Viktoriia Nikitiuk
Family & Motherhood
Photography
Heirloom portraits, painted with light.
See the portfolio
What I photograph
Why the photos look like this
Before I ever picked up a camera, I was painting. That hasn't really stopped — it's just that the brush changed.
More about how I work →Light, not lighting
No flash, no studio strobes. I work in window light and in the last hour before the sun goes down, which is the same light painters have been chasing for four hundred years. It's softer than anything you can build, and it makes skin look like skin.
Colour mixed, not filtered
Every image is graded by hand, one at a time, the way you'd mix a colour on a palette. Warm, muted, with the shadows left in. No preset. Nothing “bright and airy.”
Composed, not posed
Years of composition training, pointed at a family that's just being a family. I'll tell you where to stand and where the light is. After that I mostly stay out of the way.
Hello
I'm Viktoriia.
I trained as a fine artist in Ukraine, moved to Canada about ten years ago, and spent the years since working as a graphic designer — colour, composition, the slow patient work of making an image.
The camera was always there alongside it. Then I had a baby, and everything about why I take pictures changed.
Now I photograph mothers and families around Kitchener-Waterloo, in natural light, with an oil painter's eye. I'm looking for the same thing every time: the one frame you'll still want on the wall in twenty years.
Kind words
Signed, with love.
“Absolutely amazing photographer! So talented, professional, and wonderful to work with. Our photos always turn out beautiful, and she captures every special moment perfectly. Highly recommend!”
“Thank you so much for the pics, they're amazing — I loved all of them and couldn't decide which to post first. And a special thank you for the location; it looks like a fairy tale.”
“The photos are absolutely amazing — I'm in love. We're so grateful for such a beautiful session. You're incredibly talented and a true professional. Thank you for capturing these memories for us.”
Let's make something you'll keep.
Tell me a little about your people and what you'd like to remember. I read every message myself, and I'll write back within two days.
Get in touch