A young Innu girl stands on the edge of the ocean with mountains behind her, dressed in traditional Innu clothing.
Aaron Poker said he enjoys photographing his daughters and her friends, and he and Nachelle do photo shoots each summer with any youths who want one. (Aaron and Nachelle Poker Photography/Facebook)

On a clear night in freezing temperatures, Nachelle and Aaron Poker can be found out on mountains in northern Labrador, watching the northern lights. 

The two photograph local youths in traditional wear silhouetted against the moon, cultural competitions, mountain walks, animals, people and anything else they see. 

“We teamwork with it. The problem with teamworking, she steals my pictures,” Aaron said laughing. 

Through social media, the couple share the beauty of Innu culture, the land around Natuashish and its residents with people across the country. 

A young Innu girl is shown wearing a traditional parka with a fur lined hood, a beaded headband, her hair in braids and is holding a doll on a sled.
Each year Innu dress in traditional wear to show displays of their culture and compete in different competitions. The Pokers photographed the displays and traditional outfits. (Aaron and Nachelle Poker Photography/Facebook)

The two have been together since about 1992. Years ago, after being inspired by photographs in magazines, Aaron bought Nachelle a small Nikon Coolpix camera. Aaron started to set up the camera for Nachelle and learned about photography techniques. 

“Then our pictures were blurry. Then we got to upgrade every year,” Aaron said.

Aaron bought a second camera, and the two continued learning together by watching videos on YouTube. Nachelle said she enjoys photographing the land and nature they see. Aaron said he enjoys focusing on the people in Natuashish, especially the youth. 

WATCH I Nachelle and Aaron Poker capture Innu culture in Natuashish: 

Meet the Natuashish photographers sharing the beauty of Innu culture

2 days ago

Duration 0:55

Through social media, Nachelle and Aaron Poker share photos of Innu culture, the land around Natuashish and its residents with people across the country.

“I like to show people how beautiful our kids are in Natuashish,” Aaron said. “A lot of kids are enjoying the cameras.”

Aaron said they love sharing the talent in Natuashish, sharing their photographs online and seeing the comments that come up. 

“I love when they comment. I love when they like the pictures and ‘keep up the good job’ all that,” Aaron said. “We had bad remarks sometimes, like, ‘That’s Photoshop,’ but really it’s just plain old picture. You gotta capture the moments.”

A porcupine is showed up close, holding tightly onto a branch.
Nachelle Poker says she enjoys photographing the land and animals while Aaron Poker says he enjoys photographing people the most. The two share their photographs online. (Aaron and Nachelle Poker Photography/Facebook)

Nachelle and Aaron say they’re seeing their own kids and others in the community become interested in photography. The two occasionally teach youths at the Mushuau Innu Natuashish School about photography. 

A young girl holds a stick out in front of her while skating on a frozen part of the ocean with mountains behind her. A young boy is fallen over and smiling in the background.
Aaron and Nachelle Poker spent hours photographing youths on the ice near Natuashish in the fall of 2023. The ice freezes before snow falls in northern Labrador, making for smooth skating surfaces for a few weeks of the year. (Aaron and Nachelle Poker Photography/Facebook)

For anyone just starting out, the two suggest simply starting to take any photographs and keeping the camera on hand as much as possible. 

“You might see a fox eating there, you might see a lynx on the tree so that’s the time you don’t bring a camera, so you miss out, right?” Aaron said. “Always have it.” 

A woman wearing a backpack and sleeping mat kneels down while looking toward a rainbow in front of mountains.
Nachelle Poker carried 10 pounds of camera gear when on a traditional walk last summer. (Submitted by Nachelle Poker)

In the northern landscape, it can sometimes be a battle to set down their gear and stay inside, Aaron said. He said Nachelle has more than 2,000 northern lights photographs on his computer — but she says that’s not enough. 

“Last night she wanted to go out so bad, around 12,” Aaron said. “She walked around, looked out the window, I said, ‘Go to bed. I gotta work tomorrow.’

“I said, ‘Come on’ and ‘There’ll be more later, you still got plenty of life left.’ All she does is laugh.”  

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