Success hasn't been an easy road for 20-year old Carol Letourneau, a 1997 graduate from the photography program at NBCC Woodstock. But after receiving a national award of excellence, the next step should be much easier for her.

Letourneau recently reveived a Niagara Institute of Photography award of excellence for her participation in a competition sponsored annually by the institute.. To enter the competition, she submitted 10 photographs and a 1,000 word essay on her "perspective on the photography industry."

The reason the competition was so attractive to her was because there was no entrance fee. Of the nice students in her class last year, Letourneau was the only one to apply because no one else wanted to write the essay.

"A lot of them had great photographs, the only problem was sitting down and writing the essay," says Letourneau.

Letourneau wrote the essay but notes that it took her almost two weeks to complete it.

The photographs she submitted included a wilderness shot, an industrial shot and a black and white picture of some fruit on a window sill.

Letourneau says that receiving the award is "really important," especially for someone who has an "enormous debt load" from college, to get their name out there as much as possible. After this success as a student, she intends to enter further competitions as a professional photographer.

Letourneau's former instructor Jeff Wright says he couldn't be more proud of his former student's success.

"It was an honor to be able to present this award to Carol," says Wright. Her winning this award is testimony not only to the photography program but to her as a person, I am very proud of her."

After graduating from NBCC Woodstock, Letourneau had a job travelling around the province taking pictures of children in different department stores. She says her days were very "strenuous and exhausting."

"Most of the time I would be standing there with a puppet on my hand and playing peek-a-boo with them," recalls Letourneau.

Although it wasn't her dream job, Letourneau says it was sufficient enough to pay the rent and bills. She also adds that this job was "great motivation" to get a better paying gig.

Letourneau hopes that her recent success will help lead to starting her own business sometime in the near future. "Hopefully with this certificate people will start noticing my accomplishments and it will make starting my own business that much easier," Letourneau says.

Letourneau advises aspiriing photographers that to be successful, you have to "want" success really bad.

"I know a lot of photographers who have amazing talent and a great eye for images, but they are just to lazy to get up and get the work done."