At times, it’s necessary to travel far to meet what feels close and homely. For the photographer Lesley Brügger that couldn’t have become more clear after her visit to Iceland. The rawness of the country entwined perfectly with her minimalistic lifestyle — inspiring today’s series and a life change.
Lesley Brügger is a Swiss photographer who used to work in the food photography scene in her home country until one day she decided to quit her job and risk everything to follow her passion and move to Iceland.
Now living in Reykjavík and trying to set up her own photography business, Lesley spends a lot of her spare time capturing the atmospheric landscapes of the beautiful country. In this interview, we talk with her about her path, her dark yet comforting photographic style, and the Nordic Island she now calls home.
A lot of my inspiration comes from my minimalistic lifestyle and my appreciation for the Icelandic landscapes. I wanted to develop a style that brings those things together and make the viewer feel more connected with nature.
Tell us about yourself. Who is Lesley Brügger?
I’m a photographer from Switzerland and I’ve been living in Iceland for over a year now. Before moving here, I was studying photography and working as a food and studio photographer in Zurich. At the moment I’m working on starting my own photography business and in my spare time, I like to travel through Iceland and capture its beauty.
How did photography enter your life?
When I got my first compact camera at a young age. I really enjoyed spending time alone, walking around my neighbourhood capturing about everything I came across. It was a nice outlet for my creativity and it quickly became a big passion of mine.
Why Iceland?
While traveling through this untouched and raw country I immediately felt at home. There are so many varieties of landscapes and they all look so unique and different from everything else I’ve seen before. It might sound cheesy, but it just gives me a sense of calmness and appreciation for our beautiful planet.
Actually we couldn’t stop noticing your Iceland series. Can you speak about that project?
It’s kind of my passion project for myself, I was bored of always taking pictures for others and not having a lot of say in the creation. This way I get to combine my favorite things, which are traveling and photography. My main focus is to show Iceland in a different way that hasn’t been seen before.
How is it like to be an artist in Iceland?
There’s a lot of good photographers out there to compete with. So you have to be on top of your game. Compared to Switzerland, Icelandic people really believe in going after your dreams, so I feel very empowered to do so. Other than that I can’t really tell, because I’m just starting out.
Your pictures have such a sense of tranquility and comfort. How did you develop your photography style?
It developed over time, by trying different techniques and seeing what worked for me until it felt right. There are so many photographers out there with similar styles, I wanted to find a niche of my own.
A lot of my inspiration comes from my minimalistic lifestyle and my appreciation for the Icelandic landscapes. I wanted to develop a style that brings those things together and make the viewer feel more connected with nature.
Pushing for a more minimalistic approach and still keeping the mood of the moment, I’m continuously developing my style as I go. I believe that you should never stop learning and push yourself further, it’s what makes photography and art so interesting.
Did you always create images this way?
My approach always was very detail-oriented and I wanted to capture some sort emotion in my pictures. Capturing emotion always was more important to me than any camera gear. My style was very lighthearted and less dark than it is now, I guess that came with age and experience. Looking back I’ve definitely came a long way.
What series are you binge-watching at the moment?
I’ve recently finished watching DARK, which I really enjoyed. And an all-time favorite of mine is Parks and Recreations because it’s just very funny and easy to watch after a long day of work.
To see more of Lesley’s work, visit her Cherrydeck profile or her website, here. For more on how nature and photography can beautifully come together, have a look at “The Isle of Maybe”, a series by our member Pieter Van Hooydonck. ?
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