Iceland review - 2019, Side 59

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Iceland Review
Photographer Saga Sig’s resumé includes projects for Apple,
Nike, and Leica, but what got the fashion photographer
started wasn’t flicking through Vogue or falling in love with
streetwear – but growing up isolated, surrounded by some of
Iceland’s most magnificent landscapes.
Today most tourists who visit Iceland are familiar with
Þingvellir National Park. The heart of this historic nature reserve
has only two buildings: a church, and Saga’s childhood home.
“When I turned five, my mom became the director of the national
park and we moved there. At the time, there were no tourists
there except for a handful at the height of summer. Þingvellir was
our private playground, we were running around Almannagjá
gorge and Öxará river like we owned them.” Saga is grateful for
the childhood that shaped her outlook on life. The landscape
that surrounded her gave Saga an interest in photography and
she was just eight years old when she started trying to capture it
on film. “My dad is a great photographer and I kept stealing his
camera.” It wasn’t long until her parents got her one of her own, if
only so her dad could have his to himself.
When Saga was ten, they moved from Þingvellir, but her
new home was no less impressive when it came to landscapes
– and no more populated. “Skaftártunga has amazing nature:
Mýrdalssandur outwash plain, and all the glaciers and volcanoes
you can see from your kitchen window! The Eldvatn river flows
all around the house we lived in so it felt epic. At the same time, it
was pretty isolated for a teenager. Until the age of 15, I didn’t have
many kids to play with, so I had to create my own adventures.
My babysitter was a lovely 70-year-old man, Villi from Hnausar,
who used to tell me ghost stories. That encourages a kid’s
imagination like nothing else! I think you can still see all of that
– the landscapes, the ghost stories, and the folk tales – in my
photos. It never leaves you, you always veer towards your origins.”
Despite her early interest, Saga had her heart set on
studying medicine. She was a good student, but it was her
school’s photography club that turned out to be her most
lasting influence. That’s where Saga discovered her love for
creative work. “My family had no artists, only artistic people.
I never realised you could make your art your work, become a
photographer!” Saga says with a laugh.
After a gap year spent working in a second hand store, it
took one year of studying art history for Saga to figure out that
her future was in photography. She moved to London to study.
“When you’re an innocent country bumpkin, it’s good to go
somewhere else to grow up.” Despite describing herself as a shy
introvert, Saga started a blog when she moved to London – in
pre-instagram times. “I quickly started getting big projects
through my blog, and later, social media has practically kept
me afloat. Last year some creative directors at Apple started
following me on Instagram and that led to a big project for Apple.
I love how that works, that the internet made the world so much
smaller that a country girl from Þingvellir now does work for
Apple.”
Much of Saga’s work is in London but she still manages to
shoot plenty of projects in Iceland. “I did the Apple project in
Iceland, and I’ve done some work for Nike in Iceland as well. It’s
much more fun,” says Saga. “We have this incredible nature
and you only have to drive for ten minutes to find a completely
different environment. It’s invaluable. I much prefer shooting ads
and fashion on location than in a studio. When the environment
is in dialogue with people, that’s fascinating to me.” She says she
prefers working with a small tight-knit group to having plenty
of people assisting. “Working in Iceland means that the weather
and light can change by the minute. If you have too many people
putting up all sorts of gadgets, you’re more likely to lose key
moments. I don’t care what the weather is like, I work with what
nature gives me. The other day I was shooting in the Westfjords
and it was cold and it rained. We just went with it. I prepare for
every shoot I do, make a storyboard and all that, but I’ll adapt
to anything that comes up. That’s what being a photographer in
Iceland has taught me.”
Saga has also brought Icelandic nature into London studios.
“When Leica was opening their new headquarters, they got me
and nine other photographers to put up an exhibition. I was
asked to create a series inspired by the French photographer
Jeanloup Sieff. I printed out these huge photos of Icelandic
landscapes and used them as background in my London studio.”
After eight years in London’s fast-paced environment, Saga
is back in Iceland’s familiar one. “I was burnt out, I had been
working way too much. There were certain things I was missing
in my life in London. Being close to your family, going to the pool,
enjoying nature: I missed that sort of quality of life.” According
to Saga, one perk of living in Iceland is that you get to be so many
things at once. “I can publish books, direct, shoot musicians,
paint, and just do whatever I want here. In London, you need to
specialise. I never got an agent in London after seeing some of my
friends turn into money machines. My artistic nature wouldn’t
allow that.” Another perk of Iceland is that even shooting big
projects is easier. “You can go almost anywhere and take photos
and no one bothers you. London’s bureaucracy means that you
always need a licence and to pay thousands of pounds even to
take photos on a street corner. Here, you just bring your camera
and start shooting. It’s such a privilege.”
BACK AGAINPhotography by Saga Sig