owner behind Sees the Day Photography, an Indigenous-owned professional photography studio based in Ardmore, Alberta and serving Bonnyville, Cold Lake, St. Paul and communities throughout Alberta’s Lakeland.
Since beginning her photography career in 2014, Kirsten has developed a diverse portfolio spanning portrait, family, child, graduation, wedding, corporate headshot, sports and event photography.
In January 2022, she left her full-time career in the oilfield to pursue photography full-time, and in September 2025, she opened the doors to the Sees the Day Photography commercial studio in Ardmore.
Kirsten is an Accredited Professional Photographer of Canada and continually invests in professional education, photographic competition and developing her craft.
In 2026, four of Kirsten’s portrait images were accepted into the Alberta Image Salon, earning her a place as a finalist for 2026 Alberta Portrait Photographer of the Year.
For Kirsten, the recognition is not only a professional milestone. It is an opportunity to represent the small communities of Alberta’s Lakeland on a provincial stage.
“I am incredibly proud to represent Sees the Day Photography, my little studio in Ardmore and the entire Lakeland area at the provincial level.”
Regardless of what happens when the final award is announced, being named among the finalists is something I will be proud of for a very long time.
To every family, graduate, bride and groom, child, athlete, business owner and organization who has trusted me to photograph them over the last 12 years, thank you.
Every person who has stepped in front of my camera has played a part in getting me here.
Now we wait to see what happens.
Kirsten Lynch
Sees the Day Photography
2026 Alberta Portrait Photographer of the Year Finalist