honorable mention
Brent Hayden canada
title
Saida Port Study
Outside of swimming, Brent considers himself a fine art landscape/seascape photographer. He considers photography to be his meditation when he needed to balance his life away from the rigours of training and competition. His style has shifted towards a more minimalist approach in a way to declutter the noise of every day life.
Brent is also launching his performance lifestyle apparel line "Astra Athletica" which will raise funds through sales to directly help Canadian athletes achieve their dreams.
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entry description
These images were taken in Saida, Lebanon (about 40km south of Beirut). Saida (or Sidon) is Arabic for "Fishing Village", and it has been inhabited as such since pre-history and could possibly be the oldest continually inhabited port city in the world. The white concrete of the breakwater and lookout towers at the new port create a stark contrast against the Mediterranean sea and I wanted to capture that. This area was bustling with fishermen casting their rods into the water. You could find them later selling their fare next to the highway just a short walk away. When I was making my way to the vantage point for Saida Port Study No. 3, a guard wasn't letting us onto the grounds stating that it was a government site and no cameras were allowed. My sister and brother in law who are Lebanese convinced him to let us pass but he had to escort me to make sure I wasn't taking any photos of anything I shouldn't be. It was worth it. As a retired Olympic swimmer, I am instinctively drawn towards the water. My goal is to capture the moment before the race starts when, with the crowd screaming at you, I drown out the world by taking a final deep breath as I focus to hear my own heart beating...the still and calm in a hectic world.about the photographer
Brent Hayden is a former international swimmer from Mission BC. At the 2012 Olympic Games, Brent won a bronze medal in the 100m freestyle, the first Canadian in history to medal in the event. In 2007, he was co-world champion in the same discipline. He is the first and only Canadian ever to win the 100m freestyle title, the first Canadian in 21 years to win a world title in any swimming event, and the first ever to finish in a dead heat for the title at the World Championships. He adds a further 4 World Championship medals and 8 Commonwealth medals (including 2 gold) to his resume. He currently holds 6 Canadian records, 1 Commonwealth record, and 1 Commonwealth Games record.Outside of swimming, Brent considers himself a fine art landscape/seascape photographer. He considers photography to be his meditation when he needed to balance his life away from the rigours of training and competition. His style has shifted towards a more minimalist approach in a way to declutter the noise of every day life.
Brent is also launching his performance lifestyle apparel line "Astra Athletica" which will raise funds through sales to directly help Canadian athletes achieve their dreams.
back to gallery