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Focus on Nature interview with Ben Willmore
By Einar Erlendsson
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Q: How many times have you visited Iceland and what keeps you coming back?
A: Over the last four years, I’ve taken three separate trips to Iceland, and everything I’ve experienced has inspired me to want to go back again and again. When exploring Iceland, I feel like I’m home because it’s so easy to communicate with the “locals”. Almost all of them can speak English and there’s no need to ask about it. When they start out speaking Icelandic, you can either respond in English, or they’ll automatically switch to English the moment they notice any hesitation in your face. The variation in the landscape makes you feel like you’re always on a treasure hunt--just about to be surprised by something extraordinary. I don’t think I could ever get tired of it, but I do admit that I’ve become a bit jaded about the waterfalls. Iceland has a ridiculous abundance of picture-perfect waterfalls, and sometimes, I admit, I find myself ignoring the less spectacular ones.
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Q: What’s your teaching style?
A: I’m all about learning to be truly comfortable with your camera... attempting to make it an extension of your brain. I like to help photographers learn how to unravel their traditional thinking processes, so that they can get away from predictable photographs and move toward creating imagery that expresses their own unique voice. When teaching Photoshop, I’m all about helping you to really understand what you’re doing and getting you away from blindly following steps that someone else created. If you truly understand how things work throughout the entire process of capturing an image, and why you are taking each and every step, you can adapt techniques to your own personal working style.
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Q: During field trips, do you set assignments or how do you influence the workshop participants?
A: I try to push people beyond their comfort zones so they start to see the world differently. When your perceptual experience is fully awakened, a scene comes alive in ways that you might not expect, and you become empowered to capture much more compelling imagery. Carl Jung said, "Art is a kind of innate drive that seizes a human being and makes him its instrument.” I give assignments that force your brain to seek out things you’re not used to looking for so that by the end of the week you have learned how to tap into that ‘innate drive’ that is the mark of all great creatives.
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Q: Do you like to include critique sessions in your workshops?
A: Yes. I find that they can really help people grow. I love seeing a progression throughout the week where a comparison of images from the first day and the last day show marked improvement.
Q: What makes a group experience special compared to exploring on your own?
A: One of the main advantages of being with a group is that you’ll get to see how different people interpret the same scenes. Seeing a slide show of your shooting mates’ work is a great way to jumpstart your brain so that you will be receptive to discovering a scene differently than you might have in the past. When you go out shooting the next day, you’ll find that the possibilities have expanded, and what might have been hidden to you before, is now revealed.
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Q: Why do you think fewer people explore Iceland than a place like London?
A: I think it’s all about pre-conceived notions. When I tell someone I’m going to Iceland, they assume that it’s icy and bleak, that the people won’t speak English and that it takes a hellishly long flight to get there. But the reality is quite the opposite. Iceland is surprisingly green (it’s Greenland that is icy), 92.6% of the population speak very good English, and the flight takes only 4.5 hours from the East coast. Iceland used to be expensive to explore, but with the changes in their economy, you can come home with many gifts without spending an arm and a leg.
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Q: What should someone expect to experience when exploring Iceland?
A: An extremely varied landscape where one day you can be shooting glaciers and icebergs floating in a lagoon, the next day you can be capturing massive waterfalls and black sand beaches, and the next you’re exploring lava fields and geysers. Then there are the trademark Icelandic horses with their long manes. You’ll also see tiny one roomed grass-roofed churches dotted throughout the countryside and much more. In July, the sun never really sets, so the golden hour lasts for what seems like forever. It’s hard to describe what you should expect to see in Iceland because the countryside has a marvelous way of defying your expectations.
You’ll also notice a surprising lack of US influence. You’ll only find MacDonalds and KFC in the capital and there’s only a few of those anyway. The moment you get out of the capital, then almost every store, brand and choice will be refreshingly new. That makes Iceland feel largely “unspoiled”. You’ll also feel very safe. Iceland has no army, the police carry no guns and the people pride themselves on jumping in to help whenever there is a problem. For example, one year I rented an RV in Iceland and had a problem with it while in the middle of the country side. I stopped at a mechanic’s shop in a small town and was amazed when he was actively working on my problem within less than two minutes of me walking in the door. I had a similar problem with the vehicle when I was near the airport and had the same experience when stopping by one of their largest car dealerships (and that guy even refused to allow me to pay for his help).
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Q: Why have you partnered with Focus on Nature for your Icelandic workshop?
A: To get the most out of Iceland, you need local guides who have lived and explored the area their entire life. It’s only with that kind of knowledge that you’ll get to the best spots for the varied weather that Iceland is known for. A skilled four-wheel drive driver is also essential to being able to see the most unique areas in Iceland. Also, everyone in Iceland seems to know each other, so a local guide can get you access to places and get help from people that you’d never be able to know about if you were on your own.
Iceland is my favorite country to visit and I want to help others experience as much of its unique beauty as is possible.
Watch the music video that’s found here: http://tinyurl.com/icelandvid
to get a better idea of how varied the landscape is and then check out my workshop description on the Focus on Nature web site and see if it resinates with you. A week in Iceland can be one of the most refreshing experiences in your lifetime.
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Interviewer with Ben Willmore, Glacier lagoon, May 2009 / Photo: Ragnar Th Sigurdsson
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Ben Willmore:
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Web sites:
Exploring America via motorcoach at WhereIsBen.com
Photography: theBestofBen.com
Educational Products & Seminars: DigitalMastery.com
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Books:
Photoshop CS3: Up to Speed
Adobe Photoshop Studio Techniques
How to Wow: Photoshop for Photography
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For event bookings and other Ben related business,
contact my Emissary, Regina Cleveland at
(303) 823-5115 or regina@digitalmastery.com
Digital Mastery
63 Longmont Dam Road, Lyons, CO 80540
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