ViewBug community member Leire Unzueta (leireunzueta) is a landscape and travel photographer based in the Basque Country. She started traveling around the world at a young age and after living in both North and Latin America for sometime, she developed an interest for other cultures and different ways of living. "I'm a lover of the great outdoors, and I really feel in peace being surrounded by a beautiful landscape and quietness while I wait for the perfect light in front of the lens. I am currently working on my first photography book."
1. Tell us a bit about yourself, how do you describe your photography style?
My name is Leire Unzueta and I’m a 29 year old landscape and travel photographer based in the Basque Country. I like to wander around forests, back country roads and lakes ,mostly to photograph them in a unique moment. I love overcast and rainy days, so I try to get out when it’s foggy because I believe it adds so much to the atmosphere of the photograph.
2. In one sentence what has photography done for you in your life?
It’s a way of showing my creativity; but most importantly, it’s a lifestyle. I always bring my camera in my backpack because I never know when will I see something that calls my attention. I’ve always loved traveling, in fact, it plays a big role in my life, so I love creating memories of the places and people that I meet when I am on the road.
3. When did you start taking photos and what inspired you to get started?
My parents got me a film camera for my birthday when I was little so that I could document school field trips and such. Unfortunately, I lost it on a trip to Tunisia with my friends. After saving for a while, when I was about 19, I bought my first digital camera and started making photographs of my trips and adventures. However, I’d say that I started taking it more seriously a couple of years ago.
4. What has been your favorite shoot and why?
So many! It’s hard to choose one. I would say each photograph has a story behind. You may see a lake covered in fog and some canoes on my photograph of Lake Louise in Canada, but whenever I see that picture I think of when we got up really early to catch the sunrise and feeling extremely cold while we wandered around the lake. But if I had to choose one, it would be when we woke up in our tent, in front of Skogafoss in Iceland after spending the night listening to the roar of the water falling a few hundreds of meters away and walking towards it slowly just as the sun was rising. Can’t wait to do that again in a little over a month!
5. Do you remember a difficult photo shoot session? What happened?
It was at Death Valley National Park. It was the middle of August and we were sleeping inside the van and it was still too hot. We thought that the heat would decrease at night, but it didn’t. So we were unable to sleep and we decided to get out and shoot the Milky Way which was visible from the window of our van. We found a pretty cool spot and started shooting, but a few seconds later, mosquitoes were all over us making it impossible to stay out there. We took a few shots and went inside and obviously it became even harder to sleep with all those bites.
6. What do you carry in your camera bag?
The majority of the times I bring a Canon 6D with the Sigma 35mm 1.4 Art. However, if I’m traveling abroad, I also bring the EF17-40mm for those wide landscape shots. I also have other lenses but I’m currently trying to sell them in order to get the EF 24-70 f/2.8. I also have a couple of Fujifilm cameras and lenses.
7. Do you have a favorite location and time of the day to shoot?
My favorite locations so far are in Iceland, Canada, Norway and Northwest US. I prefer to shoot landscapes early in the morning, because I believe there is a different atmosphere compared to sunsets. But once in a while, I will definitely get out and try to capture the last light of the day.
8. Can you share three tips with your fellow photographers (3 things that have helped you improve your photography)?
My first tip is to always have a camera on you. I have lost so many incredible sunrises or scenes in beautiful light just because I didn’t have anything to shoot with. Also, spend time watching other photographer’s work, there’s so much you learn by looking carefully to your favorite creatives’ photos. And finally, dedicate the time to get out and explore. Shoot as much as you can, find your own style when you edit and print your work. Let it live on the walls. That’s more than three tips, but oh well!
9. Please share one of your favorite photos with us with a short tutorial:
a.Where did you take it
This is Skógafoss, in southern Iceland. It’s right off of the main road and it’s a popular spot to visit while you are in the country. The first time we went there, it was too crowded and almost impossible to make any shots without having people walking into the frame. However, a couple of days before we had to head off towards the airport we decided to go back and give it a second chance. This time it was much better.
b. Time of the day and lighting details
Everybody knows that landscape photographers love sunrise and sunset hours in order to get those beautiful colors in the sky. Unfortunately, the day this photograph was taken, we couldn’t be at Skógafoss during those hours so I had to shoot at midday. As you can imagine, the light was a little harsh, making the shadows too dark. I think considering the conditions, it wasn’t too bad, because there were lots of clouds in the sky. Whenever the sky is cloudless, I work more on my composition in order to avoid having an empty dull space on my photograph. This time however, even though it wasn’t the perfect time of the day, I still managed to get an interesting light.
c. Equipment used
Canon 6D, EF 17-40mm
d. Inspiration behind this photo
I love portraying the vastness of a landscape. There’s nothing greater than nature and I believe it is necessary to show how important it is to take care of it. If you are like me, Iceland is a must go place for you. Landscapes are incredible, shocking, wild and unexpected…you feel so tiny in a place with so much beauty. With this picture, I wanted to show that nature will always have more power than us, that it can be beautiful and mind blowing but also, destructive and heartbreaking. I think the strength of the waterfall portrays just that.
e. Post-processing information
I always edit my work in Lightroom and I use custom presets that I’ve created over the years.
10. Please share some thoughts on your ViewBug experience as a photographer!
Being a member of ViewBug is being a part of a great and talented community. I love the kindness of the people who take the time to look, comment, and award the work of other creatives. It’s great to be able to participate in all those contests and it’s a fantastic place to find lots of good inspiration.
