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Focus on Nature interview with Eddie Soloway
By Einar Erlendsson
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Q: How does your workshop in Iceland differ from your traditional Natural Eye workshop?
A: I want to make sure participants spend as much time as possible immersed in the Icelandic landscape. Considering this week may be a mix of former and new students I have taken the key sessions from my weeklong Natural Eye workshop and distilled them into bite-sized pieces. For returning folks they will be a reminder of key and creative ways to see the natural world, and for new participants I hope they become an inspiration and springboard for our time in the natural world.
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Q: Please explain your thoughts behind A Natural Eye.
A: Quite simply, the workshop aims to first open people’s eyes to all kinds of ways to see the natural world, and then make sure they have the photographic tools and skills to get their vision into an image.
Q: What sort of weather are you hoping for?
A: A little of everything would be wonderful. I truly believe there is no bad light, but rather it is what we do with the light at hand. And let’s hope for more than blue skies. Intense weather of all sorts, and being able to make photographs in all types of light helps insure successful images conveying a feeling of place.
Q: When you mention the idea of place, are there key ideas to help capture it?
A: Years ago I was photographing objects and things. The images felt two dimensional, often lifeless. Now I think a lot about capturing the essence of places and the magic of moments. One of the key ingredients to make these new images is to spend quality time in a place. Quick stops at many locations is a set up for failure, whereas quality time in a handful of breathtaking and fascinating places will help insure this kind of image.
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Q: Your more recent work involves ideas of abstraction and impressionism. Will you be talking about these ideas?
A: Of course. My intent is to surround the group with an abundance of visual ideas followed by lots of time to give them a try.
Q: Is a laptop required to participate?
A: No. As a matter of fact, this workshop is open to all photographers using digital or film cameras. There will be a couple times during the middle and end of the week when we will look at images made during the workshop. If you want to participate in these image reviews you must bring a digital camera, laptop, professional imaging software (Photoshop, Lightroom, Aperture, or Photo Mechanic only), and above all, you must know the complete digital workflow to get images from your memory card into your laptop, then edited and re-sized into a folder of select images.
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Q: Will you be teaching Photoshop and the digital workflow?
A: No. Outside of the creative sessions we’re going to be immersed in the natural world, making photographs.
Q: How can participants prepare for the week?
A: Get in photographic shape. Set aside time now to wander and see. Use your camera on a regular basis. Learn your workflow over and over again. And definitely do not buy a camera or a laptop or software right before you leave.
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Q: Any final thoughts?
A: Yes. When I think about the most important and profound photographs in the history of photography, I have come to realize they were made by artists with a vision. While they knew their cameras and photographic tools as though they were extensions of their hands, it was the vision that mattered. Today people are making huge mistakes in thinking that the stuff is most important. It is seeing that matters.
Thank you Eddie for the interview.
You’re most welcome, Einar.
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