Putting the Teche Area In Focus

Published 8:00 am Wednesday, April 1, 2020

Amateur photographers from all over Acadiana sent in some of their best photos for The Daily Iberian’s Eyes on the Teche competition, and the results are finally in.

The competition asks local residents to send in a photo of what they think captures the Teche Area at its best, and dozens of photos were sent in for this year’s competition and evaluated by our in-house staff.

This year’s event marks the second year in a row that St. Martinville resident Candis Durand captured first place for Eyes on the Teche. Durand’s competition-winning photo “White Church” was taken in Acadian Village.

“Me and the kids all went with cameras, and we all just decided to shoot some pictures,” Durand, a 5-year photography hobbyist, said. “It was just a fun outing and we took a lot of photos of the church at Acadian Village because that’s one of the prettiest things out there.”

Durand said she shoots with a Nikon d850, and also has quite the lens collection for someone who is only five years into the craft.

New Iberia resident Bryan Russo came in second place for Eyes on the Teche for his photo of an osprey that he took at Lake Martin.

Russo, who has been doing amateur photography for about two years, said he regularly ventured out to Lake Martin for scenic photos until it was recently shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The New Iberia resident said his photo was taken on the last day of February, and he shot the photo with a Canon 5D Mark III and a 300 millimeter lens.

Finally, Lafayette resident Jamie Wagnon came in third place for a sunset photo shot in the Atchafalaya Basin.

The photo, Wagnon said, was taken in late November. The camera enthusiast said she enjoys heading out to the Basin during the spring and fall on an average of six times a year.

Wagnon said she has loved taking photos since she was about 7 years old, but has been serious with the hobby for the past 20 years. She shot the photo with a Nikon D7100.

Nearly a hundred images from more than 20 photographers were sent in for the competition.