Monika Deviat

Monika is an award-winning photographer, experienced educator, and renowned speaker based in Alberta, Canada. Her photography spans multiple genres and demonstrates her versatility, technical skills, and unique perspective. She has been published globally in books, magazines, and webzines.

Monika's career began with concert photography while studying Physics at University. This journey took her across North America to shoot hundreds of bands and dozens of festivals - and even onto international waters for the world's largest heavy metal cruises. As a metalhead, one of her best concert photographer moments is getting a thank you in the liner notes of the UK heavy metal band, Venom's album, "From the Very Depths." 

In 2015, Monika shifted from shooting stars on stages to stars in the sky. Night photography immediately became her favorite genre. Photographing the Milky Way inspired her to start doing landscape photography and led her to hike and scramble in the Canadian Rockies. She spends a lot of time hauling ridiculous amounts of gear up mountains to shoot the night sky. Being alone in the dark under a star-filled night sky is one of the best feelings for Monika. She is driven to capture unique scenes that inspire a sense of wonder and appreciation for the wild places surrounding us. 

Sharing knowledge and experiences in workshops and seminars was a natural progression. Her background in teaching and coaching goes back over fifteen years, from tutoring and speaking at scientific conferences and seminars, to group fitness classes and, of course, photography. Monika enjoys educating people and pulls from her years of experience to simplify explanations for technical subjects and to be able to adapt to different learning styles. Along with photography, Monika teaches Leave No Trace Principles and how to preserve and protect the places people love to photograph and explore.