The character arc of Peter McKinnon
Born 28 October 1985 in the Scarborough district of Toronto. Between then and now sit years of shooting weddings and portraits, a run of ordinary jobs including time behind a coffee counter, a YouTube channel begun in 2016, and the decision to go all in on it while it had only 800 subscribers. That bet built one of the largest photography and filmmaking education channels on the platform, taught through energetic, cinematic tutorials and the short Two Minute Tuesdays format. The line below draws the story so far, in order.
Tap the line to pluck it. Hover or tap any mark for its card. Drawn from the public record of his life; the sources are at the foot of the page.
Who is Peter McKinnon?
The photographer who taught the internet to shoot.
Peter McKinnon grew up in Scarborough, part of Toronto, and came to photography the long way. For years he shot weddings and portraits and took the jobs that paid the bills in between, including a stretch working behind a coffee counter. He was a capable working photographer who was almost unknown outside his own city, which is the ordinary start most arcs have before the dot that changes everything.
In 2016 he began posting videos, made because he could not find the kind of engaging, high-quality tutorials he wanted to watch. The decision that shaped his line came soon after: with only 800 subscribers he chose to treat the channel as the whole of his work rather than a hobby beside it. His energetic style, his cinematic edits, and a short weekly format he called Two Minute Tuesdays found an audience fast, and within a couple of years millions of people were learning to shoot and edit from him.
What he did with that reach is the point of his arc. He turned teaching into a body of work: a Breakout YouTuber award in 2019, a photograph of Moraine Lake struck onto a Canadian coin the same year, and a run of things makers could hold, from filters and Lightroom presets to a camera backpack designed with Nomatic and a camera edition made with Insta360. His line is worth reading because a wedding photographer decided the best thing to build was other people's ability to make their own images.
The moments
Peter McKinnon's timeline.
The 1980s
Born in Scarborough
Milestone, and it changed his direction. Peter McKinnon was born in the Scarborough district of Toronto, Ontario.
The 2010s
Weddings and a coffee counter
Milestone, and it changed his direction. He shot weddings and portraits for years, taking ordinary jobs to pay the bills, including time behind a coffee counter.
The channel begins
Milestone, and it changed his direction. He began posting videos, made because he could not find the engaging, high-quality tutorials he wanted to watch.
A hobby, or the whole thing
Crossroads, decided.
The paths laid out: go all in on YouTube, taken, or keep the safer photography work. He went all in with 800 subscribers, and within a couple of years he was teaching millions and building products of his own.
All in on the channel
Milestone, and it changed everything. With only 800 subscribers he chose to treat the channel as his whole work rather than a hobby beside it.
Two Minute Tuesdays
Milestone. He built a short weekly format of quick, practical tips that became a signature of the channel.
Millions start watching
Milestone. His energetic, cinematic tutorials drew millions of subscribers learning to shoot and edit from him.
First presets and products
Milestone, and it changed his direction. He released his own Lightroom presets and other tools, turning his editing style into things other makers could use.
Breakout YouTuber award
Milestone. He was named Breakout YouTuber of the Year, recognition from beyond the photography world.
A photo on a coin
Milestone. The Royal Canadian Mint struck one of his photographs of Moraine Lake onto a fine silver coin.
The 2020s
Canon picks him
Milestone. Canon chose him to help introduce its EOS R5 camera to the world, a mark of trust from the industry.
A camera bag ships
Milestone. He designed a camera backpack with Nomatic, a product built from years of knowing what a working shooter carries.
A camera collaboration
Milestone. He worked with Insta360 on a limited edition of its X4 camera, his taste built into the gear itself.
Still teaching the craft
Everyday. A decade on from the first videos, he is still filming, still teaching, and still making his own images.
The line reaches today still filming and still teaching, which is why it is drawn now rather than at the end. What it set moving is already everywhere: in every person who picked up a camera because a stranger online made it feel possible.
Your turn
Every story draws a unique line.
His is a decade in and still teaching. Yours is already further along than you think, and drawing it takes about three minutes.
Sources
- Wikipedia, Peter McKinnon, verified alive 16 September 2026 (no death date).
- Peter McKinnon, official site, petermckinnon.com (about and store).
- The Shorty Awards, Breakout YouTuber of the Year, 2019.
- Royal Canadian Mint, the Moraine Lake fine silver coin, 2019.
- Reports of his collaborations with Canon (EOS R5, 2020), Nomatic (camera backpack, 2020) and Insta360 (X4 edition, 2025).
- Peter McKinnon, YouTube channel and Instagram, active in 2026.