"Viktoria Haack: Crafting Images and Taming Wilderness"

[00:00:00] There's a lot of benefits. However, I do feel like having older equipment, learning with older equipment, the same as being confined to a smaller space or having children and not being able to go out and photograph whenever you want.

[00:00:15] A lot of these constraints are things that can actually make you into a better photographer, whether that improves your vision or whether that makes you work around different issues that you might experience that another person can solve really easily with their camera.

[00:00:31] You have to work a bit harder and I think that increases your flexibility and your muscles and when, you know, if something ever goes wrong or you can't use a function or something, you know how to work through that situation.

[00:00:43] And I just think it increases your all round ability really.

[00:00:53] Greetings everyone and welcome to another episode of The Camera Cafe Show, your podcast where we draw inspiration for your photography journey.

[00:01:01] As usual, I'm your host Tom Jacob and on the other side of the room are sitting Tatiana Maravana and Grich Clark to bring this episode all together.

[00:01:09] So, today we're moving our show high up into Canada for a conversation that's sure to inspire all of you shooting landscape, weddings or portraits.

[00:01:19] Our guest tonight on the show is none than the renowned photographer and Nikon ambassador Victoria Haack.

[00:01:26] Based in Canada, Victoria's work is celebrated for its sensibility and fusion to both landscapes and people, capturing the raw beauty of the natural world in her own unique way.

[00:01:36] In this episode, we delve into her journey from an art student to becoming a diverse, multi-genre able photographer, her experiences with Nikon and her new venture into wildlife photography with even a few bear encounters while out on the trails.

[00:01:51] We'll talk about life as being a photographer, the things that can make you a better photographer and what to do if you should ever get stuck in your photography.

[00:02:00] Whether you're a beginner looking for advice or a seasoned shooter, Victoria's story is sure to remind you why you picked up the camera in the first place.

[00:02:09] And before we dive in, folks, if you enjoy the show, don't forget to rate and review us on your favorite podcast platform.

[00:02:15] Your support helps us to bring more inspiring conversation just like this one with Victoria.

[00:02:20] Let's get rolling.

[00:02:22] Hello there, Victoria.

[00:02:24] How are things there in Canada?

[00:02:26] It's colder or it snowed already or how's the weather?

[00:02:30] Hi there. Thank you for having me on the podcast.

[00:02:32] It is actually beautiful.

[00:02:33] So it was quite warm out there this morning, walking the dog.

[00:02:36] I'm feeling a little bit hot right now, sunny and kind of autumnal and just really very, very beautiful, beautiful day out there today.

[00:02:45] You made any pictures already or just walking?

[00:02:47] I didn't have time.

[00:02:48] I wanted to.

[00:02:49] I was like, oh, there's so many things I want to shoot, but I didn't have time this morning.

[00:02:53] But yeah, there's lots that I would like to be out shooting.

[00:02:56] But I seem to be kind of stuck in the office at the moment, which is a bit of a pain.

[00:03:00] But I'm heading to Vancouver Island in a few days.

[00:03:04] So I'm hoping that I will have a chance to get the camera out and just kind of chill a little bit.

[00:03:08] What I wanted to know, Victoria, you threw any more friends in pools of water to make great action shots or not?

[00:03:16] I haven't done that recently, but anything could happen.

[00:03:20] I'm hoping that I will be photographing some bears jumping into water.

[00:03:24] That's the thing I'm hoping I might catch when I'm on the island.

[00:03:29] But who knows?

[00:03:30] Sounds fairly exciting.

[00:03:31] Yeah, bears will do.

[00:03:35] Victoria, let's walk a bit back.

[00:03:38] How did your journey start in photography?

[00:03:42] So I was given a camera for my 18th birthday and I didn't use it very much at that time, but I was very much into art as a child.

[00:03:53] And I studied fine art at art college.

[00:03:56] And then I went on to study art history.

[00:03:59] So I have quite an extensive background in art.

[00:04:03] And I lived on a small 500 acre island.

[00:04:06] When I finished university, I started working for the National Trust, which is Europe's largest conservation charity.

[00:04:13] And so I was living there and working for the National Trust.

[00:04:16] And it was beautiful.

[00:04:17] It was a nature reserve.

[00:04:19] I used to walk the island pathways with my dog and repeatedly walk the same kind of places.

[00:04:25] And I would notice how, you know, light would change a scene or the weather would change a scene.

[00:04:31] And I started wanting to kind of record what I was seeing.

[00:04:35] And that's when I pulled the camera out that my parents gave me for my 18th birthday and started taking photos.

[00:04:42] So that was really the beginning of it.

[00:04:44] So a lot of time ago now.

[00:04:46] Wow.

[00:04:47] The island, it's Brown Sea Island?

[00:04:50] Yes.

[00:04:51] Yes.

[00:04:51] I lived on Brown Sea Island for 10 years.

[00:04:53] Yes.

[00:04:54] I think it's a rather small island, no?

[00:04:56] Yeah.

[00:04:57] 500 acres.

[00:04:58] So very small island.

[00:04:59] So I knew those pathways very well.

[00:05:02] I would walk them very regularly.

[00:05:04] And so that's why I think I noticed when I saw, you know, changing light conditions or, you know, what was happening with the seasons.

[00:05:13] I would really notice that because, you know, I was walking those same pathways over and over again.

