Getting to Know Viktoria Haack

It is an absolute delight to welcome the one and only Viktoria Haack as The Shooting Range: A Photography Challenge's Guest Judge for December 50/50. The Match Brief will be released on December 1st at 9:00am MST and shooters will have until December 21, 2022 to submit, so make sure you make a note to self about that. In mid-December we will be sharing a post explaining what exactly the Foundation has been getting up to (or trying to get up to) since being established in May 2022 but right now let's spend a little time getting to know the gentle and beautiful soul that is Viktoria Haack.

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Viktoria is an English native who now calls Secwepemcúl’ecw (Secwépemc, known as Salmon Arm, BC) home. Somewhere between living on an isolated island for ten years, getting an Honours Degree in World Art Studies and Museology, and moving to Canada, her love of fine art, anthropology, and photography led her to becoming a respected and renowned visual storyteller.  If you're not familiar with her work you should go check out her website and give her a follow on her socials.

Website | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

Viktoria got her first camera for her 18th birthday and is a sworn generalist who refuses to box herself in. In fact, the only thing Viktoria claims to "specialise" in is natural light. This is reflected by a portfolio filled with stunning environmental portraits, wedding photos, product shots, and images of the nature she craves spending time in as often as possible. An Ambassador for Kase Global, Lowepro Global, and Nikon Canada, Viktoria's diverse interests have led to working with a broad spectrum of organisations including the BCSPCA, Lee Filters, Purina, Vichy Canada, Gnarbox, Klymit, Telus, Heatholders, and The National Trust (UK's largest conservation society) and being published in an equally impressive range of publications including the BBC, CBC, N Photo Magazine, Outdoor Photography, Practical Photography, Photo Life, Canadian Geographic, Vogue Italia, and Digital Photo. 

She was a regular contributor to Outdoor Photography Canada and continues working as a freelance contributor to Photo News Magazine, but after getting caught up in the hectic pace that seems to take over so many photographers' lives she is now an unabashed advocate of prioritising work-life balance. Through private mentoring, group workshops, and public speaking engagements, Viktoria encourages her colleagues and contemporaries to be choosy, accepting only those projects that fill their boots, and adopt an approach known as "slow photography" that shifts the process of creating images from merely chasing the finished product to being mindful of and enjoying the moments being captured.

A master of keeping it simple, we asked Viktoria a few questions to help Challengers get a sense of who she is. Please enjoy some of Viktoria's incredible photos and this little peek into the mind of the December 2022 50/50 Guest Judge.

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What is the best advice you have ever gotten (or given)?

Best advice: Be true to yourself.

What was the last piece of equipment you bought or class you attended?

A Nikon 100-400 Z lens

What is your most or how do you deal with your most challenging professional struggle? (Digital hoarding, perfectionism/over-thinking, time management, etc.)

Erm...all of the above!!! But the most challenging is probably public speaking.

If there was one thing you could change about the industry or an insider secret you think shouldn't be a secret, what would that be?

I wish we weren't so hung up on social media validation.

What do you do to remain grounded, connected, balanced, and/or centred when life feels overwhelming?

Head out into nature with my pup.

What is something you haven't done or tried yet, either as a personal or professional goal, that you hope to achieve in the next year?

Producing some YouTube Content.

Who do you admire (professionally or personally), and why?

I really admire the work of Charlie Russell. His work with bears and the book "Talking With Bears: Conversations With Charlie Russell" by GA Bradshaw was an incredible read with so many insightful nuggets that I will always cherish.

When and how did you know (or suspect) that you had found your calling as a creative?

I've always had a love of art. Being able to turn that passion into a career as a photographer fulfilled a lifelong ambition to become a creative. I always knew that was the path I wanted and the dream became a reality over a number of years but fully came to fruition when I moved to Canada in 2007.

Do you have any advice to give (or that you wish someone else could give you) about maintaining work/life balance?

Learn to say no to projects or jobs that don't interest you. Schedule time for yourself, no matter how busy your calendar becomes. Get out into nature as often as you can.

If "Today" you could go back and tell "Last Year" (or Month or Week) you something, what would it be?

Everything is where it's meant to be...

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We hope you've enjoyed getting to know Viktoria, and cannot wait to release details of the upcoming 50/50 Challenge. Entries open when the Match Brief drops over at The Shooting Range on Thursday, December 1, 2022 at 9:00am MST and will close at 11:59pm on Wednesday, December 21, 2022.