What has Yellowknife-based photojournalist Pat Kane learned from his work as a freelance photographer based in northern Canada?
Kane, who recently celebrated 20 years in Yellowknife, is currently documenting the connection between northerners and caribou through a Dr Jane Goodall environmental photography grant from the non-profit Vital Impacts.
With work published in The Walrus, National Geographic and The Globe and Mail among others, Kane said he’s still learning about the job.
Pat Kane is seen in a supplied photo.
“Looking back at what has worked for me is being true to who I am,” he said. “I find that art and anything we do creatively is just an extension of our personalities.”
A job at Up Here Magazine brought Kane to Yellowknife in 2005, working in genres of photography like food, portraits and travel.
Advertisement.
Advertisement.
While he appreciated the technical experience he gained, he came to find the assignments were not an extension of the way he sees the world. He duly began a freelance career and travelled the NWT to document what he saw.
Once, at a photography festival, someone told him his portfolio was “a little too celebratory of the North” and asked him: “Where’s the hardship?”
Explaining how he felt about that assessment, he told Cabin Radio: “I see hope in people. I see humour. I see more positive aspects in the life around me, in the world around me. I don’t even try, that’s just how I see things, and that’s how I photograph the world.
“My piece of advice: just stay true to who you are and not to sell out to anyone who has expectations for you.”
Advertisement.
Advertisement.
Being a good listener is a helpful tool to have, he added.
“When I’m working, I just want to sit with people, listen and share stories, and then hopefully from that kind of interaction comes a really cool moment. You walk away from that feeling good and that you had a real great connection with somebody.”
Kane emphasized the importance of having a sense of curiosity for your own community. He said a common belief among aspiring photographers is that they must relocate to media hubs like New York or Toronto to be successful, but he disagrees.
“People are more interested in stories that are outside of those cities. I don’t know how many movies I’ve seen where New York City or LA is the backdrop. I feel like I know New York City so intensely, just through movies and whatnot. There’s more than one or two cities in the world,” he said.
“Telling the stories of where you’re from is super important, especially for people in the North, in Indigenous and BIPOC communities. I’m a big champion of that, that people seek out their own stories first, because they’re super important and those are the people that have the knowledge and the background to tell those stories.”
Of the NWT in particular, Kane says “you could spend two lifetimes here” without coming close to fully capturing the world around you.
“There’s always something going on and a story to tell,” he said, “and I would love to not be the only one to do that, so I really try to encourage other people that are from here, because I’m also a visitor and a guest, to tell these stories so there are more of us, and we could build a community together and all share in telling these stories.”
In terms of technical advice, Kane expressed the importance of keeping to a routine. He works from home but sticks to a work schedule as if he was in an office. If he’s not shooting on location, he wakes up early, goes to the gym, then spends his days answering emails, writing grant applications and captions, and of course editing photos.
Advertisement.
Advertisement.
Kane said because he chronicles his travels on social media, people assume he’s always up and about. “Really, I’m just checking emails all day and editing picture by picture. Super slow,” he joked.
Kane left Cabin Radio with some questions for creatives to ask themselves.
“What are you drawn to? What moves you?” He asked.
“And then, if you feel like you can do that yourself, that’s something to aspire to.”
Related Articles