[00:05:18] So that's what really drew me to start wanting to record what I was seeing.

[00:05:24] Victoria, Brown Sea compared to now you live in Canada.

[00:05:28] I mean, it has to be more, I mean, you can walk the same paths and you will always walk the same paths.

[00:05:34] I mean, it's an island.

[00:05:34] You cannot go out and you have to really be very creative, I suppose, there to take other pictures.

[00:05:40] While now in Canada, you just walk and walk and walk and get lost.

[00:05:44] Yeah.

[00:05:45] I mean, it's a vast, you know, Canada is enormous.

[00:05:48] It's just vast in comparison to the UK and certainly to Brown Sea Island.

[00:05:52] And it's a big difference, but I think probably some of the fact that I was so contained actually helped me to be as diverse a photographer as I am because I had to look for different things in that very small environment to photograph.

[00:06:08] So whether it was my daughter, my dog, you know, some fungi, some leaves, you know, a grander scene with the ocean, you know, there's a lot in a small space and it helps you to really start to see and to notice.

[00:06:23] And I think probably living there for the period of time that I did was actually instrumental in me becoming the kind of photographer that I am today.

[00:06:31] So I think I'm quite interested in how constraints actually help us to become often more creative.

[00:06:40] So then you move to Canada.

[00:06:42] You would say, Victoria, that it changed your artistic vision or your approach to photography?

[00:06:49] I think I felt very excited to have, you know, a broader area to photograph, but I still photograph consistently in my local neighborhood a lot.

[00:06:59] You know, a lot of my photos I take when I'm walking the dog, just doing quite mundane morning walks.

[00:07:05] Although obviously it does give me the ability to travel a bit more widely.

[00:07:09] I mean, I can get into the Rockies in about four and a half hours, which is really nice.

[00:07:14] And obviously they're majestic and beautiful and quite different to a small island.

[00:07:18] And then I can head off to Vancouver Island and there's coastline.

[00:07:21] And I always feel inspired when I go somewhere different and new.

[00:07:25] It really helps to kind of generate more ideas.

[00:07:28] But I think a lot of the practice of taking photography is done in my local neighborhood.

[00:07:33] It helps me to work harder to capture images that are not so easy necessarily to see.

[00:07:39] And I think then when I get to somewhere else that it's more obvious, I'm kind of exploding with ideas of, you know, things that I want to shoot.

[00:07:47] But I really think that, you know, kind of not living in that, you know, not living in the Rockies, for example, makes me work harder at being a photographer.

[00:07:58] It makes me look harder, makes me appreciate things.

[00:08:00] I think when you're faced with an enormous mountain, maybe you won't notice that small fungi.

[00:08:06] You know, you've got something amazing and massive in front of you.

[00:08:09] Maybe you won't see that smaller thing.

[00:08:11] So I think it really helps.

[00:08:12] It helps to just open your eyes to things.

[00:08:16] And larger things because there are no bears in the UK.

[00:08:20] That's true.

[00:08:21] Yeah.

[00:08:21] Yeah.

[00:08:22] That's something that adds an extra edge to photography, which I really enjoy, actually.

[00:08:27] I like that feeling of like, well, there could be, you know, there could be a bear there.

[00:08:32] I know I was out last night photographing the Northern Lights and I'd found a very quiet spot and I was sitting right on the water's edge and it was really dark.

[00:08:39] There was no moon.

[00:08:40] And I was just thinking, you know, the animals come down here to drink and anything could just maybe not see me.

[00:08:46] I'm sitting here quietly on my own.

[00:08:48] Anything could come down and I don't have my bear spray with me.

[00:08:51] But I actually really enjoy the fact that that is a thought that you have to have.

[00:08:57] I love having that kind of wildness on my doorstep.

[00:09:01] It's really cool.

[00:09:02] As long as I don't get eaten.

[00:09:05] I was going to ask, just in case, if the bear comes, you have to sit still or you run for your life?

[00:09:11] Definitely don't run.

[00:09:12] I should have had bear spray.

[00:09:14] That's the one thing that it would be really handy to have with you.

[00:09:16] But I mean, I think if there's something there or you think there might be something there, trying to let it know that you're there so you don't really surprise it.

[00:09:24] I had my headlamp so I could have turned my headlamp on and it's quite a good one.

[00:09:28] So I was thinking if I heard something, I would turn on the headlamp and then, you know, hopefully it would know that I was there.

[00:09:35] But I definitely wouldn't run.

[00:09:36] I'm not quite sure what my next move would be, but no running.

[00:09:41] Let's go a bit back to your studies of anthropology, Victoria.

[00:09:47] Because for many photographers, including people in landscapes, it takes away a bit for them the sense of a landscape picture.

[00:09:57] While you make amazing pictures of people inside landscapes.

[00:10:03] You think this impacts a bit the emotional vision of your images, putting people inside landscape pictures?

[00:10:12] I mean, sometimes I put people in landscape images and sometimes I don't.

[00:10:16] And sometimes I get really bored with, you know, I've gone, I went through a phase of doing that.

[00:10:21] I think I explored it quite thoroughly.

[00:10:24] I may or may not return to it at the moment.

[00:10:27] I don't really have so much interest in photographing in that way.

