Crumbling Empire

• Prize
  Bronze in Editorial/Environmental
• Photographer
  Daniel Haeker

On the western coastline of Latvia, on the outskirts of the city of Liepaja, the Baltic Sea is taking over an abandoned line of bunkers that was supposed to help defend and literally cement the Soviet Empire. However, as citizens of modern Latvia nowadays will gleefully tell you, the cement used by the Soviets was of inferior quality and was therefore just as much bound to crumble as the Soviet Union seemed to have been.

Born and raised in Berlin. Studied law in Berlin, timpani and percussion in Essen, Copenhagen and Duesseldorf. Professional timpanist and percussionist, permanent member of the Wuppertal Symphony. Took up photography in 2007 while on tour with the orchestra, hooked ever since. Main photographic subjects include people, nude, architecture and landscape photography. Avid traveller and travel photographer.