It’s time to do some more traveling! Rachel has been to a fair number of cities and it’s the variety that helped make it easy to pick her as this week’s guest photographer. Of particular interest to me was her trips to Mongolia and Iceland, two places I’d love to visit and enjoyed through the eye of her lens while picking out this week’s photos. I’ve selected some from those locations but also Cuba and others.
Rachel blogs regularly at Rachel’s Ramblings and does a wonderful job of relating her experiences in a engaging and meaningful manner. It took me about an hour to actually get this post up because I just kept jumping from one story to the next! She’s also active on Twitter so be sure to check her out!
Now then, for the four magical questions!
1. Explain a bit about who you are and the type of photography that interests you most.
I’ve had a camera in my hand for about as long as I can remember but I started taking photographs ‘seriously’ to document my travels, when I realized that other people might be interested too! I love taking landscapes, but I’m growing to appreciate that people and interactions are what makes a place extra special.
I live in the middle of the English Cotswolds, in a picture-perfect cottage, and I’m busy studying for a PhD in computational linguistics.
2. If you could have a paid trip for 4 weeks anywhere in the world just to photograph and report back, where would it be?
When I was cycling around Iceland I saw an astonishing display of photos from Greenland, which has really inspired me to go there, especially before the ice all melts away. But I’m planning a trip there for next summer, so if you ask me next year I might have a different answer!
3. Name two of your photography inspirations.
Most of my inspiration is just from watching the world go by, and wanting to freeze a moment in time. In terms of people whose work has inspired me, the main one is my dad, who always manages to get some amazing shots. But I’ve never formally studied photography.
4. What do you hope to convey to others through your photography?
My main goal is to capture a sense of place. I want people to feel that they’ve been there, and to feel what I was feeling. I’m a writer, too, and I want to test the old cliche that “a picture is worth a thousand words”… I want to tell a story without having to write it down.
Nice interview. It’s great to see Rachel featured here.