Michelle Valberg

Michelle Valberg is an award-winning Canadian photographer and explorer who has been telling stories with her camera for more than 30 years. She has traveled to all continents in search of adventure and photographic opportunities. She is particularly celebrated for her passion for Canada and the Arctic.

Known for her unique ability to make relatable images of unimaginable landscapes, Michelle finds art in all of nature’s most intimate moments. The world around us mirrors what we see in ourselves, she says, including our beauty, our simplicity, our complications and our responsibilities. Nature is a part of and reflects who we are.

A Canadian Nikon Ambassador, Michelle has exhibited her works internationally. In 2011, her work was the subject of a critically acclaimed, three-month solo exhibition at the Canadian Museum of Nature. Her images appear on magazine covers, in numerous exhibitions and embassies worldwide. Her iconic image of a Nunavut drum dancer appears on a Royal Canadian Mint coin as well as her bear images are on three Canada Post stamps, first day cover and booklet. Michelle was recently awarded the Louise Kamookak Medal from the Royal Canadian Geographic Society.

Michelle’s work extends beyond photography. In 2009, she founded Project North, a not-for-profit organization committed to delivering education and sport-based opportunities to youth in Canada’s Arctic. Since its inception, $1,000,000 in new sports equipment has been delivered to more than 30 northern communities in Canada.

Michelle was named the first Canadian Geographic Photographer-in-Residence and she has self-published four books: Look Beyond…The Faces & Stories of People Living with HIV/AIDS, Dare to Dream… A Celebration of Canadian Women, Arctic Kaleidoscope…The People, Wildlife and Ever-Changing Landscape and her children’s book, Ben & Nuki Discover Polar Bears.

Michelle is a Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographic Society and an International Fellow of the Explorer's Club in New York City.

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