by Daphne Backman
On February 1, 2025, I received the heartbreaking news that Michelle Wojdyla had passed away. I’ve started this article so many times and had to stop, restart, scrap it, and start over because I was trying too hard to make it perfect, to not forget anyone she helped or to include every single special memory. For the first few tries, it was impossible for me to get my head around the magnitude of writing it. Now that I’ve been able to sit with it, I’m trying again. And the result, is what you’re reading now.
Writing this tribute would not have been possible if Michelle hadn’t shared her photography journey reflections for IDC’s 25th Anniversary video. I’m grateful she did. It not only allows me to share the story of how she contributed to the world of figure skating photography, but also about the lives of those who were lucky enough to learn from her. Friends she met along the way and photographers she mentored also sent photos and shared their own stories.
For those who have followed Ice-Dance.com (IDC) since its early days, you may remember Michelle as one of our first photographers. For those who have not, Michelle’s influence played a key role in shaping the early trajectory of IDC in many ways beyond the lens of her camera.
Michelle’s path into photography began at the 1999 World Figure Skating Championships in Helsinki. Her friend Ginger loaned her a camera (pictured, right), she sat in the front row for ice dance, unsure of how to even turn it on.
A kind stranger, Emma Abraham, took Michelle under her wing, setting up her camera and introducing her to the intricate beauty of ice dance. This is the same Emma who co-founded ice-dance.com with me just a few months later.
“It was like I had been shown this secret portal, and I will be eternally grateful for that,” Michelle later recalled. It was in that moment that a deep passion for figure skating photography was ignited, one that would shape the next seven years of her life.
Introduced by our mutual friend Emma, I first met Michelle in 2000 at a Champions On Ice tour stop in New Jersey. From that point forward, Michelle and I stayed in touch through email, and over the years, we became friends.
In 2003, as Emma began to step back from IDC, Michelle expressed an interest in helping me expand the site. She encouraged me to post more photos from events and started sharing photos from her catalog to jumpstart the expansion. She pushed this idea of how event coverage could bring new visitors and grow beyond the information hub we had created.
This was also the first year that we decided to go to the Lake Placid Ice Dance Championships. Our friend Karen Frank recommended it after attending the previous year and encouraged us to join her for the next one. As die-hard ice dance fans, we were immediately intrigued by a competition dedicated entirely to our favorite discipline. Little did we know what Lake Placid would come to represent.
Over the next several seasons, Michelle’s constant encouragement led me to push further in our event coverage, attending more events—including my first U.S. National Championships in 2006.
However, that summer everything changed. Michelle was involved in a head-on vehicular collision that caused a brain injury. Her memory was affected. She suffered from vertigo and physically found that she could no longer shoot the way she once had.
Michelle being Michelle and despite any attempts to implore her to focus on her condition and recovery, her immediate concern after the accident was the upcoming event in Lake Placid. She had resolved to try to continue to photograph events, but at a different capacity.
Due to fatigue, pain and vertigo, Michelle handed me a camera for the first time. With quick instruction and her guidance, 2006 Lake Placid marked a turning point in my own professional journey, and Michelle became more than a friend to me—she became a mentor.
Michelle started a slow transition from photographer to teacher. Her unwavering passion for photography and her willingness to share her knowledge also changed the career trajectory of others including Melanie Heaney, Katie Pettet, Robin Ritoss and Liz Chastney.
Katie’s story began with a simple email to Michelle, asking for advice on Canon DSLRs and freelance photography. What started as a question quickly evolved into a mentorship that would change Katie’s life.
Michelle’s response was full of wit and wisdom, including her infamous disdain for skaters in white costumes: “I hate when skaters wear white because it makes it so difficult to find the right camera settings.”
“Michelle hated white costumes as much as she loved HoJo’s mac & cheese,” Katie shared.
In 2007, Michelle suggested we reach out for help in covering the Lake Placid Ice Dance Championships, offering the opportunity for those interested to learn photography while using her equipment or providing their own.
Katie and Melanie Heaney traveled to Lake Placid to take advantage of this opportunity and to learn from Michelle. That trip became the foundation for the IDC event coverage team.
Summers spent in Lake Placid became some of my fondest memories—filled with late nights, laughter, hard work, and the camaraderie of the four of us. The second year, we became the “hoodie brigade” after buying matching pink Lake Placid hoodies.
It’s funny because I remember Melanie sharing with me later that she hadn’t planned on returning to Lake Placid. However Michelle’s final words to her after that week were “see you next year.” She was right.
Robin’s story intersected with Michelle’s at a pivotal moment. As a journalist eager to improve her writing with strong visual content, Robin reached out to me for advice. In 2009, I invited Robin to Lake Placid to learn photography from Michelle and borrow some equipment. What Robin didn’t know was how this trip would change her life forever.
“For some reason, at that event, I felt at home,” Robin shared. “Michelle took me under her wing and patiently taught me the fundamentals of photography.”
“I owe everything to Michelle, Daphne, and Mr. Sugawara from Japan. Each one of them explained the basics—shutter speed, ISO, and aperture—in a way that made sense. I spent hours sitting with Michelle, who gave me pointers on what makes a good photo.”
“She edited my photos, offered encouragement, and even told me I had the ‘eye.’ I was shocked when some of my photos were actually used on the website. Michelle told me I was bitten by the photography bug. She was right.”
Though Robin was initially hesitant to call herself a photographer, Michelle’s influence continued and as Robin’s skills grew, so did her confidence. Michelle had warned her that once the bug bites, there’s no turning back. Robin the journalist gradually transitioned into Robin the photographer, and from that point on, there was no looking back.
I remember that one year, we (Katie, Robin, Melanie, Liz and I) sent Michelle a Michelle Wojdyla School of Photography mug for Christmas.
Michelle’s mentorship extended far beyond this group. She nurtured an entire generation of photographers, referring to us as her “babies,” celebrating our milestones as if they were her own.
When Robin earned her first Olympic credential in 2018, Michelle was moved to tears. “My baby is going to the Olympics!” she said, filled with pride. Another outpouring of emotion came in 2022 when Melanie earned her accreditation for the Beijing Games.
Even when Michelle could no longer travel, her love for figure skating, the skaters, and photography never wavered. She cheered for every team, edited photos, and offered advice to those who sought it. Her presence may have been physically absent, but her spirit remained in every image, every word of encouragement.
“I’m not sure what is more exciting: capturing an amazing ice dance photograph or being there when someone else does,” Michelle once mused. “Some people just have an eye for skating photography. It’s different from other kinds of photography.”
Michelle Wojdyla’s legacy lives on through the photographers she mentored, the friendships she nurtured, and the passion she ignited. Her story will continue to be told through the images she captured, the memories she created, and the lives she changed through the generosity of sharing her gift.
Photographs for this article were contributed by Ginger Whatley, Amy Sullivan and Alexis DiVicenti.
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