Photograph by Pat Kane

Image Title: Northern Playground

Paper Dimensions (H x W): 12 x 18 inches

Image Dimensions (H x W): 11 x 17 inches

Medium: Digital Inkjet Print

Year Created: 2019

Image Description:

Friends play on a trampoline late in the evening in Lutsel K'e, a First Nations community in Canada's Northwest Territories.

I took this image while on assignment, covering a story about Thaidene Nene National Park Reserve in Canada's Northwest Territories. The park is one of the first created jointly by the Canadian government and a First Nations, meaning the Lutsel K'e Dene First Nation will have their treaty rights to the land legally protected as well as provide employment and land stewardship opportunities for generations to come.

Photographer's Bio:

Pat is a photographer in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. He covers people, life and environment in northern Canada.

Pat takes a documentary approach to the stories impacting Northerners, with a special focus on Indigenous issues and empowerment. He approaches his subjects with respect and empathy, giving people a collaborative sense to the photo making process and creating visual stories that are expressive and intimate.

Pat values the importance of mentorship for people in Northern communities. He's offered free year-long training opportunities to promising photographers living North of 60, and encourages those interested in photography to assist or shadow various assignments. He's the co-founder and president of the Far North Photo Festival - a platform to help elevate the work of photographers in underrepresented parts of northern Canada.

He's also part of the photo collectives Natives Photograph and Boreal Collective, and is a 2020 World Press Photo Joop Swart Masterclass Participant.

Pat identifies as mixed Indigenous/settler and is a proud Algonquin Anishinaabe member of the Timiskaming First Nation (Quebec).

www.patkanephoto.com