Photographers share 'northern perspectives' at 1st Far North Photo Festival

Yellowknife will host the first Far North Photo Festival this weekend.

Photographers from all three territories are featured in the festival, as well as work by photographers from 10 other countries, including Russia, Greenland, Finland and Iceland.

"It's a photo festival created by northern artists about northern content in the North," said Patrick Kane, a professional photographer in Yellowknife and one of the festival's organizers.

"A lot of the times I think the stories are told [from] the southern perspective … we want to tell stories from the northern perspective." 

Organizers created the Far North Photo Society about a year ago. Kane said it was six photographers — himself, Angela Gzowski, Amanda Annand, Weronika Murray, Amos Scott and Pablo Saravanja — based in the N.W.T. who put the festival together to "give back and showcase other people's work."

Although the organizers are known for their photography, they decided not to show their own work.

"We wanted to really just show other people's work and give a platform for other northern voices," Kane said.

"This is really a chance for us to show people what a photo festival is and all the benefits that come with that."

The festival begins Friday evening with a gala event in Yellowknife's Centre Square Mall on the lower level.

A weekend schedule of workshops and keynote speakers, including internationally recognized photojournalists, can be found on the festival's website. Photos will be on display until Nov. 20.

"This is really a community event," Kane said. 

"It's not just photographers, it's for people who want to learn about photography. We hope everyone takes part in this."