CANADIAN WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR 2022
The 32-year-old resident of Riverview, N.B., began her career as a wildlife photographer as a kid taking photos of frogs with a series of disposable cameras. Today, Brittany Crossman has had her work published in multiple magazines, including Canadian Geographic, Canadian Wildlife and Saltscapes — and her intimate wildlife portraits have earned her a huge following on social media. Living and working on the East Coast, Crossman has photographed black bears and beavers, gannets and grouse. But her favourite subject is the red fox, an animal for which she developed a special affinity through her work with the Canid Project, a wildlife rehabilitation and education non-profit organization. “They’re very interesting animals, and when you photograph the same ones over a period of time, you get to see their different personalities,” she says. Crossman currently works as a substitute teacher, which frees up her time to take on photography projects and offer workshops throughout the school year — and allows her to share her images with young people. She recalls a proud moment when a student she taught in kindergarten decided in Grade 5 that she’d like to become a photographer: “She came up to me and said, ‘It’s because of you and your photos that I want to go into photography,’ and she showed me a bunch of photos of frogs she’d taken on her mother’s old cell phone. That’s how my passion for photography started, so that was really sweet.” Although Crossman dreams of someday photographing megafauna like grizzly bears and wolves, she finds purpose in showcasing common animals and demonstrating that coexistence with urban wildlife is both possible and mutually beneficial. “I hope when people look at my images, it sparks inspiration to make an effort to protect more natural places around Canada — and also that when they see wildlife in urban areas, they don’t go straight to wanting them eradicated or moved.”