Sammy Kogan – 2025

– View Sammy Kogan’s photos for The Canadian Press
– View Sammy Kogan’s winning portfolio submission

By Sammy Kogan

Working with the fantastic visuals team at The Canadian Press was an incredibly impactful, whirlwind six weeks of non-stop learning. The variety of assignments, from sports to pressers, breaking news to portraits, allowed me to apply and practice the core tenets of reliable, efficient and effective visual storytelling. This team both pushed me to do better and supported me throughout. Frank, Nathan and Chris were an absolute pleasure to learn from. Working alongside them allowed me to gain a better understanding of the depth and experience a CP photojournalist draws upon to deliver dependable images without fail. Understanding the story of a sports game, moment or event, anticipating not just action, but emotion, and captioning with accuracy and speed formed the pillars of the work I practiced alongside them.

These six weeks also had me shadowing alongside editors, visuals staff and reporters. Joe and Megan consistently gave me incredible context on the before, during and after of a wire assignment, allowing me to jump in on multiple parts of the inner workings of a non-stop newsroom. The guidance I received at CP will allow me to better contextualize the work I do and the stories I tell. I’m incredibly grateful to the Tom Hanson Family, the CJF and everyone at The Canadian Press, and look forward to continued learning in the years to come.

Check out the details of the Tom Hanson Photojournalism Award.