We have an amazing, diverse membership base of varying cultural backgrounds, abilities, genders, and ages. Yet, when our Marketing department would visit stock photography sites to find images that reflect our members, we faced very limited resources when it came to Indigenous Peoples. Stock image sites almost exclusively featured American Indigenous Peoples with few photos of Indigenous Peoples in everyday situations.
To help with the much-needed acquisition of quality Indigenous Peoples images, we facilitated a photoshoot to create a tangible library of images for our marketing materials. We collaborated with one of our Indigenous community partners, the Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies (SIIT), an Indigenous Peoples operated post-secondary institution offering training and educational programs throughout Saskatchewan, to obtain modelling talent.
Both students and staff were recruited to participate through a photography shoot lunch & learn session held at the SIIT campus in Saskatoon, hosted by Innovation’s Manager – Brand, Community & Communications, Mike Woroniak; Shawna Jardine, Marketing Specialist – Community; and Yanita Borisova, Marketing Specialist – Social Media.
The Innovation team also partnered with Alexandra Jarrett of Axis Imagery to be the photographer for the project. Alexandra is a young Indigenous woman and a successful, award-winning photographer from Eagles Lake First Nation & Canoe Lake Cree First Nation. Born in Meadow Lake, SK, she currently resides in Saskatoon, SK.
The photoshoot was a resounding success, with over 15 staff and students participating. To learn more about the photoshoot and view a video about the experience, visit our Indigenous Initiatives page.
We again would like to sincerely thank the students and staff at SIIT and Alexandra for their inspiring collaboration with our team. They’re helping us prosper and succeed in our truth and reconciliation commitment journey.