[00:10:31] However, because I photograph a lot of different subjects, I do a lot of wedding photography, elope portrait work,

[00:10:39] having an understanding of how to place a person in a landscape and particularly for, you know,

[00:10:43] elopement couples that have chosen a beautiful place to elope and they want you to capture them in that scene.

[00:10:50] It's been very handy to, you know, work on understanding how to put figures in a landscape.

[00:10:56] And so I'm still photographing that from that respect.

[00:10:59] But at the moment, just from my own work, I've kind of moved through that phase for now.

[00:11:04] I may come back.

[00:11:04] I'm sort of moving along and trying out different things at the moment.

[00:11:09] Now you touched the moment, weddings.

[00:11:12] Then let's get over the list.

[00:11:14] You do landscape, weddings, portraiture, events.

[00:11:18] You class yourself a bit as a generalist photographer, Victoria?

[00:11:23] Yeah.

[00:11:24] Yeah.

[00:11:24] I mean, I don't really know how to classify myself and I don't think I've ever really, you know, it was never a consideration.

[00:11:32] I just photographed what I was interested in and it's led to a very varied kind of, you know, very varied genres that I photograph.

[00:11:41] And I'm currently interested in learning more about wildlife photography.

[00:11:44] I've got some longer lenses.

[00:11:46] I'm keen to kind of experiment in that respect.

[00:11:50] And I think that every genre that I photograph helps to inform another genre too.

[00:11:56] So it only really adds to my knowledge.

[00:11:59] I'm also trying to, you know, feel my way through kind of smaller scenes and photograph those kind of images as well.

[00:12:07] So I just love photography and I, you know, I kind of move in different directions and I never want to feel like I can't go in any direction that takes my interest.

[00:12:17] And that's why I've never really wanted to label myself as any, you know, particular type of photographer.

[00:12:24] No, I don't label you, but I was thinking you find it hard to say one day shoot a wedding and the next day go to shoot pictures of bears.

[00:12:35] You find it difficult to switch or?

[00:12:36] No, I really enjoy the diversity.

[00:12:39] I, at one point I thought I'd like to be a wedding photographer and I was thinking, you know, you can make quite a lot of money and, you know, but then when you do that over and over again and you, you know, spend the amount of time in front of the computer editing.

[00:12:51] And, you know, at the time my daughter was quite young and I was feeling like, you know, I couldn't spend time with her during the school holidays in the summer.

[00:12:58] And I actually really enjoy the diversity of what I photograph because I feel like it gives me a break from each kind of thing.

[00:13:06] And sometimes, for example, if I'm feeling a bit kind of uninspired in the landscape, I may have a portrait job to do, which gets me to pick up my camera, start shooting, start thinking creatively.

[00:13:19] And that can re-spark my interest in, you know, nature and landscape photography again.

[00:13:24] So I really do enjoy the diversity.

[00:13:27] And I, you know, I photograph things like pets and I can bring some of that knowledge to maybe photographing wildlife.

[00:13:33] And some of my portrait work helps to inspire my wildlife, you know, the things I'm learning with wildlife photography.

[00:13:39] And then they all interconnect and intersect, which I find really interesting and useful.

[00:13:46] And Victoria, on economical side of things, because I guess most people say that you niche down to have a financial success.

[00:13:55] But in your case, it's the opposite.

[00:13:57] Yeah, I feel like, yeah, certainly during COVID, it paid for me to have a very diverse, you know, kind of subject matter to photograph.

[00:14:06] Because I found that, you know, I didn't sort of run out of teaching workshops or, you know, I could still work.

[00:14:13] So and I also live in a small town.

[00:14:15] I think it might be different if I lived in, you know, a big city where perhaps you have to niche down a little bit more.

[00:14:22] When I was starting out with my photography business, it was important for me to be able to do a number of different things in this small town.

[00:14:29] So I, yeah, I find that it works really well.

[00:14:32] And of course, sometimes because you live in a small town and sometimes you get the most crazy and wonderful requests.

[00:14:38] So let's talk about Antarctica a moment.

[00:14:41] Oh, yes.

[00:14:42] You went there to shoot a wedding.

[00:14:44] How was that experience, Victoria?

[00:14:46] Oh, it was incredible.

[00:14:47] It was a really wonderful opportunity.

[00:14:49] And I have to thank Michelle Sons, who I had met through a group of women photographers.

[00:14:55] She mentioned that she was going to Antarctica and that she was going to get married there.

[00:15:00] And I jokingly said, you know, do you need a photographer?

[00:15:03] And I was very lucky to be able to accompany her and Sam on that trip.

[00:15:07] And it was, you know, a really wonderful experience to photograph the wedding, but also to have the opportunity to be in Antarctica, photograph the wildlife, see what it, you know, what it all looks like.

[00:15:18] It was, yeah, very cool.

[00:15:20] How long you got the notice in advance of the wedding?

[00:15:23] I think I certainly had a few months.

[00:15:26] I think in terms of, you know, clothing and things like that, you know, I mean, it was actually warmer than Canada.

[00:15:31] So I was prepared for it to be really cold, but it wasn't as cold as I was expecting.

[00:15:35] I think, you know, I had to think about lenses because you're traveling.

[00:15:39] I needed to shoot a wedding.

[00:15:40] So I needed to have lenses that would be suitable for a wedding.

[00:15:42] But I also wanted to take some lenses that would be good for wildlife photography and landscapes as well.

