FREEPORT – All throughout November at the Freeport Community Library, patrons can view an exhibit entitled, “Reflections on Nature,” by Maine photographer Eric Johnsen.
Johnsen, 42, who lives in Harpswell with his wife of three years, Holly, is a self-taught photographer who concentrates on the natural world around him, getting his love of nature from his upbringing on a farm in Appleton.
Johnsen recently took a few minutes to answer some questions from the Tri-Town Weekly about his work.
Q: How long have you been taking landscape and nature photographs?
A: Six or seven years now, but I prefer to be called a fine art photographer
Q: What kind of camera do you use?
A: The best camera is the one you have with you, to coin a phrase, but I use a digital camera of course, because of the cost prohibitive nature of film, which I believe still has its merits.
Q: Are there any particular artists, photographers or people who have inspired you?
A: I just now returned a video biography of Ansel Adams to the library. The first time I borrowed it, I watched it three times in a row without pausing – 4 1?2 hours in all. Ansel Adams had something that photographers today don’t always have, and that is you had to be willing to sacrifice everything, and that was during the Great Depression when Ansel Adams was criticized for taking pictures of rocks and trees while people were standing in breadlines. Ansel Adams was in the field when both of his children were born. I would be willing to sacrifice everything for my work with one exception, my family.
Q: Where do you get the inspiration for your photos?
A: I see something that inspires me, usually in nature, and I am moved to take a picture of it. I don’t use a tripod anymore because I believe it frees me up in a lot of different ways to get the shot before the light fades and the moment is lost forever.
Q: How long does it take you to get that “right” shot?
A: I don’t usually wait around too long. I will typically shoot from a dozen different angles of the same subject just in case. I like to walk all the way around it to view it from all sides. And then there are times when I just know it is right and I press the button.
Q: How often do you go out and shoot?
A: Less and less, as I become more experienced, I become more selective. Someday, I hope to do this full time for a living, although I appreciate the value of staying an amateur.
Q: Where is your favorite place to shoot?
A: In the mountains of Maine. One of my pictures that won a (competition) was taken from Kokadjo, which is east of Greenville.
Q: What are your favorite things to shoot?
A: Found objects, in black and white. I never know what it might be in advance. It finds me sometimes.
Q: You are also a camera collector. How many do you own?
A: I don’t own a Leica yet, but I am working on it. I missed an opportunity to buy a box of cameras for $20 by about two months, they were purchased by a woman from New York City. I was so disappointed!
Q: Do you ever go out and shoot with a vintage camera, or do you mostly work in digital?
A: I prefer to shoot digital for the same reasons as everyone else, but would like to publish a book someday of photos taken with vintage cameras. My collection is small, but it grows every week. I have my own secret spots that I can’t reveal. I have my wife to thank for that. She takes me to all the yard sales and flea markets to look for hidden treasures, but they are few and far between.
Q: Do you sell your work? If so, where can people buy it?
A: I don’t want to be a commercial artist right now because it scares the heck out of me. I would rather focus on the quality of the work and see what happens later on down the road. I can be reached at mainelandscapes@gmail.com if you see a print at the Freeport library that you would like to have.
Maine photographer Eric Johnsen, who lives in Harpswell is exhibiting his work in a show called, “Reflections on Nature,” at the Freeport Community Library all this month.
Eric Johnsen’s photographs, like this one, concentrate on the natural world. Johnsen’s work is on display at the Freeport Community Library this month.
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