{"id":61184,"date":"2019-10-23T16:00:24","date_gmt":"2019-10-23T20:00:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.adorama.com\/alc\/?p=61184"},"modified":"2019-10-23T15:16:37","modified_gmt":"2019-10-23T19:16:37","slug":"meet-a-pro-erika-larsen-national-geographic-photographer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.adorama.com\/alc\/meet-a-pro-erika-larsen-national-geographic-photographer\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet a Pro: Erika Larsen, National Geographic Photographer"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s no surprise photographer Erika Larsen was selected to spearhead National Geographic<\/em>\u2019s new groundbreaking book, Women: The National Geographic Image Collection<\/em><\/a>.<\/em> From documenting S\u00e0mi reindeer herders in the Scandinavian Arctic to photographing the strong horse culture among Native Americans, Larsen immerses readers in faraway cultures through her renowned visual storytelling. For National Geographic\u2019s<\/em> new collection \u2014 a photography book celebrating revolutionary women \u2014 Larsen took on another milestone assignment: documenting the world\u2019s leading female visionaries like Jane Goodall and Oprah Winfrey.<\/p>\n

We sat down with Larsen for a behind-the-scenes look at this project, along with background on how she got started.<\/p>\n

\"Erika
Erika Larsen (Photo by Mark Thiessen, National Geographic)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

While every photographer has a unique story about the moment they fell in love with the craft, Larsen\u2019s is by far one of the coolest.<\/p>\n

“My father was one of the designers on the Hubble [Space Telescope]; he would bring home early photographs, and I remember being astonished that I could hold a photograph of these planets that at one time seemed so far away,” she says. “The ability to do this felt like some kind of magic, that we can hold something so far away so close, so that kind of sealed the deal for me. I wanted to explore that.”<\/p>\n

Strongly moved by the Hubble images, Larsen \u2014 a high schooler at the time \u2014 signed up for weekend photography classes to dabble further into her passion. She strategically picked a technical university to hone her photography skills, and become a storyteller in the process.<\/p>\n

“I went to a technical university, Rochester Institute of Technology, to study photography, and I never veered from that,” she says. “The path became clear. I structured learning the technical side so that allowed me the freedom to become a creative person, and to follow my path and my journey.”<\/p>\n

\"Alex
Alex Morgan (Photo by Erika Larsen)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Degree in hand, Larsen moved to New York City to pursue work as a photographer\u2019s assistant, followed by roles in editorial magazine photography covering human interest stories. She may have found her calling, but she quickly realized this approach was moving her away from her ultimate goals. “I was just going away all the time, with two-day trips here or three-day trips there,” she adds. “I was getting burnt out.”<\/p>\n

Larsen decided it was time to pivot her career and focus on her own passion projects. One of Larsen\u2019s specific interest areas, hunting, took her on the trip of a lifetime to the Scandinavian Arctic. This four-year project also led to her first National Geographic <\/em>assignment.<\/p>\n

\"Erika
In the Arctic Circle, S\u00e0mi women in Sweden wear traditional clothing native to the region. (Photo by Erika Larsen, 2008)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a group called the S\u00e0mi who are indigenous to Europe. About 10 percent of them are reindeer herders, and this was the population I was interested in because of their ancestral roots tied to the Arctic landscape and animal husbandry,\u201d she says. \u201cMy thesis was looking at how these people function in a sort of modern society. I wasn\u2019t looking to make a journalistic story about them. I was going there to learn, and that’s what I did. I ultimately gave up my apartment in New York and made a big jump to move there. I still had my connections in New York and my agent, so I was little by little putting my work out there. About my third year there, National Geographic <\/em>reached out to me. Apparently the [National Geographic<\/em>] editor had been following it.\u201d<\/p>\n

This interest and dedication led to her first feature in 2010; she became a regular contributor to National Geographic <\/em>\u2014 not to mention a widely acclaimed photographer \u2014 after. This is one of many reasons Larsen was selected to spearhead photography for Women: The National Geographic Image Collection<\/em>. This book, timed to the 100th anniversary of women\u2019s suffrage, features 450 photographs from National Geographic\u2019s Image Collection. These images span three centuries and 30 countries, illustrating how the depiction of women has evolved since the magazine\u2019s founding in 1888.<\/p>\n

\"Susan
Susan Goldberg (Photo by Erika Larsen)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Larsen\u2019s role in Women<\/em> was any photographer\u2019s dream:<\/p>\n

“I went for a five-month period of time and photographed 21 women changing the 21st century,” she said. “This included Tarana Burke, Alicia Garza, Jane Goodall, Oprah, and the prime minister of New Zealand.” National Geographic\u2019s first female editor-in-chief, Susan Goldberg, posed 11 questions to this group of renowned activists, making this moving collection of visuals so much more than a coffee-table decoration. <\/p>\n

\"Women:
“Women: The National Geographic Image Collection”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Larsen\u2019s level of work requires a top-notch photography kit; here\u2019s what she uses regularly for assignments:<\/p>\n

“I have three cameras: I use a Wista camera with a wide angle lens, a Fuji GFX50<\/a> with two lenses, the 32-64mm and the 100mm lenses, and the Canon Mark IV<\/a>,\u201d she said. \u201cI also love the Tenba<\/a> backpack. It\u2019s the one backpack that fits my frame. I can carry my gear but it doesn\u2019t completely overpower me.\u201d<\/p>\n

“It\u2019s an absolute conversation with the person I\u2019m photographing. We are creating an image together.” \u2014 Larsen<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

While many see a tripod as just another piece of a larger kit, it\u2019s essential to every single photograph Larsen takes \u2014 and not for the steadying reason you might expect. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt really slows things down and there\u2019s something deliberate about it,\u201d she said. \u201cPeople are very aware of who I am and what I\u2019m doing within that moment. With time, people forget you\u2019re there, but I\u2019m never trying to hide the fact I\u2019m taking a picture. It\u2019s an absolute conversation with the person I\u2019m photographing. We are creating an image together.\u201d <\/p>\n

\n
\n

 <\/p>\n

\n
 <\/div>\n
\n
 <\/div>\n
 <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
 <\/div>\n
 <\/div>\n
\n
View this post on Instagram<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
 <\/div>\n
\n
\n
 <\/div>\n
 <\/div>\n
 <\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
 <\/div>\n
 <\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
 <\/div>\n
 <\/div>\n
 <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

National Geographic Women\u2019s Book Project- Oprah #onassignment @natgeo Thank you Andi @andriana.mereuta for the behind the scene.<\/a><\/p>\n

A post shared by Erika Larsen<\/a> (@erikalarsen888) on