Dream Job Profile

Adam Goring - Newspaper Photographer

Banff Crag & Canyon

BanffLife: When (what year) did you first come to Banff / Bow Valley? 

Recently! In June 2003.

BL: How old are you?

22

BL: What made you decide to come to Banff?

I decided to come to Banff to accept my current job! I couldn’t have hoped for a better place to start my career.

BL: Describe your first job in Banff and how you got it.

When living in Red Deer, I looked around for nearby colleges offering photography programs. SAIT in Calgary appealed to me, so I applied and was accepted there for the two year Journalism Arts diploma course. In my second year I specialized in Photojournalism. After a lot of hard work, including freelancing and networking, here I am!

BL: Describe your job/s now including your job title/s and position/s.  What things do you like best or think are the coolest about your job!

I am the photographer for The Banff Crag & Canyon newspaper.

Technically I am a photographer/reporter, but I only do a small amount of writing, usually on topics I am interested in, or know about (i.e. snowboarding, skateboarding, music, photography etc).

I am expected to work with the reporters to develop photo ideas for their stories, respond to news situations, and enterprise several photos per week. Basically, this entails walking/driving/cycling around town, and shooting photos of people doing interesting things.

Come Mondays, our production day, I lay out about 40% of the pages, including most pages with heavy photo content.

Some of the coolest things about my job are: meeting tons of people, making art, enjoying the mountains, having creative freedom, the ability to make my own schedule, and the little perks involved with being a photographer: various freebies, helicopter rides etc.

BL: Can you tell us why Banff is a great place to get a life?

A:  Obviously the mountains are a great reason to move to Banff. Besides that, it’s a vibrant community with tons going on, no matter what season.

Also, there is a strong community sense around town. Unfortunately many people do not see that side of Banff, maybe because they’re not interested in it.