The Tsá Tué Biosphere Reserve is a special and unique place in the Northwest Territories. It encompasses Great Bear Lake, the last pristine arctic lake, and swaths of crucial habitat for muskox, moose and caribou. About 500 Dene live there, supporting themselves with harvesting and limited tourism activity. Canadian Geographic sent Angela Gzowski to photograph the community for Laurie Sarkadi’s feature on the Tsá Tué Biosphere Reserve, published in the January/February 2017 issue of the magazine. Here, Gzowski talks about the experience and shares advice for novice photographers alongside photos from her trip.

What was it like to go on assignment in Tsá Tué? 

Délı̨nę is unlike any other community in the North. Everyone is so welcoming and friendly.  I had been to Délı̨nę before in the winter, but everyone in the community kept saying, “You’ve got to come back in the summer!” I’m so glad I did because I was honestly blown away. It’s absolutely breathtaking. Great Bear Lake is so crystal clear that you can literally see the trout swimming underneath the boat. For whatever reason, that really stood out to me. I grew up in the North, but have still not seen anything like it!