My Interview with Photographer Hans Gunnar Aslaksen

An interview with Hans Gunnar Aslaksen

I am a designer and enthusiastic landscape photographer living in Larvik, southern Norway. I have always enjoyed being out in nature and after bringing my camera to Vøringsfossen in 2016 I was immediately hooked. Combining the skills from my profession as a designer with landscape photography was a perfect match for me. I am a self-taught photographer and I am always eager to dive deeper into the fantastic world of landscape photography. Hans is also an ambassador for Nisi Filters and Vallerret Photography gloves.

How I got to know Hans.

Again I got to know Hans through Instagram and I have been an admirer of his work for several years now, the crazy part of all this is it was only recently I realised I wasn’t actually following him on Instagram, thankfully I corrected that now though :-). Hans creates some beautifully clean work and it has always just jumped out at me.

1.- When and how did you first get interested in photography?

I have always been enjoying the outdoors. I used to do a lot of fishing and tent trips with friends and family in east of Norway. I always brought a camera on those trips, but just for documentation. I am an educated designer, and basic photography was one of the disciplines. Back then we developed film and processed images in the dark room.
So I have always had a close connection to photography, but I was never really seriously into landscape photography. Some years later a local professional photographer introduced me to local hidden waterfalls and other nice locations that I had not been to before. Watching him work this beautiful scenes got me inspired and I bought my first Fujifilm camera, the xt-10.
In 2017 I visited the majestic waterfall Vøringsfossen in Norway. Watching Vøringsfossen drop down 180 meters into Måbødalen canyon really blew me away. I managed to get a decent shot of that scene that I was quite happy with. I was totally hooked on landscape photography after that experience.

2.- If you could go on a photo shoot with anyone who would it be and why?

I have been looking more into intimate landscape photography lately. I find that slow approach very rewarding. So I guess a day with Alex Noriega, shooting dunes in Death Valley, would be fantastic. I really love his thoughtful compositions and superb editing.

3.- If you could give a younger version of yourself a bit of advice on photography what would it be?

Study the basics of photography and learn from your mistakes. It’s also important to have a vision and a clear goal for a certain scene, that way you know what to do in the field and how to clarify your vision in post processing. But the most important thing is just to be out there and have fun.

4.- If you could only pick 5 photographers to follow on Instagram who would they be?

This is almost impossible to answer, there are so many talented photographers out there. Some that pops up in my mind are Alex Noriega, Michael Shainblum, Ryan Dyar, Albert Dros and Dag Ole Nordhaug.

5.- What’s the number one place on your photography bucket list right now?

I have only been shooting locally, besides two trips to Lofoten Islands. A trip to Iceland is top of the list right now, but there are so many other places I also would like to visit. Iceland looks like a place you can spend endless amount of time in and with a wide variety of scenes to shoot.

6.- What to date is your best photographic moment, that time you felt like you just fired off that shot that would keep you smiling for years to come?

It must have been the first time I went to the famous Dragon’s Eye at Uttakleiv Beach in Lofoten Islands. Heavy storm clouds were on their way in to the beach.
I had set up the composition and managed to focus stack and do bracketed exposures for dynamic range, just as the rain and wind hit us hard. The clouds looked very dramatic and there was still light in the scene. Seconds later it was all dark and gloomy with pouring rain and strong wind, but I knew I got a keeper. You can see the image below.

7.- Where would you like to be in 5 years time?

I hope I am still out there chasing the light and exploring new locations with fellow photographers. I will never get tired of being out in nature.

8.- What is your top photography tip for anyone looking to improve their photography?

Be out in the field as much as you can, and learn to post process your images. Those two disciplines goes hand in hand.

9.- What was the worst mistake you made on a shoot?

Well, I forgot all my SD cards once. I will never make that mistake again.

10.- What’s your best bit of photography gear in your bag?

Spare SD cards.

11.- What does photography mean to you?

Landscape photography is a passion I hold very dear. When you are out there, in a creative flow, you forget about everything else. It’s a very fulfilling moment and it has a zen like feel to it. Being out in nature with the camera is so rewarding to me.

12.- What is your favourite hobby outside of photography?

I used to have several hobbies, now I have only one; landscape photography.

13.- Which Genre of photography do you love most?

Without a doubt landscape photography. The whole experience and being out in nature is so rewarding.

Thank you so very much Hans for taking the time to do this interview with me. It was great to find out a bit bit more about you and as always I am looking forward to seeing more of your stunning work now that I am actually following you :-).

So some of you may ask how can you follow someones work and not actually be following them?

Well for me it’s simple I run a feature hub with a few other friends and I am always following the other quality hubs out there and seeing what they are featuring trying to see the next great image and that’s where I see a lot of photographers work.

So for me I was always following his work I just never realised that I had never clicked the follow button.

His Photography website.

Social media.

His Instagram account

His Facebook account.