Interview with Photographer Gabby Salazar

For more interviews, check out my page - The Interviews Collection.

Gabby Salazar
by Rick Stanley

Gabby Salazar

I discovered Gabby a while ago after using Google to search for "female landscape photographers." At the time I was following many photographers on YouTube, Instagram and Twitter but noticed the overwhelming majority of landscape photographers were men so I wanted to try to promote some women. When I contacted Gabby initially she was traveling and working on her doctorate so she asked me to follow up at a later date. Fortunately for me, and you, we were finally able to connect and get the interview done.

Gabby caught the "bug" when she was just eleven years old - her father handed her a camera and she was hooked. It didn't take long before she was ready to share her gift with the world. In 2002 she entered, and won, the Youth Category at Nature's Best Photography and two years later was named BBC Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year. Quite an impressive start to a stellar career.

While preparing to write my introduction I looked at the galleries on Gabby's website and Instagram feed. What I saw was absolutely amazing photography but her work is about far more than just showing us the world's beauty. Gabby isn't a "landscape photographer" or a "nature photographer" or really any particular genre - if you ask me she does so much more. Her images are spectacular but they also reveal a lot about the subject and, I think, the photographer. She gives us grand vistas, wildlife, and intimate details. In addition to showing us the human element - man's dependence on the earth and efforts to help protect critical habitats. There is a purpose to her work that she takes very seriously and performs quite well.

In addition to being a superb photographer and ambassador for the earth, Gabby is a doctoral student at the University of Florida in the School of Forest Resources and Conservation studying environmental marketing and environmental philanthropy.

I am very impressed with this young photographer and encourage you to follow her - see the links below - but I think it is time to step aside and present my interview. I think you will enjoy it as much as I have.

Alaska

The Interview

Personal questions

What is your favorite childhood memory?

When I was five or six years old, I was walking alone on some trails behind my grandmother’s house in rural North Carolina. I heard something large moving through the woods and it startled me. I was a bit scared, so I stepped off the path and hid behind a tree. A few moments later, a herd of around two dozen white-tailed deer bounded by. I remember being filled with wonder. I think I keep traveling and photographing because I’m always trying to recapture that feeling (and I often do when I’m in nature!).
(Joe: What a great memory to have! I can imagine the fear and I certainly can relate to trying to recapture that excitement.)

What are the five foods you can’t live without?

Coffee, Cheese, Kale Salad, Grapefruit, Hot Sauce

What is your favorite thing to do when you aren't shooting?

I love cooking. I try to recreate dishes from all of the places I have traveled.

If you could spend an hour with any famous person, past or present, who would it be and why?

I would like to spend some time with Marianne North, a Victorian biologist and botanical artist who traveled extensively throughout the tropics to paint plants in their natural habitats. She had amazing adventures, often on her own, in the 19th century. I think it would be fascinating to hear about her travels and about what it was like to be a female explorer at the time.
(Joe: You seem to be walking in her footsteps, just using a different medium.)

Reflections of fall colors in a vernal pool in the forest
Ricketts Glen State Park, Pennsylvania.

What is something that most people don’t know about you?

I really love opera!

What do you think about when you are alone?

I often think about climate change and some of the large environmental issues that we are facing as a species. I contemplate what role I want to have in helping address some of these issues, even if it’s just at a small scale.
(Joe: I think you're doing a great job, so far!)

What would you like to be remembered for?

Being kind.

Spectral tarsiers
Tangkoko National Park, Sulawesi.

Professional questions:

Why photography and when did you first get the “bug”?

When I was 11 years old, my father gave me a camera and took me to a friend’s backyard bird garden to take pictures. I peered at a blue jay through the lens and was hooked on photography in just a few minutes. Since my family did not have the resources for me to travel to faraway places, I mostly took pictures of nature in areas near my home. In 2002, I submitted one of these images to Nature’s Best Photography and was thrilled to be named the Youth Photographer of the Year. The image was of a honeybee flying into a sunflower and was made just a mile from my home in North Carolina. I was still using film at the time and can remember waiting for hours in the hot sun to capture a bee at just the right moment! The recognition that I received from Nature’s Best Photography changed my life – the award encouraged me to keep pursuing photography and the visit to the Smithsonian exhibit opened my eyes to the power of photography to inspire change. Since that time, I have documented conservation efforts around the world, spoken out on behalf of wildlife and wild places, and taught photography to other young people as a way to connect them with nature.
(Joe: I would like to thank your father, on behalf of those of us who get to enjoy your work.)

What is your greatest achievement in photography?

I really enjoy mentoring younger photographers and am thrilled when they go on to publish their work, win awards, and use their images to promote conservation efforts. A number of my mentees have gone on to do really amazing things and I hope that I’ve helped them along the way.

If you could share a gallery show with anyone past or present, who would it be?

I’ve always been very inspired by the work of Eliot Porter and would love to share a gallery show with him.

An Ornate Day Gecko, Phelsuma ornata,
hangs out on an endangered plant, Pandanus vandermeeschii
Ile aux Aigrettes, a nature reserve on a small offshore islet
in the Southeast of Mauritius.

Where do you draw inspiration from when you shoot, what’s your favorite part about the process and what is your least favorite?

I draw inspiration from my surroundings. I like to visit natural areas and spend a lot of time exploring them before I even start taking photos. My favorite part of the process is spending time in nature and my least favorite part is sorting through images on my computer.
(Joe: I certainly agree with you - wouldn't it be great if we could just hand off our images to someone else to process?)

What is your favorite location to shoot?

I love taking photos in cloud forests, regardless of the location. I find these montane ecosystems to be particularly inspiring because they are perpetually covered in mist and clouds and because they are home to a rich diversity of plants.
(Joe: I loved your "Cloud Forest" gallery and encourage everyone reading this to check it out.)

What is your favorite piece of equipment?

My Canon 180mm macro lens. I can always find something to photograph with this lens, whether I’m deep in a jungle or on the streets of New York City.

Do you have a favorite image? If so, what makes it so special?

I do not really have a favorite image. There are many images that I cherish because they remind me of special moments, but those images aren’t always my ‘best’ images or images I would put in my portfolio.

How did you get your start and what advice would you give to someone just starting out?

If you are just starting out, you should be open to critical and constructive feedback. Ask a variety of people to review your portfolio and take their feedback to heart, even if you do not agree with all of it. I also think it’s useful to attend photography presentations (or watch presentations online) from photographers who specialize in different genres of photography.
(Joe: Terrific advice, Gabby!)

Bonus question:

What are your Top 5 "Deserted Island" albums?

• “Blue” by Joni Mitchell
• “Buena Vista Social Club” by Buena Vista Social Club
• “Das Lied von der Erde (The Song of the Earth)” by Gustav Mahler
• “Graceland” by Paul Simon
• “Pavarotti: The Greatest Hits” by Luciano Pavarotti

Links:

• www.gabbysalazar.com
• Instagram: @gabbyrsalazar

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All photos are © Gabby Salazar.
All Rights Reserved They may not be used in any way without express written permission of the photographer. If you wish to use any of the photos you may contact the photographer at gabby.r.salazar@gmail.com

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