A St. Albert photographer has received a prestigious industry award for his sharp shooting and attention to detail.
Corey Hochachka was named Commercial Photographer of the Year for the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan by the Professional Photographers of Canada. Hochachka was recognized out of a field of about 130 professional competitors, after he submitted four images that were judged by master photographers.
Hochachka owns Troglodyte Photography which has operated out of St. Albert for the past nine years. The company specializes in commercial, industrial, stock and fine art photography.
Three of the four photos submitted received the highest score of excellence. Hochachka tipped his hat to colleagues and peers who helped critique his work leading up to the final submission.
“The credit goes to my peers,” he said.
Hochachka says he acquired his first serious camera around the time of his son’s birth in the early 1990s, later using it to capture mountain biking and other adventure sports outings. After spending a year in the Grant MacEwan fine arts program, he decided to pursue his passion as a career and enrolled in the photographic technology program at NAIT, graduating in 1998.
In the 12 years since graduation, Hochachka has transformed what was mostly a stock photography business when he started out, to about 75 per cent commercial work today.
Hockachka hopes his new award attracts new clients who tend to get comfortable using the same photographers once a relationship is established.
“I’m hoping this award will give potential clients more trust in me,” he said.
Hochachka’s award-winning photographs can be viewed at www.trogphoto.com.
