Katie Orlinsky
(USA)Photographer Katie Orlinsky has spent the last fifteen years covering news stories and feature assignments around the world for publications like National Geographic, The New York Times and The New Yorker. For the last eight years the majority of her work has focused on documenting the human stories of our changing planet, exploring how the climate crisis is challenging communities across the Arctic and transforming the relationship between people, animals and the land. Her work has been awarded by World Press Photo, Pictures of the Year International, The Alexia Foundation, Visa Pour L’image, PDN and the Art Director’s Club. Katie received a BA in Political Science from Colorado College and an MS in Journalism from Columbia University. She has taught photojournalism as a visiting professor at NYU and the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
ConnectThe Last Reindeer
Arctic caribou populations have been in shocking decline, going from a total of 5 million animals twenty years ago to roughly 2 million today. This profound loss threatens to put even more pressure on the fragile, interconnected ecosystem of the Arctic, and the indigenous communities across Alaska and Canada that depend on caribou. Reindeer are the domesticated cousins of the endangered wild caribou, and Canada’s reindeer population has dwindled to less than 3,000 animals, putting them at the brink of extinction. But in August 2021, the Inuvialuit Settlement Region became the sole owners and managers of Canada’s last and only reindeer herd. In taking over care of this herd, the Inuvialuit people are working to reverse this dire population decline, support regional food sovereignty and heal their arctic ecosystem besieged by climate change. With the support of the GFX Challenge Grant I would like to help tell this inspiring story of resilience and revitalization at the top of the world.
BTS Footage
From the Judge
Alexandrov Klum
“The project is a well described theme where the achievability together with the strength of the storytelling would make an important photographic narrative. You can see that she is experienced in productions as well as in the photographic language. The double possibility to address an important issue as well as to create something photographically strong and beautiful makes this a Global Grant award.”
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