[00:15:49] So that was something to think about.

[00:15:51] And my bags were heavy.

[00:15:53] I can tell you that because I took a number of flights and every time I had to heave that bag into the overhead, it was very heavy.

[00:16:00] Yeah, I think that, you know, just really preparing for the cold, but which wasn't that cold.

[00:16:06] Trying to understand a little bit, you know, the Drake Passage was something that I wasn't familiar with.

[00:16:11] So then, you know, understanding that we had to cross the Drake Passage and what did I need to do in terms of seasickness medication and how bad was it going to be and that kind of stuff.

[00:16:20] But everything was, yeah, it was great.

[00:16:22] It was a real adventure.

[00:16:24] And on the creative side, how were you prepared for this?

[00:16:27] I mean, we really didn't know where the wedding was going to happen.

[00:16:31] So we were going to do it one day, but then the weather was a bit miserable.

[00:16:35] We didn't have much notice.

[00:16:36] It was pretty much, you know, we're going to this spot.

[00:16:39] We think this is where you could do the wedding.

[00:16:41] The weather was nice.

[00:16:42] We went ashore in a couple of zodiacs.

[00:16:44] It was difficult in terms of there was only a small area of packed down snow.

[00:16:50] So for me to be able to move my position was difficult because every time I took a step in either direction, I kind of post-hold up to my thigh.

[00:16:59] So it was like, do I take the chance of taking a step and then getting stuck in a hole and not being able to get out of it?

[00:17:06] And also with the avian flu, you can't put things down on the ground.

[00:17:11] So having to, you know, keep my equipment up and really be committed to the couple of lenses that I'd put on, I couldn't really switch them up because I couldn't, you know, I couldn't change up things from the bag.

[00:17:24] There was a few things that made it quite challenging.

[00:17:27] And the captain married the couple and it was a very short ceremony.

[00:17:31] So it wasn't like, you know, I had a lot of time to kind of shoot that.

[00:17:36] So it was stressful.

[00:17:38] It was wonderful.

[00:17:39] Just the post-holding, I think was the most difficult and also difficult for the couple to take photos because, you know, if they moved away from the area that was kind of flattened down where a few people might've stood, they were just, you know, literally post-holding in the snow and going, finding it very difficult to walk anywhere.

[00:17:58] Victoria, tell me your number one tip.

[00:18:01] My number one tip?

[00:18:02] When shooting weddings.

[00:18:03] Oh, when shooting weddings.

[00:18:04] When shooting weddings to calm down a nervous couple.

[00:18:08] I think most couples feel like they are terrible in front of the camera and they don't know what to do.

[00:18:15] And I think often letting them know that I don't feel very comfortable in front of the camera can help because I know exactly how they feel.

[00:18:23] So I know if somebody points a camera at me, what that makes me feel like.

[00:18:27] So I feel like my job is to make them feel as comfortable as possible.

[00:18:32] And that can mean that we talk a lot, that the first photos that we take may not be ones that we want to keep, but we're literally just kind of talking and feeling our way.

[00:18:43] And I'm just making them feel comfortable.

[00:18:45] And I'll often shoot with a longer lens to give them some space away from me to start with.

[00:18:51] And then I'll maybe come in a bit closer with a shorter lens as we warm up a bit, but often giving them that space, letting them know that I can't hear what they're saying to each other.

[00:19:01] And then, you know, maybe shooting something that's a bit more kind of environmental to start with and then sort of easing in a bit closer to them can really help.

[00:19:10] Now we are touching a bit the subject of gear already and lenses.

[00:19:15] But first, Victoria, Nikon ambassador.

[00:19:19] You remember how that came to be?

[00:19:21] Yes, I was very lucky that I believe that Michelle Valberg, who you probably know, she's a wonderful wildlife photographer.

[00:19:29] She, I think, very kindly mentioned me to Nikon.

[00:19:33] And I think that's how they first came across my work.

[00:19:36] So I'm eternally grateful to Michelle for that.

[00:19:39] Yeah, it was a wonderful opportunity.

[00:19:41] And they initially approached me to do a kind of a social media partnership.

[00:19:47] So it was just kind of working with them on social media.

[00:19:50] And then they asked me to speak for them in Toronto, a kind of an exhibition thing, which I was really nervous about because I really don't, as you can probably tell, I don't really like public speaking very much.

[00:20:03] So that was, that was, that was very nerve wracking.

[00:20:06] And I really had to weigh up, you know, how much do I want this?

[00:20:09] Can I actually do this public speaking?

[00:20:12] I really want this partnership with Nikon.

[00:20:14] And I did it and I, it can't have been too terrible because then they did invite me after that to be an ambassador.

[00:20:20] So yeah, it was, I'm very happy to be working with them.

[00:20:23] You see it, it all worked out.

[00:20:25] No problem, Victoria.

[00:20:26] No problem.

[00:20:27] Let's talk about gear.

[00:20:28] What you're using nowadays.

[00:20:30] So I currently have a Z8.

[00:20:33] I have another one winging its way to me because I'm so happy with that camera that I actually,

[00:20:39] I don't really want to use anything else because I really like it.

[00:20:43] But I have one Z8.

[00:20:45] I have a Z6 II and a Z7 currently.

[00:20:48] But yeah, the Z8 is my very favorite.

