Calling Saskatchewan his muse, Photographer Craig Hilts says that he has been in love with the living skies of his home province since childhood.

It was years later, in 2006 when, upon seeing a Glen Scrimshaw painting while walking through a mall, he began to wonder if such a moment portrayed in the painting could actually be captured in the split second of a camera's shutter.

And with that, a new avenue of artistic expression opened up for the Financial Advisor and Storm Chaser.

The latter would often take him away from the province; down into the United States for a couple of weeks to chase tornadoes and other inclement weather, but with COVID-19 putting a lockdown on cross-border travel, he took the opportunity to explore Saskatchewan, with the end result becoming some award-winning shots.

"I really enjoy taking pictures of Saskatchewan. I think we've got some of the most amazing beauty here with Northern Lights and our sunrises and sunsets and storms and everything. And that's just kind of become my muse, I guess. It's the province. I just like going out and exploring, seeing different places in the province and trying to get unique pictures."

Those unique photos paid off for him this summer; landing him a four-pack of high honours.

In this year's ExploreSask Photo Contest, Hilts not only took home the grand prize in the Places category but honourable mentions in both the wildlife and water categories, as well as having one of his photos selected for an upcoming 2021 calendar.

The winning photo, of the Goodwin House at Sask Landing, came down to being in the right place at the right time, as do so many other things where art is concerned.

Camping in Prince Albert National Park with his wife, a mechanical issue delayed them by a couple of hours, leading them to be driving through Kyle as the sun was beginning to set.

"The skies started to change and light up like that. My wife looked at me, but I'm pulling this trailer behind me so it's not like I can just slam on the brakes and pull over to the side for a picture."

Realizing that there was the Goodwin House coming up with parking available, Hilts pulled down into the valley, parked, ran out to put together a last-second composition, and quickly snapped the award winner.

10 minutes later, the firey sky was no more as the sun dipped too low in the sky to refract that particular shade anymore.

A moment of kismet, perhaps; of fate. Without mechanical problems, Hilts would have been long home by the time that particular patch of the sky lit on fire. A faulty trailer and a two-hour delay put him and his wife in the right place at the right time to capture a fleeting moment in the blink of a camera's shutter.

"And then 10 minutes later it was done. It was over. My wife and I just kind of looked at each other and she's like 'That was amazing'. And yeah, it's pretty cool."