By Robin Van Der Vleuten
When, local sports and landscape photographer, Sabrina Leeder Shoots, She Scores! Sabrina finessed her photography skills and obtained valuable sports-related work experience when she attended the Ontario College of Art and Design (OCAD).
“During my first year, I was offered a chance to shoot an Ottawa Senators game and practice. Since then, I have been hooked.” explained Sabrina.
With tons of photos, she emailed Craig Campbell, Manager of the Resource Centre and Archives for the Hockey Hall of Fame, enquiring if he was interested in them. He offered her a summer internship, scanning negatives and slides, in their archives, and to shoot events for them.
“They asked me to take photos of the Girls’ World Hockey Day, the longest game, played at the same time the puck dropped in every country worldwide. Angela James, [a] team Canada inductee, and her daughter were playing in it. I did it and worked for the Hockey Hall of Fame for the next three years, while I was at OCAD.”
During her fourth year, Sabrina went on a three-month exchange program, to Scotland’s Glasgow School of Art, focusing on bookmaking and printing. “I learned a lot, gained experience, travelled Europe, returned home and shortly graduated from OCAD.” Frameworth Sports Marketing saw her hockey photos, at the Graduation Exhibition, and offered her a job.
A year later, Craig Campbell offered her an occasional job, at the Hockey Hall of Fame, scanning negatives and slides. Despite the hour-long commute, she gained experience restoring old photos.
“I worked with glass slides, old photographs, printed on silver plate or black-lacquered tin which led me to do photo restorations for other people.” said Ms. Leeder.
When the job concluded, Sabrina returned home and pondered her next career move. Her parents’ living room was full of her ‘Horse Back’ series, from a Canada 150th gallery showing. Her father, Dean, suggested she open a pop-up gallery and display her framed photographs, stored in their living room. To gain confidence as an entrepreneur, she attended networking groups and then opened the Preston Gallery.
Even though Sabrina enjoys meeting people who peruse her gallery and artists who display their work there, she also loves to share her artistic vision with others. She has entered her photo pieces in many Juried Art Shows.
“Some Juried Shows take a long time for your work to be accepted. Two of my pieces were accepted this year which is almost unheard of, due to space restrictions. If they choose two pieces of your work, you know you are doing something that special.” she stated. Sabrina won in three categories, in Barcelona, and will attend the show in May 2025.
Sabrina’s goal is to keep moving forward, expanding her series, 'One Millionth in the Sense of Yesterday and Reclaimed' (The Voices series) and applying to more shows. The music (titles/lyrics) she listens to, when she edits her photos, influences the titles she chooses for her pieces, especially music by Billy Talent.
Sabrina’s success at Juried Art shows are indicators she is on the right path, and, when She Shoots. She Scores!
Sabrina’s work can be viewed at Biaphotography.com