FEATURED PHOTOGRAPHER
Viktoria Haack Viktoria finds the wild landscapes of Canada fascinating and is inspired by the weather, and especially, the Canadian winters. She finds snow and ice extremely interesting and loves exploring how winter changes the landscape: Lakes become frozen waterfalls, canyons full of water morph into cathedrallike spaces: The ordinary becomes magical, as snow and ice transform the landscape. Much of my work is inspired by the landscape and nature of Canada. As a native of the United Kingdom, I often wonder what direction my photography might have taken if I had not emigrated. I should begin by telling you a little about myself: As I mentioned above, I am originally from the UK and moved to Canada in 2007. My photographic journey started when I picked up a camera whilst living on a small island called Brownsea Island in Dorset. The island is owned by the National Trust and is a nature reserve. At the time, I worked for the Trust and there were approximately 30 residents, including children, who lived on the 500-acre nature reserve. Boats to and from the island were limited after 4:30 in the afternoon and before 8:00 in the morning. I would spend many hours walking the island pathways and enjoying how the seasons and weather changed my surroundings. My initial pleasure with photography was recording the changing beauty of the environment around me.
ability to leave home at a whim, jump in my car or hike a good distance at any time of day without thinking about boat times was extremely freeing. I felt inspired and overjoyed at the possibilities after 10 years of photographing a very limited geographical area. Coming to terms with the wildness of Canada took a little bit of time:
It felt strange to be considering whether there might be bears, cougars or other wildlife on the trails as I headed out at pre-dawn or after dusk. As I have settled into Canadian life, this notion of stepping into a landscape that still contains ‘the wild’ has added to my love of Canada.
In 2007, after 10 years of living on Brownsea, my husband, daughter and I decided to make the move to Canada. I had family members living in British Columbia and we had visited on several occasions and loved how wild and expansive the landscape was, as well as the lower population density. On arrival in Canada, I felt a little bit like a kid in a candy store: The
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Landscape Magazine Summer 2021