[00:20:51] And before mirrorless?

[00:20:54] Which service?

[00:20:54] I was using, I had the D850 prior to the mirrorless cameras.

[00:20:59] And I had the D4 as well before that and a number of different DSLRs.

[00:21:05] But yeah, when I first got my ambassadorship, I was very excited to get the, I think I had the D800 before the D850.

[00:21:13] And when I got the ambassadorship, I was like, I'm going to get the 850.

[00:21:15] I love that camera.

[00:21:16] And I was really happy with it.

[00:21:18] And then the mirrorless cameras came out.

[00:21:20] And I actually didn't, you know, I was just really loved my 850.

[00:21:25] But then Nikon cleverly lent me a mirrorless camera for six months, which was enough time to really hook me into the system and to kind of the benefits of the mirrorless system.

[00:21:36] And so by the time it came to me returning that camera, I was like, I don't know if I can let it go.

[00:21:42] I really, I'm enjoying this, the mirrorless side of things.

[00:21:46] So they hooked me in.

[00:21:47] Yeah, I sold the 850.

[00:21:50] Which mirrorless side of things you really enjoyed?

[00:21:53] I mean, I love the fact that you can handhold that, you know, at such, you know, with such long shutter speeds and still get the images.

[00:22:02] I love that you can kind of see in the viewfinder what you're going to be getting.

[00:22:07] You know, I can see that if it's blown out.

[00:22:10] Last night I was photographing the aurora and, you know, having the night view on the Z8.

[00:22:15] You know, I could actually, I mean, it was pitch black.

[00:22:18] There was no moon.

[00:22:19] I could barely see anything.

[00:22:20] There was a rock in front of me, but I couldn't see it.

[00:22:23] But my Z8 could pick up all this stuff.

[00:22:26] So, I mean, I'm not really someone who has always put a lot of store by gear, but I'm lucky enough to be in the position of, you know, having a lot of the modern cameras and really appreciating, you know, the benefits of what they can do for you.

[00:22:43] I mean, the eye detection for wildlife photography, it's ridiculous to be able to kind of just generally wave it in the direction and get stuff in focus is fantastic.

[00:22:53] So now I feel like with the ease of that, I need to be more creative.

[00:22:59] It's not enough to get the shot in focus because you can do that now with these modern cameras.

[00:23:04] It's not that difficult to do.

[00:23:05] So how am I going to take an image to the next level?

[00:23:09] I need to try and be a bit more creative.

[00:23:12] And I'm not there yet.

[00:23:13] I'm experimenting.

[00:23:14] I'm still trying to understand some wildlife subjects and practice quietly.

[00:23:20] But yeah, there's a lot of benefits.

[00:23:23] However, I do feel like having older equipment, learning with older equipment, the same as being confined to a smaller space or, you know, having children and not being able to go out and photograph whenever you want.

[00:23:37] A lot of these constraints are things that can actually make you into a better photographer, whether that improves your vision or whether that makes you work around different issues that you might experience that another person can solve really easily with their camera.

[00:23:53] You have to work a bit harder.

[00:23:54] And I think that increases your flexibility and your muscles.

[00:23:59] And when, you know, if something ever goes wrong or you can't use a function or something, you know how to work through that situation.

[00:24:06] And I just think it increases your all-round ability, really.

[00:24:10] You remember those days when we dropped in negatives to develop and you had to go in a cafe, sit drinking coffee for one hour and then going back.

[00:24:20] And then you had this magical moment of opening the folder and see what is inside.

[00:24:26] You think we lost a bit of that magic now, of that feeling?

[00:24:30] Actually, I don't because I still get that same feeling.

[00:24:32] You know, I used to, I completely remember all of that.

[00:24:36] And the hour was so long when you were waiting, when you were really excited about your images.

[00:24:41] But I still get that same feeling when I've shot stuff and I'm, you know, I'm thinking, I think I've got something.

[00:24:46] There's something on that camera and I can't wait to get it home.

[00:24:49] I can't wait to get it into Lightroom and have a look.

[00:24:52] Sometimes I'm disappointed.

[00:24:53] Sometimes I'm not.

[00:24:55] But I do still get that same feeling of anticipation.

[00:24:58] But I think we just have, we're gratified more quickly because we can download and check.

[00:25:03] And we can also look on the back of our screen now and see what we have, which, of course, we couldn't do then.

[00:25:08] So you would shoot it and just have absolutely no idea.

[00:25:12] I would write down in a little book what my settings were so that I would try and, you know,

[00:25:16] try and understand what I'd shot to be able to recreate it or fix the problem.

[00:25:21] And it was a much slower learning process.

[00:25:24] And with the advent of digital, everything just speeded up so much to be able to sort of see what the mistakes that you were making and often correct them in camera.

[00:25:33] But yeah, it's still, I still find it very exciting.

[00:25:36] I also had the notebook, but I found it very difficult to look it up and find it back and look the picture.

[00:25:43] And I just spent another roll of film making the same mistakes.

[00:25:47] I know, I did a lot of that.

[00:25:48] But then I think I was a lot more, you know, the film was expensive.

[00:25:51] The developing was expensive.

[00:25:54] So I would be a bit more considered before I hit the button.

[00:25:57] Whereas I think now you can really experiment and not worry about the cost of it.

