Interview: Charlotta Hauksdóttir – Finding a “Sense of Place” in Iceland
Last Updated: February 14th, 2020
As many readers of this website may know, I have a pretty serious fascination with Iceland, landscape photography, and interesting perspectives. It’s this combination of interests that ultimately led me to finding the work of Charlotta Hauksdóttir as she is in the process of Kickstarting her new book A Sense of Place – Imprints of Iceland.
In simple words, I would describe her photography of landscapes to be quite unique.
She often begins with abstractions, sometimes just emotions and feelings, and the end results after image editing, compositing, and even some extra materials at times – turn into something very satisfying.
The images become larger than their independent parts – a mixture of colors, techniques, and so on that showcase not just the environment, but convey the atmosphere so well.
Her work ends up transitioning into fine art – as it showcases very intentional choices on her part as a trained photographer. With this thought in mind, it’s easy to suggest then that some images even are reminiscent of oil paintings given the texture and fluid appearance of the combined elements.
Read on for my full interview with Charlotta Hauksdóttir to get insights into how she got started in a unique photography career, hear about some of her photographic processes, and learn more about what’s in store with this new book in the works!!
Reading through your biography, I am amazed by some of your feats in photography including pursuing higher education in the field. Could you share some details about your background in photography (both in general and academically) for my audience?
I’ve always liked taking pictures, but hadn’t been seriously into photography until I started thinking about what I wanted to do as a career. I imagined a photographer’s life being exciting, traveling and flexible hours, interesting with new things happening.
I also wanted to study abroad. Iceland is small and isolated so it’s very common for young people to want to get away. My dream was to come to California to study in San Francisco but at the time the student loans in Iceland did not cover the tuition for undergrad studies so I went to Italy instead, where the tuition was lower. I studied at the Istituto Europeo di Design which emphasized industrial photography but I concentrated on documentary work.
My dream was to work for National Geographic. I was fortunate enough to work summers as a flight attendant based in Saudi Arabia, flying all over the world, and I used those opportunities to photograph. When I returned to Iceland, I was determined to work as a photographer and I got a job in a commercial studio and in my spare time I photographed weddings and graduations.
What triggered your interest in leaving the beautiful country of Iceland for California here in the United States?
When my future husband got offered a job in the States I realized that my dream to come to California to study might come true. I pulled together a portfolio and applied to the San Francisco Art Institute as well as The California College of the Arts. I got into both schools but decided that SFAI was more for me. Studying there opened up a whole new world of photography for me. Since my background was mostly commercial it was really challenging working in conceptual art.
I am from the East Coast of the USA, and have traveled both out West to California as well as to Iceland just 2 years ago. While I only spent 10 days in the country, it is my most revisited memory. My own personal photographs from Iceland are some of my personal favorites, and they do a whole lot to continually evoke emotions in me that are hard to explain. In some ways, it feels more like home than my own home (if that makes any sense). Do you feel this same lure back to Iceland? What is it about the country that makes you want to return?
I’ve heard other people that visit Iceland talk about how much of an impact it had on them. It is hard to explain but there is something truly magical about it.
How frequently do you go back to Iceland? Do you get to visit with family, or do you sometimes take exclusive “photography trips”?
Since we moved to the States in 2001 we have gone back once or twice a year to visit family and I use those opportunities to photograph. My work in Iceland hasn’t been exclusively landscape photography. In 2015, we spent 4 months there with our kids to get them more connected with family and familiar with Icelandic and I did a domestic project. I photographed out the bedroom window of the place we were staying, accumulating around 80 images. I’ve done a few solo trips for exhibitions as well.
Given that Iceland is such a popular location for tourists and landscape photographers, can you share some challenges that come from photographing in Iceland?
Iceland has definitely changed in the number of tourists that visit each year and it’s been a little overwhelming for this relatively small country. It’s really important to realize that Iceland is a very unpredictable place, the weather for example can go from sunny to a storm in a matter of hours. The earth is also unstable, high cliffs, slippery rocks, volatile sea, deep crevices in the lava, etc.
Last summer when I was photographing we picked up a couple that had attempted to wade over a river with their shoes off. The girl got a deep gash in the sole of her foot and couldn’t step on it. These past years there have been many accidents where people have taken too much risk in capturing the perfect shot. Please stay safe!
