Top left: A close-up of the murky water and pink rocks of the Canadian Shield near Behchoko, NWT. Left below: A Siberian husky sled dog in Carmacks, Yukon, during the 2015 Yukon Quest.
Based on your photos, you seem to be great with all kinds of people. Any tips for photographers just starting out interested in documenting people that who aren’t necessarily used to being photographed? As photographers, our first instinct is to immediately take pictures of everything when we visit a new place. I don’t do that. In fact, you’d be surprised at how little I use my camera when I’m on assignment, especially on the first day. I try to meet as many people as I can, shake their hands, introduce myself, and talk with them. Most importantly, I listen to people. It’s all about giving respect and earning trust. By listening and getting to know people, I’ve been rewarded with incredible access to some very special moments. Can you tell us about your editing process? I don’t do a lot of post-processing to my photos: maybe some colour correction and cropping but that’s it. I don’t have the patience to sit and edit one photo for hours. I’m more interested 34 photo ED
Top right: Angel Betthale at a youth and elders camp at Ekali Lake, NWT. Opposite page: Alina Enggist and Itoah Scott-Enns on a boat ride on the Mackenzie River, while little Kite Ellis enjoys the sunset behind them.
in choosing a collection of photos that help to tell a story or convey a feeling about a place. For me, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Much of your work is about people connecting with the land or how people have affected the land. Can you tell us about why documenting this is important to you? I’ve always been fascinated with people and the places they live. In the North, a lot of people rely on nature for survival. It’s also culturally important to people. The land and the water are vital parts of our lives, so I want to tell stories of those who are fighting to protect it. You run a mentorship program. How does it work? This is my first year doing a mentorship program, which is open to anyone in the Northwest Territories. I’m doing the program because I didn’t have a mentor when I came to the North, and I would have absolutely loved feedback, challenges, criticism, and
