From Instagram to Professional – Interview with Nature Photographer William Patino

From shots of crashing waves to staggering panoramas of dramatic mountains, Australian based landscape photographer William Patino has captured it all. Armed with a love of the art and a fantastic quality camera, his pictures are thought provoking, deeply emotional and highlight the insignificance of the human race in the face of nature’s power. We caught up with him to hear about what inspires his art… 

Hi David, thank you for giving the time to talk to us. So how did you get into nature photography?

It was actually Instagram that introduced me to photography back in 2012. The app was quite different back then and less popular, quite a fun community to be a part of. I use to take some photos with my Iphone of everyday scenes around my house and eventually went out for a sunrise down at the beach. After that I was hooked.

The subjects of your photographs seem a world away from pictures of your living room now! What is your favourite country to photograph?

Without a doubt New Zealand. It’s close to home and boasts some of the grandest mountain landscapes in the world. Aside from having forests, glaciers and rugged coastlines it also has vast wilderness areas which is something I’m most passionate about.

Your primary focus is obviously nature, but you also seem to like using silhouettes of people, how does this add to your work?

Sometimes when you’re in the presence of vast scenery – like in the mountains – it can be hard to convey the enormity of the place through a photograph. Adding a person into the frame can help add some scale and also share the story of adventure and exploration that often is associated with such moments.

Your subjects are often extreme natural landscapes. Have you ever got into any hairy situations in an attempt to capture the shot?

Having a family back home, I do often hold myself back from certain situations that I’m presented with. In saying that, you’ll often find me precariously placed on the edge of sea-side cliffs or loose scree on mountains, however these are calculated risks and know what I’m getting myself into.

I’ve just returned from a solo hiking trip in New Zealand where I was helicoptered into remote wilderness many miles from any other people. For something like this I carry an emergency GPS beacon and have authorities know my whereabouts. I guess the worst thing that has happened was being completely knocked over by a surging wave and dragged across rocks out on a coastal shelf one afternoon. I’ll happily risk my equipment for my art but not my life.

What tips would you give to a budding travel photographer?

The industry is so fast changing and saturated at the moment, particularly with people wanting to make a living and travel off Instagram, even if they don’t really know how to use a camera. For that reason my advice would actually be to not worry too much about social media and concentrate on photography and defining yourself as a photographer first and foremost.

Getting too caught up in social media games will effect your work and not for the better. There’s so many people out there all doing the same thing, going to the same places and making very similar photos. This might work in getting some social media followers however like all trends, it won’t last and certainly won’t help anyone become an established photographer with a long term career. So I guess my advice is to concentrate on photography and creating unique work from the heart. If you do this and do it well then opportunities will come.

What are you thinking when you are on a shoot?

Great question. When I am really enjoying a moment I’m not really thinking much at all actually. It’s hard to explain but photography somewhat puts me in a meditative state of mind where I’ don’t have definitive thoughts. It’s more of a feeling that I’m running off. Iv’e found this mainly happens when I’m alone and exposed to the elements.

Your photography is overwhelmingly of landscapes, why do you prefer capturing nature over culture across the world?

People and cultures don’t speak to me like nature does. In nature I find a purity and a presence that is inspiring and captivating, something far greater than ourselves. I enjoy the challenge of trying to capture the emotions that I feel in the natural environment. It’s much more calming. I don’t find this in man made locations nor with people.

What is your favourite photograph you’ve taken?

I don’t really think there’s one single photo, maybe a handful that come close. ‘Arise’, ‘Resurgence’ and ‘Drift’ are some that represent the type of emotion I wish to convey through my work at this point in time.

Thanks for chatting to us William and good luck with future shoots!

See William Patino’s work for yourself at williampatino.com.

Interview by Oonagh Turner