Pat Kane

Pat Kane (Canada) is an Indigenous Algonquin Anishinaabe photojournalist and documentary photographer based in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, and a proud member of Timiskaming First Nation. Through long-term projects rooted in trust and collaboration, his work explores identity, community, Indigenous sovereignty and the relationships between people, culture and the land across Northern Canada.

Pat studied journalism in Toronto with the intention of becoming a writer, but a photography teacher recognized his visual eye and encouraged him to combine words with images. After beginning his career in sports photography, he moved to Yellowknife for what he expected would be a one-year adventure. More than 20 years later, the North has become both his home and the centre of his photographic practice. Living and working alongside Northern Indigenous communities has also allowed Pat to explore and reconnect with aspects of his own Indigenous identity.

Pat approaches documentary photography as a collaborative process rather than simply observing from the outside. His long-term project Here Is Where We Shall Stay, created through the World Press Photo Joop Swart Masterclass, examines the continuing effects of colonization and residential schools while documenting the resurgence of Indigenous languages, traditions and cultural practices. Through these stories, his work challenges the idea of the North as an empty wilderness, revealing a landscape rich with communities, history, knowledge and generations of connection to the land.

In 2024, Pat received a Vital Impacts Environmental Photography Grant for his ongoing work exploring the cultural and ecological importance of caribou and the urgent need for conservation in Indigenous territories. He is also the co-founder of the Far North Photo Festival, which creates opportunities for photographers and visual storytellers from across the Arctic and Subarctic. Whether documenting cultural reclamation, environmental change or everyday life, Pat’s focus remains on creating space for Northern voices and ensuring that the people whose stories he photographs are active participants in how those stories are told.