[00:26:02] And, you know, it is a much faster, you know, learning, way of learning these days, I think.

[00:26:09] That's probably why there are so many photographers now, I think, too.

[00:26:14] And lens-wise, Victoria?

[00:26:17] Well, it depends the assignment you have, but for which lens you have a soft spot?

[00:26:22] Oh, that changes.

[00:26:24] But actually, I used to really, my 70-200mm 2.8 used to be my real kind of go-to portrait lens.

[00:26:33] And it still is, although I love changing it up with some of the prime lenses as well.

[00:26:38] But I think probably the lens that comes out of my bag the most often is the 24-200mm,

[00:26:43] which is a strange, maybe a strange one for people to kind of know.

[00:26:47] But that one is so versatile.

[00:26:50] It's so easy for me to throw filters on it if I want to.

[00:26:54] I can go from kind of wide to pretty long.

[00:26:57] If I'm hiking, it's very light.

[00:26:59] It covers that mid-range.

[00:27:01] So I find that one is probably the one that's coming out of my bag a lot at the moment.

[00:27:08] And I'm thinking about the 28-400mm as well for that same reason.

[00:27:13] And for the, I think, you know, smaller size and just the kind of hikeability and stuff.

[00:27:19] And for wildlife, you bought another lens?

[00:27:22] Yeah.

[00:27:22] So for wildlife, I, so the longest lens I had for the longest time was the 70-200mm.

[00:27:28] And then I had some teleconverters to put on that.

[00:27:31] Then I got the 100-400mm, which I really enjoyed.

[00:27:35] And then again, adding teleconverters to that was really fun.

[00:27:38] And then before I went to Antarctica, I got the 180-600mm, which is a really nice lens too.

[00:27:45] So I found that between, certainly for the kind of wildlife and landscape aspects of Antarctica,

[00:27:51] I had my wide, and then I had my 24-200mm, and then I had the 180-600mm.

[00:27:58] And so I had a very good coverage.

[00:28:00] And the 180-600mm is pretty light to carry.

[00:28:04] And yeah, I'm enjoying using that one.

[00:28:07] I would like more wildlife lenses, probably some of the really expensive ones.

[00:28:12] I'm not sure whether I'll get those, but I would like those as well at some point.

[00:28:17] But I imagine with making pictures of bears, you will need anyway a bit of a longer stretch there.

[00:28:22] I would hope so, because I don't want to be too close.

[00:28:25] However, the spot that I'm thinking of, I was surprised at how close they are.

[00:28:31] There's a campsite there, and I camped there inadvertently with my husband.

[00:28:35] And we heard a splash, and we didn't realize what it was, and realized that the bears were fishing right there.

[00:28:42] So that was very cool, very unexpected, and pretty close.

[00:28:45] I have to keep a hold of Jack, my dog, because he gets very excited at the possibility that there's bears close by.

[00:28:52] So keeping him reeled in and maybe in the van if they're around.

[00:28:58] But yeah, they're actually quite close.

[00:29:00] What's the most funny story that's ever happened to you while shooting pictures?

[00:29:05] Oh my goodness.

[00:29:08] Oh, I don't know.

[00:29:09] I've done so many stupid things.

[00:29:12] I don't know.

[00:29:13] I think it's a good answer already.

[00:29:15] I've done so many stupid things.

[00:29:17] I mean, I've done things like hiking with a broken foot, you know, helicoptering into places to not miss out on a trip with my camera with a broken foot,

[00:29:28] and then hiking with a broken foot to get up to a viewpoint on a mountain, because I, you know, I really didn't want to miss it.

[00:29:36] But, you know, I've done so many stupid things with a camera, but very enjoyable.

[00:29:42] But that was, yeah, that was probably one of them.

[00:29:44] I broke my foot a couple of weeks before I was due to fly into the backcountry and stay in a hut with some friends.

[00:29:50] And it was in the fall, but there was snow.

[00:29:53] So I had to put, I had my foot in a boot.

[00:29:57] So I had to put a couple of bags over my foot to try and keep my foot dry.

[00:30:02] And then I had crutches.

[00:30:03] And then one of my crutches broke whilst I was there.

[00:30:06] So one of my friends had to kind of whittle a piece of wood to stick in the crutch to hold it up.

[00:30:12] And yeah, that was a, that was a, one of the funny stories, I think.

[00:30:16] But I have done, I've done a lot of, you know, I've sat down in puddles by accident when I'm photographing people and ended up completely soaked.

[00:30:25] And Victoria, when you run your workshops, you're more serious then, or do you still do the same silly things?

[00:30:30] Oh, I think I do the same silly things.

[00:30:33] Yeah.

[00:30:34] I think that's, that definitely happens.

[00:30:36] It doesn't take long for me to warm up and, you know, I try not to do anything dangerous, but I'm, I certainly do some silly things, I think.

[00:30:45] I think your workshops, you run them with a friend of yours?

[00:30:48] I run them with a few different people.

[00:30:51] One of my colleagues is Monica Deviat.

[00:30:54] She's a Nikon ambassador as well.

[00:30:56] We just did a Rockies workshop.

[00:30:58] We are heading to Haida Gwaii next year.

[00:31:02] And we're also doing a workshop in Waterton National Park as well.

[00:31:08] So I've done a few with her and it's nice to work with somebody who's also, you know, an Nikon ambassador.

