Award-winning photojournalist emphasizes the joy and privilege of capturing history

Alice Martin: “Allen draws a lot on his own experience as a photojournalist, which makes for really interesting class content”

December 12, 2024

By Robin Della Corte

Allen McInnis teaching in JOUR 445/523 Advanced Photojournalism. Photo by Robin Della Corte.

What is a career in photojournalism like?

Part-time faculty Allen McInnis, award-winning Montreal Gazette photojournalist, is showing students that it is a career worthwhile.

“My goal is getting students as close to being street ready for that daily market as possible,” McInnis says.

“I have been very honest and open about the grind of daily assignments to get to the few that touch or change people’s lives. Those are the assignments we live for, but I will not sugar coat the daily work, it is still the best career one could hope for.”

McInnis joined the Department of Journalism this semester, teaching photojournalism to first year undergraduate students in JOUR 207 Introduction to Multimedia and third-year undergraduate and graduate diploma students in JOUR 445/523 Advanced Photojournalism.

He comes from a family of photojournalists: his dad, cousin, uncle and grandfather worked in the field as well.

His work has appeared in The Canadian Press, The New York Times, Time Magazine, Reuters, The Globe and Mail and Robb Report.

For the last 40 years, he has worked as a full-time photojournalist at The Montreal Gazette.

His career allowed him to capture some of the country’s biggest moments in history: the Polytechnique massacre, the Quebec referendums, provincial and federal elections, several Stanley Cup runs, the Dawson College shooting, the Gatineau daycare shooting and the Kanesatake Resistance (Oka Crisis).

His work landed him a National Newspaper Association award for best news photo, a Canadian Press photo of the year award twice, among several other accolades.

“I have tried to show the students that this is a privilege and a joy that also comes with great responsibility,” McInnis says.

“Daily newspaper work looks romantic and fun, and to some degree it is, but it is a grind and as I mentioned, we work though many mundane assignments to get to the few that touch people’s lives or bring about some sort of change.”

“Allen makes me feel like a career in photojournalism is possible”

McInnis is bringing his passion and lifelong career to the classroom.

In his Advanced Photojournalism class, McInnis uses immersive teaching methods to help simulate real-life scenarios a photojournalist would encounter on the job, from capturing photos quickly during a press conference to shooting at major events alongside massive crowds.

A special end-of-semester photo exhibition was organized in the department for the class to display the student’s work from the term.

Students say McInnis continually inspires them with his experience.

Graduate Diploma in Visual Journalism student Ariana Orrego and Allen McInnis at the Department of Journalism's photo exhibit held Nov. 26 for his Advanced Photojournalism class. Photo by Paul Gott.

“It's a huge privilege being able to learn from someone that has had a great career and that has so much experience. You can just tell Allen knows what he's talking about,” Graduate Diploma in Visual Journalism student, Ariana Orrego says.

“Allen always says, 'be early and stay late' when talking about assignments, and I now stick to that advice with every shoot I have. It's the best advice ever, because you never know when the action is going to happen. Sometimes you just got to wait and be there, and the photograph will come to you.”

Orrego moved to Montreal from Peru to purse the Graduate Diploma in Visual Journalism. She came to the department with previous photojournalism experience.

“I was hoping to take lots of pictures and get more hands-on experience when I enrolled in the program, which I did, so I'm very happy,” Orrego says.

“This class has been my favourite of the program so far. I feel like I always enjoyed taking pictures, but after taking this class, the feeling is at another level. I don't really know how to explain it; I just feel like now I see differently when shooting something.”

Third year undergraduate student Alice Martin agrees that his experience inspires her.

Martin even ran into McInnis at a Montreal protest they were both capturing.

“He even managed to yell some tips at me as we encountered each other: "Stay focused!" "Get at the front of the pack!" "Don't lose them!" when the protesters began marching around the block,” Martin says.

“Seriously, it’s so cool to have a professor like him.”

Prior to the class, Martin had been considering a career in photojournalism.

“Allen draws a lot on his own experience as a photojournalist, which makes for really interesting class content,” Martin says. “He always has the best anecdotes and advice to give, which also just makes you eager to get on the field.” 

“Allen makes me feel like a career in photojournalism is possible,” Martin says.

Find out more about Concordia’s Department of Journalism.

Award-winning photojournalist emphasizes the joy and privilege of capturing history

“Allen makes me feel like a career in photojournalism is possible”

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