What would you consider your best success in photographing Iceland over the course of many years?
I think the most recent series “Imprints” is the most successful project I have done so far. It brings together many years of working with the landscape in a new and unusual way.
Can you share more about the inspiration that is going into your upcoming and anticipated hardcover book A Sense of Place – Imprints of Iceland?
I started photographing the landscape in Iceland after I moved away and began studying here in the States. Every time I traveled back I had this nostalgic reaction to the land and the light and I wanted to capture this feeling of not being at home. Over the years the project has evolved and visually changed but the essence of this emotional connection to the landscape remains.
By backing the Kickstarter campaign for $45 or greater, you can secure a copy of this awesome book in the making!
In the modern digital age where photographs are so accessible online, what makes a book of photography so compelling to you?
It is a different feeling holding a print than seeing a picture on a device which I think is in part why photography books are still so popular. The arrangement and order of the photographs is often very important too for the concept and that is best achieved in a book. Having the work online however is a great way to get more exposure for it.
Many of your landscape photos take an abstract approach. This is a viewpoint that is often neglected by landscape photographers in general, but can evoke so much rich emotion. Can you walk us through your creative process for creating these types of abstract images?
My reason for abstracting the landscape is both the emotional effect and to emphasize how difficult it is to fully absorb experiences. I work very intuitively and my projects usually mirror what’s going on in my life in some way. In the earliest landscape work I was pairing still and blurred images reflecting the rootlessness I felt after moving. That evolved into human scale work where I could essentially step into the landscape for refuge. This latest work where I am destroying photographs of the landscape has a lot to do with my concern for the environment.
While going through your website, I stumbled across your resume. Your extensive biography of solo and group photo exhibitions is really quite amazing! Care to tell us about how you got started in exhibiting your work?
I started exhibiting in school. It was a great way to push the comfort zone and get feedback on the work, and after I graduated I continued to seek exhibition opportunities. Being an artist can be very isolating so it’s a good way to meet peers. It’s an important part of getting the work out there and creating even more opportunities.
What has been your favorite photo exhibition to date that featured your work? What made it so great?
Probably Photovisa in Russia. It is a great festival and I had a chance to go there and meet a lot of new people and see interesting work.
Do you utilize any post-processing (ie: editing, compositing, etc.) to generate your photos, or is your work strictly created in camera?
All of the work I am doing now is post processed.
To create a Topography piece for example I select around 20 images shot in one location and a mask pattern that I feel might work. From those 20 I end up with 4-7 images that I layer. I then erase parts to visualize the end result, color correct them and print on individual sheets. I spray the paper with a protective shield and then I cut the images by hand in the pattern and layer them with foam core in between to create the depth.
Can you give us a run down of what photography gear you use regularly to produce the work you do?
Now I use a Sony a7R III and most often use a 75-200mm and 24-105mm Sony lenses, but my older work is shot on a Hasselblad.
Any advice you would want to offer aspiring landscape photographers and, well, photographers aspiring to pursue photography both academically and for a future career?
There is a lot of trial and error and it’s important to not give up if this is your passion.
Can you share some advice for other photographers out there aspiring to produce unique and compelling work that will also be liked enough to be commercially viable through fine art or a photography career?
I think it is really important to create work that comes from a personal place. Each person has unique experiences and people respond to work made from the heart. But there is so much great work out there that one has to work really hard at setting themselves apart.
A few years back I went to a lecture where the photographer was talking about pictures of sunsets. A Google search turns up millions of pictures of sunsets, what is going to make my sunset picture stand out? I’m reminded of this sometimes and it pushes me to think outside the box.
Through getting to know Charlotta in this interview and pairing her amazing life experiences (both in and out of photography) with her work, there is easily a lot to like. If you are enjoying her work and want to offer some support, she is currently hosting a Kickstarter campaign to help in the production of her new book A Sense of Place – Imprints of Iceland.
As of the time of publication, she is over 50% of the way to her goal!! So please consider offering your support!
For more on Charlotta Hauksdóttir, you can check out her work and get in touch through her website, Instagram, Facebook, and Art Finder.
You can do your part to spread the word by sharing this post with friends through email and social media, too!