[00:31:14] We can, we can enjoy that.

[00:31:17] We get on pretty well.

[00:31:18] She's very scientific in her mindset.

[00:31:20] She's a physicist.

[00:31:22] So she brings a different side of things than I bring.

[00:31:26] And I think together we, we make quite a good team.

[00:31:30] I was going to ask how it works because if you both have your own vision, so to speak, to combine that, to give a workshop, but it seems a good balance there you found.

[00:31:40] I think so.

[00:31:41] Because I think we, you know, we argue about what we think is the right thing to do.

[00:31:45] And we, we always come to a, a good decision.

[00:31:48] And I think, you know, there's a good balance of the kind of, you know, my kind of approach, which is a bit different to hers.

[00:31:58] I think we work really well together.

[00:31:59] I think, you know, she says that I am the human to her Vulcan.

[00:32:03] She, she's, she's, but yeah, we, I think we work together.

[00:32:07] We're a good, we're a good team.

[00:32:09] Rick, now you speak about balance.

[00:32:12] Most of us, we are also have a part from photography.

[00:32:14] We have, we have our family.

[00:32:17] What's your secret of balancing family life with a busy working life like a photographer?

[00:32:25] I think it's becoming easier for me now that my daughter is, she's 21.

[00:32:30] She doesn't live at home, but when she was younger, it was definitely more difficult.

[00:32:35] And when I lived on an island and had a small child, that was very difficult because I was kind of stuck in that place.

[00:32:42] And I had a small child.

[00:32:44] So that was probably, you know, a huge constraint.

[00:32:47] But I think, you know, like everybody in that situation, you, you, there's a lot of things that you can't, you can't do, or you have to do things in a different way.

[00:32:58] And I think that actually that when I look back, it's actually of benefit to my career and to the things that I've done and the way that I see.

[00:33:09] I really think it's been, it's been good, but it is a difficult balance.

[00:33:13] And I think having a partner that is understanding and will, you know, you know, take their turn and look after if you, if it's a child that you're kind of working together to look after, you know, the fact that he's prepared to do that.

[00:33:26] We balance things with the dog.

[00:33:27] If I want to go away, my husband obviously takes care of Jack, does more of the walking, does the thing.

[00:33:33] So it's, you know, having, if you, if you share your life with someone, having someone who can help you with that is, and be understanding.

[00:33:40] But there are times when, you know, I know that my daughter would constantly feel like the camera came before her and it's a really difficult, you know, it would be like, mom, can you just leave that?

[00:33:51] But I'd always want to take it with me.

[00:33:53] And there were times when she would, she, as a teenager, she just didn't want me to point the camera in her direction at all.

[00:33:59] So, yeah, I mean, we've had, we've had our struggles and it's not always been easy, but I think lots of people have to deal with something like that.

[00:34:07] You know, now I've got aging parents and it's having to, you know, look after them or do stuff for them to some extent as well.

[00:34:14] So it all, there's always something, I think there's very few people who have the freedom to do exactly what they want to do when they want to do it.

[00:34:23] And this also includes, I guess, when, not when you're starting out, but when you are running a few years is start saying no to certain jobs so you can focus on what you really want to do.

[00:34:36] Yeah, I think when I actually started saying no, I began to get more of the kind of work that I really wanted.

[00:34:45] But, you know, if you are, often you have to say yes to things, you know, if you have bills to pay, you often have to say yes to things that you really don't particularly want to.

[00:34:56] But, you know, yeah, you just have to, especially if you have a family and a child's support and that kind of stuff.

[00:35:00] But yeah, I mean, I think, I think there were times when I just had to say no and it did help me to carve out more of a niche in the direction of the things that I wanted to, to photograph.

[00:35:13] And Victoria, when it all gets a bit too much, sometimes you have family, you have a lot of deadlines.

[00:35:20] Where is your happy place?

[00:35:22] It's out in nature with my camera, actually.

[00:35:25] So just, yeah, just kind of without any, just wandering, maybe with the dog, you know, maybe, maybe with my family too, but just quiet out in nature.

[00:35:37] Having my camera there, not feeling like I have to take a photograph, but if something takes my interest, then I can.

[00:35:44] Not feeling, you know, that I have any constraints on my time, just being able to wander and take as much time as I want.

[00:35:52] And that is kind of, that's what rebalances me.

[00:35:55] And, you know, I've had times in my life when, you know, things like everybody, things are not that easy.

[00:36:01] And, you know, teenage kids, different problems, just being able to get into nature and even just an hour or half an hour.

[00:36:09] The camera is that mindful tool that stops you often from thinking about the issues that you're having and actually getting you to concentrate on that dew drop or that, you know, blade of grass or whatever it is.

[00:36:24] And then you forget everything else and you have that opportunity to just kind of rebalance a bit.

[00:36:29] So that, that's definitely my happy place.

[00:36:31] And it doesn't have to be anywhere particularly dramatic.

[00:36:35] It can be, you know, the path in the woods across the road.

[00:36:38] It's just as good.

[00:36:40] And if you would ever get stuck in your creative vision, Victoria?

[00:36:45] I do get stuck.

[00:36:46] I sometimes I feel like, you know, I do feel stuck or I do feel a bit less inspired.

[00:36:52] And I think often having the balance of photographing different subjects, having a job to do, you know, means that I have to pick up my camera.

