“I like the moors and the Sierra Nevada, that mountain with its indigenous mysticism”
After the release of his book Parques Naturales Nacionales de Colombia (National Natural Parks of Colombia), a publication by Villegas Editores, we spoke with the Colombian photographer Gabriel Eisenband
Gabriel Eisenband is from Barranquilla, photographer and filmmaker graduated from the Conservatory of French Cinema in Paris. He loves to portray landscapes, especially mountains because for him "the mountain must be won". One day he quit his job in an office to perform in the field of photography and when he is asked about another country to portray he doubt, he said that Colombia is an amazing country. His project, which seeks to record the richness of national natural parks, is apparently completed. However, he hopes that a second version of the book can come out, because he would like to continue to document with his camera lens the infinite horizons of those landscapes that ranging from mountains, moors and forests, to deserts and beaches.
Leer en español: "Me gustan los páramos y la Sierra Nevada, esa montaña en frente al mar con su mística indígena"
What led you to landscape photography?
I have always liked the visual arts, that is why I studied cinema. Then I separated from that to look for a bit of economic and personal stability, but I always continued to do photography on the side as something more than a hobby. I found in nature and in the mountain that space in which my spirit filled, in which I filled with energy, I recharged myself. This was a space of vital important to me as a person, for my life and for my mental sanity. I do not like the noise, I do not like crowds, I do not like closed spaces. I found fulfillment in these natural spaces, I felt very well. There came a time when that was talking to me and I was questioning what I was doing on the other side. Eighty percent of the time I was in the office and twenty percent was on the mountain and I thought I had to make a change.
Why did you decide to leave the city to dedicate yourself to landscape photography?
Because it did not fill me. I did not feel I was living. I felt that for a living I had to lose my life. Every day, in the corporate world, is similar. It is getting up at the same time, leaving the house at the same time, taking the same route, going through the same streets back and forth. It was routine and it did not reflect what I wanted for myself. Then I thought it was time to take a risk and get out of that comfort zone. That is why I made the decision to go out and travel in my country and build a portfolio.
What kind of photographer are you? Of moors, of desert, of forest or of beach?
What I like the most is the mountain. From the moors up. What I like most are the open spaces.
Isn't it funny that a photographer like you, who is from the coast, likes the mountain more than the sea?
No, because I love those spaces where there is basically no one. The beaches are almost always packed with people everywhere That is why I liked the Sanquianga Natural Park beach so much, because there is no one on that beach. Normally people look for the beach, the warmth of the sea, to have a good time, and instead of enjoying it they go to the beaches with sound equipment, and I do not understand why they go if the best sound is the sea. On the other hand, the mountain is not the same, because to go to the mountain you have to walk, you have to freeze. That is why I like those places more, because you have to earn them.
From the pictures of the book and your authorship which is your favorite?
It is one of the Sierra Nevada of Santa Marta. That is for me the cutest picture in my portfolio. It is one of those perfect, unexpected moments. We knew there was a nice view, but in truth all the elements lined up to form the photo. It is a place that can be reached easily. You can get there by motorcycle to the viewpoint, but at sunrise all the clouds, lines and colors that go from the cold tones to the warm tones are aligned. There is not an element in this picture that one says that it does not fit. Everything is symmetrical and perfect.
You said that after you quit your job you had moved your office to the natural parks of Colombia. Now that the book project has concluded, what is your office?
Life.
In the city?
I want to visit other parks to include them in a second edition, if there ever is one. But I have other projects in mind. Comes the difficult part, which is knocking on doors and doors. I really like the moors, especially because they are vital. Some are under protection and others face a lot of danger. I like the moors and the Sierra Nevada of Santa Marta, that mountain in front of the sea with its indigenous mysticism. But it is to start doing it and to knock doors, to see who is interested in putting the tooth.
LatinAmerican Post | María Alejandra Gómez
Translated from ""Me gustan los páramos y la Sierra Nevada, esa montaña en frente al mar con su mística indígena""
