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2026 proof of concept

For photographers

This page is for photographers across Canada who are thinking about taking part in the 2026 proof of concept: a small, careful beginning to a longer national record.

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  6. Open / 2026 Your frame Raise your hand →
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These frames are waiting for the photographers who begin the record. Raise your hand and one of them is yours.

What you
would contribute

Each photographer who takes part contributes two things: a self-portrait, and short recorded answers to two questions. The questions are the same for everyone.

  1. Q1

    What do you love about being a photographer?

  2. Q2

    If you could ask all Canadians one question, what would it be?

The self-portrait is yours to make however you choose. The recorded answers are short, a few minutes, not a formal interview. You are contributing your voice as much as your image.

What we are
testing in 2026

2026 is a proof of concept. It is deliberately not about volume or reach. What we are listening for is whether the story, the workflow, the consent process, and the submission system hold up, and whether photographers across the country are genuinely interested in being part of this.

Photographers who take part in 2026 help shape what a wider public record can be in 2027. That influence is real, and it matters to how carefully this is built.

How it works

Taking part follows a clear sequence. Nothing moves to the next step without your awareness.

  1. Express interest

    Let us know you're considering taking part. No commitment at this stage.

    Raise your hand

  2. Receive the brief and consent notes

    We send you the full participation brief and explain exactly how consent works before anything else happens.

  3. Create your self-portrait and recorded answers

    At your own pace, make a self-portrait and record your answers to the two questions.

  4. Submit through the approved process

    Material comes in through a defined submission path. Nothing is shared outside that channel.

  5. Review and publication only after consent is confirmed

    Every decision about what becomes public happens after a consent check. Raw material never moves forward automatically.

Raw material is never automatically public

Everything you submit stays private until you have reviewed and confirmed what you are comfortable with. Consent comes first, before any publication decision, before any review by others outside the process. The record grows only on the terms of the people in it.

Privacy and care are part of the design, not fine print added later.

How we handle consent and trust →

How the
record grows

Taking part is membership. Your self-portrait and your recorded answers are your place in the record; there is nothing else to sign up for.

In 2026 the door is open: any working photographer in Canada can raise their hand. From there the record is meant to grow by trust, photographers inviting photographers they know and vouch for, so it stays a network of people who do this work rather than an open upload. Who invited whom becomes part of the record's provenance.

What the record is, and where it is going →

Interested in taking part?

Expressing interest is a first step, not a commitment. We follow up with the full brief and consent notes so you have everything you need to make a considered decision.

Join as a photographer Read the brief How we handle consent and trust