[00:37:03] I have to, you know, photograph that helicopter elopement.

[00:37:07] I have to do whatever it is that will sometimes really help to jolt me out of feeling stuck because I have a job to do.

[00:37:14] So I've got to do it.

[00:37:15] But also I think, you know, not forcing things if I don't feel like I want to, you know, take photos of something.

[00:37:25] Obviously, if it's a job, I don't have a choice.

[00:37:27] But if it's just for myself, then maybe not, you know, read a book, read about other photographers or artists, look at the work of, you know, other artists that you enjoy.

[00:37:38] And just take inspiration from other people and just let things sit and don't and really kind of don't force yourself if you don't feel that you want to, you know, you want to photograph something.

[00:37:51] And then eventually I've found that it generally comes back, even if it sometimes also going on a trip somewhere, seeing something new and fresh can kind of reignite things as well.

[00:38:01] So perhaps heading out for the day, taking the camera, not feeling like you have to shoot, but just seeing what happens and seeing something different that can can really help.

[00:38:11] So now new and fresh in your case is your new passion for nature photography.

[00:38:16] Yeah.

[00:38:17] So for wildlife photography, but I'm always, you know, experimenting with things that don't necessarily work out, but I'm just kind of figuring it out.

[00:38:26] You know, I'll play with a bit of ICM, but maybe I'm not really doing very what I consider to be very well, but I'll play with it and I'll, you know, work towards something that maybe at some point I'll produce something that I'd like.

[00:38:39] But yeah, I can't even remember the question now.

[00:38:43] I was going to the road of how is your macro photography?

[00:38:47] Macro?

[00:38:50] How is it?

[00:38:51] Yes.

[00:38:51] Yeah, I haven't done that much recently, but I really enjoy that too.

[00:38:56] So yeah, practicing that's something that I'm, there's a lot of things that I'm practicing, you know, on the quiet.

[00:39:02] I'm trying different things and maybe at some point, you know, I often share things as well that I'm not, I don't absolutely love, but I just, you know, put them out there.

[00:39:13] Victoria, you find it hard as shooting a few genres, publishing them on social media.

[00:39:20] Yeah.

[00:39:22] Normally photographers don't do this.

[00:39:23] They always stick with one genre and this is what they publish on their social media, but you just publish everything that you do.

[00:39:31] I don't publish everything, but I do, I tend to put a fair amount out there just because I want to keep the doors open for what I want to shoot.

[00:39:40] I don't want to, you know, necessarily be known as just this kind of photographer or that kind of photographer because I may choose to go in an entirely different direction.

[00:39:48] So I think if you post things that people don't expect, you can expect that they're, you know, not going to get a huge number of likes or, but I, you know, I don't really care.

[00:40:00] I just, I just feel like if I don't want to put myself in a very small box, that means that I'm not able to do other things because my kind of follower kind of base only expect those kinds of things from me.

[00:40:14] So I think if I don't post the odd thing that's different, I'm not keeping the parameters of that box open.

[00:40:22] Victoria, I'm disappointed you were also doing the knitting socks where it's your happy place or cooking.

[00:40:28] I always ask this question and I always get from photographers, no, I have my camera.

[00:40:33] Oh really?

[00:40:34] It's difficult for them to let the camera down.

[00:40:36] Yeah, it's true.

[00:40:37] No, I don't, I don't knit socks and I'm not very good at cooking.

[00:40:40] I like eating.

[00:40:41] I'm just not that good at cooking.

[00:40:44] Victoria, I will let you go.

[00:40:46] You will have a lot of things to do.

[00:40:47] Thank you very much for this little chat on the podcast and getting to know you a bit better.

[00:40:53] Thank you so much, Tom.

[00:40:55] I really appreciate it.

[00:40:56] Thank you.

[00:40:57] We keep in contact, have fun with the bears, but be careful.

[00:41:01] Don't do anything silly there.

[00:41:02] No, no, I won't.

[00:41:04] Thank you.

[00:41:05] Okay.

[00:41:05] We talk soon, Victoria.

[00:41:07] Thanks.

[00:41:07] I see you.

[00:41:08] Bye.

[00:41:09] Bye.

[00:41:10] And folks, that's a wrap on today's.

[00:41:12] Inspiring conversation with Victoria Hark.

[00:41:15] I hope her insights into adapting to new environments, handling diverse photography genres, and balancing

[00:41:21] family and career resonated a bit with you as much as it did with us.

[00:41:26] Victoria's approach to embracing creativity in every aspect of her work, from those intimate

[00:41:31] portraits to wildlife photography shows that the art of photography has really no limits.

[00:41:37] If you enjoyed today's episode, please take a moment to rate and review us, the Camera Cafe Show, on your favorite platform like Apple or Spotify.

[00:41:45] And don't forget to subscribe to our newsletter on our website for updates on fascinating upcoming guests, because we are making our calendar for 2025.

[00:41:54] And it will be truly amazing.

[00:41:56] And it will be truly amazing.

[00:41:56] We promise.

[00:41:57] Your support and feedback mean the world to us.

[00:42:00] Until next time, happy shooting from all of us here.

[00:42:03] Keep on moving your photography.

[00:42:04] And we see you next week here at the Camera Cafe Show.

[00:42:07] Adios.