The Canadian Museum of Nature
in Ottawa, ON
Wednesday, MAY 17, 2023
You’re invited to experience a magical evening with four iconic photographers, who will take you through the lens on a thrilling journey of powerful imagery and storytelling. The presentation will be followed by an interactive panel discussion.
Tickets:
$169 (plus tax) – General Admission
Presentation and panel discussion in theatre – 6:30pm Start
$259 (plus tax) – VIP
Includes pre-event wine and cheese reception with Ami, Deanne, Viktoria and Michelle
as well as reserved theatre seating for the presentation and panel discussion. – 5:00pm Start
(Only 30 VIP tickets available)
Proceeds support the Nature Foundation
Sponsored by
ABOUT the PHOTOGRAPHERS:
AMI VITALE
National Geographic Photographer and Filmmaker
Ami has been named one of the most influential photographers and storytellers of her generation and is Conservation International’s 2022 Innovators Fellow. In 2022, she was awarded with prestigious prizes from both the Missouri Honor Medal for Distinguished Service and the Lucie Humanitarian Award. Instyle Magazine named Ami one of fifty Badass Women, a series celebrating women who show up, speak up and get things done. She has been named Magazine photographer of the year in the International Photographer of the Year prize, received the Daniel Pearl Award for Outstanding Reporting and named Magazine Photographer of the Year by the National Press Photographers Association. She is a six-time recipient of World Press Photos, including 1st Prize for her 2018 National Geographic magazine story about a community in Kenya protecting elephants. She is author of the best-selling book, Panda Love, on the secret lives of pandas.
Her films have won awards at dozens of prestigious film festivals and her most recent work, Shaba, is an Official Selection at the prestigious Wildscreen festival. Through online streaming, Ami raised nearly $250,000 for the Reteti elephant sanctuary whose story she featured in Shaba. Ami lectures for the National Geographic LIVE series and will be featured on National Geographic Channel Explorer tv series in 2023.
Ami is the founder and Executive Director of the women-led non-profit Vital Impacts, raising millions of dollars to help support conservation efforts around the world. She is mentoring and teaching photography to indigenous conservationists, creating grants for long term storytelling and using art to engage youth to become activists and influence their peers in the world.
She is a founding member of Ripple Effect Images, an organization of renowned female scientists, writers, photographers and filmmakers working together to create powerful and persuasive stories that shed light on the hardships women in developing countries face and the programs that can help them. For the past four years, Ami was the President of the Photographers Advisory Board for National Geographic photographers and currently sits on their Advisory board. Ami is on the Photojournalism Advisory Council for the Alexia Foundation.
IG – @amitvitale
VIKTORIA HAACK
Nikon Ambassador
Viktoria is originally from the UK and a resident of BC, Canada since 2007. She is heavily influenced by the beautiful environment that surrounds her.
She has a background in fine art and anthropology. This combined with her love for the natural world, brings a unique perspective to her photography. Her ethos is to tread lightly; observe and document the subtle visual story within whichever photographic genre she is working.
Viktoria’s work covers the fields of landscape, portrait, wedding, event, promotion, editorial, stock and photography education. The diversity of her work allows cross pollination of skills and experiences between these different photographic genres and allows her to stay creative and excited about the projects she undertakes. She loves nothing more than sharing her passion for photography in an educational role – whether that is over a cup of coffee and a chat or on a multi-day back country workshop.
Viktoria is proud to be a Nikon Canada Ambassador and Global Ambassador for Lowepro Bags. She has been published by numerous media outlets around the globe, both online and in print and is a regular contributor to Photo News Magazine.
IG: @viktoriahaack
DEANNE FITZMAURICE
Pulitzer Prize Winning Photographer and Nikon Ambassador
For more than two decades, Deanne Fitzmaurice served as an eyewitness to sweeping change across the Bay Area of San Francisco, as a photojournalist for the San Francisco Chronicle. As luck would have it, they were not quiet years. The period was marked by the worst Earthquake in nearly a century, pivotal Supreme Court rulings about who we can love and marry with the blessing of the nation, significant wars involving the U.S., roaring climate change, Bay Area dominance in the world of professional baseball and football, and the ever-evolving face of America.
Deanne’s work for the Chronicle garnered the attention of global publications and soon she was shooting and creating stories for National Geographic, Sports Illustrated and ESPN. Her photographic essay, documenting a young Iraqi war victim named Saleh, earned her the Pulitzer Prize. Nikon named Deanne an Ambassador and she swept the world of photographic awards, earning multiple top prizes from the leading contests, including Pictures of the Year International, AI-AP American Photography, Communication Arts, NPPA, and others.
Since her newspaper days, Deanne spends her behind-the-lens time shooting for the world’s most iconic brands, including Amazon, Apple, Nike, Google and Facebook, helping nonprofit organizations such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Lucile Packard Foundation tell their stories, and working on personal projects to document moments and individuals who spark her enthusiasm.
A highly sought-after storyteller, Deanne lectures at Stanford University and shares her insights and reflections on life, creativity, business acumen, and cultivating a winning mindset with corporate, industry, and student audiences worldwide. When she’s not on the move, Deanne and her photographer husband, Kurt Rogers, oversee Think Tank, the cult camera bag business they co-founded.
IG – @deannefiztmaurice
MICHELLE VALBERG, C.M.
Nikon Ambassador & Canadian Geographic Photographer-in-Residence
Michelle Valberg’s stunning and at times haunting photographs have been showcased across North America and Europe. Over time, Valberg has chronicled significant moments that convey national and international impact – from portraits of people living with HIV/AIDS, pandemic heroes and celebrated women, to her conservation work documenting numerous wildlife species at risk. These include Canada’s threatened polar bears and arctic wildlife. In 2011, Valberg’s work was the subject of a critically acclaimed three-month solo exhibition at the esteemed Canadian Museum of Nature. Her images will be part of a new exhibition at the museum opening March 1, 2023 called WOLVES. Her Canadiana landscape and wildlife photography is displayed in Canadian embassies and consulates across the globe.
Valberg holds the distinguished positions of Nikon Ambassador Canada, and Canadian Geographic Photographer-in-Residence – her images have appeared in National Geographic, Outdoor Photographer, Lens Magazine, The London Tribune, Reader’s Digest and Canadian Geographic.Her work is also featured on Canada Post Stamps, on a Royal Canadian Mint Coin, on airplane tales and numerous magazine covers and literature.
Dedicated to mentoring young aspiring and fellow photographers and entrepreneurs, Valberg has remained involved with her alma mater, Algonquin College, where she holds the inaugural “Hall of Fame” induction for photography in the School of Media & Design. She was also named “Alumna of the Year” in 2005 and in 2018, she was honoured with the Algonquin College Alumni of Distinction Award.
In addition to her achievements as a photographer and entrepreneur, Valberg is a tireless philanthropist and community leader. Michelle founded Project North, a national not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of children living in the far north. Since 2008, they have delivered over $1.5 million of sporting equipment to 30 northern communities. She has been a featured guest speaker for countless international and national organizations. She has received numerous accolades and awards over the years, notably the Julia Margaret Cameron Award for Women Photographers, a gold medal at the World Photographic Cup in Rome (2022), two Premier’s Award Nominations, the United Way Ottawa Community Builder of the Year Award and the Louie Kamookak Medal from the Royal Canadian Geographic Society.Michelle was appointed to the Order of Canada in 2022.
Valberg has self-published four books and is a fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographic Society as well as The Explorer’s Club in New York City.
SEE YOU ON MAY 17TH!
