Vernons Best of the Best 2026 Photography Gold Winner

This one hits differently.

This time last year, I was holding Silver for Vernon’s Best of the Best Photographer and that alone felt huge. Vernon is stacked with talented photographers, people who are creative, consistent, and deeply rooted in this community. This year though… this year you all took it a step further and voted me into GOLD. My very first gold win for Vernon, and I’m still sitting with how much that actually means.

If you’ve never participated in Best of the Best before, let me pull back the curtain a bit. This isn’t a one-click, done-and-dusted situation. This award requires daily voting. Every single day. For weeks. And Vernon isn’t a small pond. There are dozens of professional photographers here, each with their own loyal client base and community support. Winning isn’t about luck. It’s about people choosing you again and again, intentionally, repeatedly, and showing up even when it would be easier not to.

This year was the first time I ever really asked for that kind of support. Asking is hard for me. Hyper-independence runs deep in my bones. I’d rather quietly work, pour my heart into my clients, and let the work speak for itself. But these awards don’t work that way, you have to advocate for yourself. And this year, when I finally did, I was absolutely shooketh by how many of you showed up, voted daily, and pushed me to Gold.

I’ve held the title of Kelowna’s Best Photographer for years now, thanks to my inter-communal business license and the fact that I’ve served both Kelowna and Vernon for a long time. But since opening my Vernon studio in 2022, this community has wrapped itself around me in a way that feels deeply personal. Vernon isn’t just where I work, it’s where my roots have grown deeper, where my clients have become familiar faces, and where my heart feels at home.

Winning Gold here isn’t just an award. It’s validation. It’s trust. It’s proof that the work I do, the deeply personal, vulnerable, empowering work, matters to this community.

So thank you. For voting. For sharing. For believing in me. For choosing me day after day. This win belongs to all of us, and I promise to keep showing up, creating art with intention, and honoring the trust you place in me every time you step in front of my lens. Thank you.