The Photographer’s Story BENJAMIN HARDMAN
Because I live and breathe the cold northern air of the sub-Arctic, it may come as a surprise to hear that I was born in Western Australia. After years of travelling the southwest coast of Australia, I picked up a camera with the intention of capturing its landscapes. This experience established my interest in photography, although my subjects have definitely dropped by a few degrees Celsius since then! I first visited Iceland five years ago and immediately started to develop a deep connection with the landscape. This affinity strengthened with each subsequent trip I made. The sheer intensity of the weather here makes me feel alive. I eventually decided to pack up and move to Iceland to further explore my connection with this part of the world. Now, documenting seasonal shifts, my aim is to portray the rapid natural change that occurs in this environment. My work here tends to be characterised by mixing darker tones with the dynamic and strangely abstract state of the Icelandic landscape. I hope to explore more of the Arctic this year, and to spend more time in Greenland.