Photographer’s Beautiful Self-Portraits Embrace Volcanoes and Glaciers
Anna Isabella Christensen is a professional photographer whose self-portraits reflect an intimate connection between human beings and nature. Her work embraces nature in its purest forms, whether peaceful and calm, like when she works alongside glaciers, or powerful and violent, like when shooting during storms or near volcanoes.
Christensen spoke with PetaPixel back in 2021 when she was already four years into her self portrait projects. At that time, her work was mainly focused on a self-portrait series titled ‘Creation,’ which featured the Geldingadalir eruption in Iceland. Since then, she has grown her work immensely by creating her latest series ‘Whispers of the Ice.’
She was kind enough to take time for a new interview with PetaPixel to discuss her latest projects, inspiration, and origins.
A Decade Behind the Camera
Anna Isabella Christensen’s photography journey began in 2015. After spending time in nature, she was inspired to purchase a camera to document her travels, including the beautiful things she would see. Her first photos were from parks close to where she lived, then images of her travels in Southeast Asia.
As Christensen immersed herself in photography, experimenting with her self-portraits, her style began to take shape.
“I started taking photos of my mom in nature and then later figured out how to take self-portraits,” Christensen says. “Taking self-portraits was so convenient since I could be independent and take photos whenever I had time.”
“I also realized that self-portraiture was a very meaningful and healing process for me as I could express myself and my feelings through my photos.”
By combining typical landscape and portrait photography techniques with the ethereal look of the human figure in a dress at a stunning yet wild location, she felt that specific concept was worthy of exploration. Thus began her decade-long dedication to a self-portrait series exploring the connection and contrast between human beings and nature in Iceland.
“Iceland is known as ‘the land of Ice and Fire’ and it was a dream for me to create two series with these elements and I was so lucky to have the opportunity to do it,” Christensen explains.
“The most surreal experience was creating my ‘Creation’ series at Geldingadalir eruption in Iceland in 2021. I hiked to the eruption 25 times to create it — I arrived there after sunset and stayed until sunrise to avoid the crowds and create these photos. Seeing that eruption evolve over two months was one of the best experiences of my whole life.”
“And then I created my glacier series — ‘Whispers of the Ice.’ I love glaciers in Iceland so much, and it was incredible to walk on them as well as visit the ice caves. I would like to highlight both the majesty and fragility of glaciers with this project. I also hope that I can draw a parallel between myself in my fragile human form and the glaciers with my self-portraits. In my photos I’m immersed into the world of ice and completely at the mercy of this environment. And this is how I perceive the state of glaciers in our world today — they are at our mercy.”
Embracing the Elements
Christensen shared that some of her most significant challenges in working at such remote places, volcanoes, ice caves, and glaciers, are logistics and the environment itself. Photographing at these locations means long hikes carrying both heavy camera gear and large dresses.
To avoid having other people in her images, Christensen often hikes to her locations in the dark to be there for sunrise.
The cold is also a significant challenge in Iceland. To overcome the weather, Christensen uses rechargeable heated clothing, including a vest, gloves, and socks that she can charge up before her photo shoot.
Photo Gear Isn’t Always Everything (But Good Gear Helps)
For photography gear, Christensen described that her interest is more in the creative aspect of photography than equipment.
“Until 2022 I actually had very basic gear. In 2022 I upgraded to more advanced gear in order to have better quality photos and prints. I always strive to have the best photo quality and avoid any technical mistakes, so I’ve spent a lot of time experimenting with different techniques and making sure that I know how to get optimal results in any situation,” she explained.
“Of course, in some situations, gear is very important and makes a tremendous difference; for example, when it comes to Northern Lights and other types of low light photography, I shoot with a Sony a7R V camera, and I have a few lenses from different brands. I use different focal lengths between 14mm and 200mm.”
Detailed Planning With a Side of Serendipity
Christensen has two frames of mind when creating her self-portraits. Sometimes, she has a specific plan related to a particular location or background, such as an ice cave or the Northern Lights. However, other times, she comes upon an area in her travels and is immediately struck by inspiration. Always having her camera with her prepares her for these spontaneous moments.
Whether a shot she has planned out or an impromptu photo shoot, Christensen’s self-portraits are created using interval shooting or a remote control. She performs the setup and enjoys the experience as much as the final photographs.
“I’m thrilled when I get a self-portrait that I have envisioned and when everything just lines up for me, but what makes it meaningful for me is the full experience. My favorite thing is going on adventures where I can admire breathtaking nature, and I love having my self-portraits as memories from those adventures,” Christensen says.
More From Anna Isabella Christensen
To share her experiences, Christensen has begun to film her adventures. She posts them to her YouTube channel to share the stories behind her photos. Since then, she’s gotten many questions from fellow photographers on her process. So, she has begun sharing tutorials and guides as well, including her new guide, The Art of Self-Portraiture: a Beginner’s Guide, which is available now for $27.
“I have one theme that I’ve been working on for almost 10 years now and it’s connection between a human being and nature,” the photographer says. “I express this connection differently, but this is what I always try to show in my photos.”
Sometimes the photos are “very peaceful and calm if nature and conditions are that way,” Christen says. “Other times my photos turn out dramatic — if the weather is stormy, for example, or like my Eruption series.”
Ultimately, Anna Isabella Christensen works with what nature provides.
Alongside her brilliant and inspiring self-portrait series, Christensen professionally captures engagements, intimate weddings, and elopements, and has done so for nearly the past decade.
“I also shoot a lot of elopements and intimate weddings in Iceland in my fine art style, which is something I really love. My self-portraits have actually really helped me with my wedding photography — I know how my couples feel in front of the camera and I’ve also had a lot of training with placing myself in landscapes, so I can easily do that for my couples as well. I look forward to eternalizing many more love stories,” Christensen explained.
“And, lastly, I hope to explore, admire, and photograph many more beautiful places in the world.”
Image credits: Photographs by Anna Isabella Christensen (engagement, wedding, and elopement photography). Anna Isabella Christensen posts her most recent work on Instagram.
