I am Abby Francis, a passionate photographer and journalist. I grew up in qathet, B.C. located on the upper sunshine coast, until recently, when I moved to Burnaby for school. I am also a proud member of Tla’amin Nation, a self-governing First Nation since 2016.
During my last year of high school I volunteered to write for an independently-owned community magazine, qathet Living, where I was mentored by the magazine’s amazing editor and staff. After graduation, I took a gap year and my volunteering turned into a full-time job.
I worked for qathet Living, as well as Tla’amin’s newspaper, Nehmotl, as a Local Journalism Initiative (LJI) reporter. With LJI, I was contracted to write stories on First Nations, industries, civic issues, the environment, and health -with a main focus on Indigenous peoples.
Although I wrote and photographed for qathet Living and Nehmotl, as an LJI reporter my articles were picked up by publications such as the Toronto Star, Cortes Currents, Welland Tribune, Yahoo News, MagsBC, Powell River Peak (as well as other Glacier Media publications), and Aboriginal Business.
Through my work, I found a deep interest in reporting on Pacific salmon, environmental issues, and governments. Besides writing, I also love photography.
While in high school, I focused primarily on wildlife and nature photography, my job with qathet Living expanded my skill set to photographing community events, people, and industry scenes.
Some of my photography work includes jobs for Tla’amin Nation and my high school’s yearbook (2021).
My photos are also featured in the City of Powell River and Tla’amin Nation’s Joint Working Group report on changing the city’s name.
I fell in love with journalism because I saw how much people value their stories being told. I also realized how important it is to tell stories of those such as Pacific salmon, or herring, who can’t share their own stories.
I knew I wanted to take my skills further, so I enrolled in BCIT’s Broadcast and Online Journalism program, which I am currently attending.
My goal is to create a documentary on all the issues Pacific salmon are facing, and what should be done to help… someday.
