Herschel photographer earns honourable mention in ExploreSask photo contest
EAGLE STAFF
Becky Wiens received an honourable mention for her video in the 2025 ExploreSask photo contest conducted by Tourism Saskatchewan.
Wiens, from Herschel, made the video of her nephew Chase Wiens, 13, combining a field for the first time, Becky said last week. Chase was combining canola in September.
Becky Wiens. Photo: Greg Johnson – The Tornado Hunter
“It was his first time in the combine,” she said. “It went really smooth, and he did so good.” Chase’s parents, T. J. and Raelene, farm near Kelfield.
It was “a great crop – it was a wonderful year” after “a very scary start,” said Becky, whose parents are Paul and Wendy Wiens.
“My friends told me about the competition and told me I needed to enter that video,” she explained.
Wiens, a professional photographer who divides her time between Regina and Herschel, had never entered photos in the contest before. It accepts entries from amateurs and professionals.
She didn’t submit photos to the contest this year because she was too busy with her regular work, which involves a lot of travelling, she indicated.
“I miss most of (the contests),” Wiens said. “I would love to enter more now. It’s fun. I do mostly weddings and people and stuff like that. I’m such a farm girl that it’s been so much fun doing agriculture and videography on top of it.”
She also takes photos at football games in Rosetown and of other sports in the region, she said. “I do a lot of work in the Herschel and Rosetown area.”
Shannon Chu of Saskatoon won the video competition. Four other people earned honourable mentions in the category. The competition received 3,785 entries by the Sept. 30 deadline, a Tourism Saskatchewan statement said.
Lindsey MacLeod of Regina, the grand prize winner, topped the people and places category.
Gilbert Katerynych of North Battleford won the prairie category, Lilian Donahue from Prince Albert won for wildlife, Craig Boehm of Regina took the winter division, and Saskatoon’s Brodie Sollid captured the woods and water category.
Independent judges selected photos that “capture the province’s natural beauty and dynamic spirit,” the statement said. “The images feature extraordinary landscapes, winter scenery, diverse experiences, magnificent wildlife and the unique character of Saskatchewan people.”