Iceland review - 2016, Page 54

52 ICELAND REVIEW
EYE ON
PARADISE
Documentary photography is about telling the story,
showing reality. But of course you have an impact
on that reality because you’re holding the camera,” says
Ellen Inga Hannesdóttir, a fresh and ambitious photogra-
pher who graduated from The School of Photography
(Ljósmyndaskólinn) in Reykjavík in January. “You always
have your way of looking at things, but what defines doc-
umentary is that you don’t alter the image and you can’t
control the situation. You don’t tell people ‘sit here, do
this.’ You just look at what happens,” she elaborates.
LOSING PARADISE
Her commercial work includes family portraiture and
wedding photography, while her personal projects cover
subjects like environmental issues and, more specifically,
how modern lifestyles contribute to global problems. Her
Emerging photographer Ellen Inga Hannesdóttir
speaks with Rachel Mercer about how she
uses her medium to tell the story of life.
graduation show, ‘The Fall from Paradise,’
displayed at Nesstofa in Seltjarnarnes in
February, focused on plastic and food waste
and carbon emissions, represented with a
series of images of plastic bags, apples, and
birch tree saplings. “I was reading a lot about
what we’re doing to our planet. I was shocked
over the situation,” Ellen Inga says about the
idea behind the project. “I wanted to make it
clear for others. I think most people under-
stand that there is a problem, but not how
huge it really is.”
Each series of photographs in the piece is
arranged in a separate panel. Taken as a whole,
the images are pattern-like and similar, yet
each one is unique. “The bags are to remind
you of the ocean, which is being ruined by
PHOTOGRAPHY
PORTRAIT OF PHOTOGRAPHER BY GÍSLI HJÁLMAR SVENDSEN. OTHER PHOTOS BY ELLEN INGA HANNESDÓTTIR.