Connection at the scene of the story

Three-thousand nine-hundred and sixty-three photos. This is how many photos I filed for the Brandon Sun thus far in 2025, with a few days yet to go. Going through my year’s work is always painful as I see all the missed moments I didn’t get.

It’s getting harder to be a photojournalist in Canada. In 2007, when I left the Edmonton Sun to move to Brandon, there were more than 20 staff photographers between the two daily papers in that city alone. The Brandon Sun had a team of three staff photographers. There are now roughly 50 staff photographers left at newspapers in all of Canada. I am lucky to be one of them.

There is a profound misunderstanding of what the role of a photojournalist is at newspapers, even sometimes among other staff at the papers. While we are photographers, yes, the journalist aspect is the key part of the position. We are the eyes of the newspapers and increasingly the ears as well, as smaller newsrooms make it harder for reporters to attend every event.

Photographers are the most visible member of the newsroom because, fundamentally, our role can only be done in the communities we serve. We can’t take photos from the office, or from home. We have to be at the events, at the scenes of the stories, for every image we make.

I’m long past lamenting how difficult it is to have a career in photojournalism in Canada these days. I feel fortunate to be able to continue to do what I love despite the increasing hurdles. I love rural life, I love being able to tell stories from the Prairies. I love that Brandon still has a daily newspaper that continues to tell the story of western Manitoba.

I often think newspapers don’t market themselves well. The point of having local news, even if you don’t follow it daily, is so that if and when you need an important story told, there are journalists there to tell it. We are insurance against feeling unheard. Everyone wants to be heard and journalists are great listeners. At our best, we try to amplify your voice so others hear you, too. We try to provide connection between readers within the communities we serve and the stories from those same communities.

Personally, journalism plugs me into communities, voices, backgrounds, opinions and lived experiences I otherwise wouldn’t get a chance to learn about and understand. My job is an antidote to the increased disconnection and isolation in the world. And at our best, we can pass on that antidote to readers. So that we can all find areas of connection and common ground across vastly different lives.