Q&A with Photographer, Laura Ashburn
Laura Ashburn and her family run Earth Trek Expeditions in Coloma, California. Laura is also a passionate outdoorswoman and artist. Her love for the Sierra Nevada Mountains and her home in the foothills is infectious. Her photography captures the essence of the natural world’s beauty, majesty, and changing moods. You can purchase prints of Laura’s awe inspiring photography by clicking the button below.
Grand Canyon - Copyright: Laura Ashburn
Sarah: Why did you begin pursuing photography as an art form?
Laura: From a young age, I have always loved art as self-expression in some form. It began with endless hours spent drawing and painting in my grade school years. When I wasn’t outside spending time with my plethora of pets or exploring the backyard, I was doodling. I’ve always had an affection for trying to creatively convey what I love. Drawing was my leading creative outlet until I discovered the camera.
As a teenager, my photography hobby developed concurrently with my love of the outdoors and was intensified even further alongside my passion for hiking and backpacking. My enthusiasm for nature was the catalyst for my desire to artistically seize beautiful scenes and moments in time.
Taking a photo is also my way of personally locking away a memory spent in nature so I can always reflect back on the experience. I can look through my photographs and be reminded of that moment. As I get older I am thankful I can have those images to look back on. My innate creative nature also thrives when I am able to produce something visually dynamic. The emotions I feel when I am out making photographs are the drive that keeps pushing me to improve and create.
Lake Tahoe - Copyright: Laura Ashburn
Sarah: How does making your art in the wild affect your experience of wild places? Do you find your attention and awareness have been increased by your practice of photography?
Laura: I have been all over the place in regards to how photography has affected my experience in wild places. Luckily at the beginning of my venture into photography, social media was not really a thing. I simply went outside, traveled, and took photos for the sake of taking photos for myself and did not feel the need to share them with the world. I am thankful that I was able to build a foundation with that experience.
As Facebook and Instagram became increasingly prominent in our society, I had a platform to start sharing my photos with strangers on the internet. I would be lying if I said that didn’t affect the way I continued to approach photography. Using social media to share your photos can be a curse, albeit there are many positives. It is rewarding to be able to share your creations with others and receive feedback and positive encouragement. The curse however is that you are constantly comparing yourself to others and posting for a dopamine hit, which in turn creates an unhealthy obsession with taking as many photos as you can so you have enough “content” to post. Not to mention the lust for “likes” and the feeling of defeat if you don’t receive enough of those notifications.
For a substantial period of time, I ignorantly let this affect my experience in wild places. Trips could get stress-inducing because I felt I had to be everywhere to capture as much as I could. It became more about getting the shot than it did simply enjoying being present to a beautiful sunset or scene unfolding in front of me and noticing all the details of those moments.
If I didn’t get good enough photos, I let that negatively affect my overall experience of the place. As I dove deeper and deeper into this hobby I began to become more aware of the more subtle details and lessons hiding in the nooks and crannies. If nature photography has something to teach you, it is that if you are willing to slow down and lean in, it will open up an entirely new world. You just have to truly look into the viewfinder and open your mind to realize it.
Photography has the potential to slowly teach you to notice intimate details and become more in tune with the natural world. Spending long hours in a location searching for the best composition and waiting for the best light to press the shutter forces you to take in your surroundings. The more time you spend in a place observing and studying it, the more connected you feel.
There is an assumption that if you are focused on taking photos you aren’t really living in the moment. While this can certainly be true, having experienced this in my own journey, I believe that when you can learn to strike a healthy balance, photography exemplifies living in that moment.
I have also learned that sometimes you just have to put the camera away. Not every scene and moment needs to be photographed. My more refined approach to photography has evolved over the years into surprisingly less, but more intentional, time with the camera in hand. I now seek out details that often go overlooked and I am pickier when it comes to what I will take my camera out for.
Photography has also led me to destinations and experiences that I would probably have never sought out if it weren’t for my will to capture them.
Minaret Lake, Eastern Sierra - Copyright: Laura Ashburn
Sarah: Does making your art when you are out in nature ever get in the way of your experience? Can you turn off the creative drive?
Laura: The answer is definitely yes, photography can get in the way of my experience out in nature. In the past, I often let the desire for getting the shot to detract from simply enjoying the place I was in. I was hyper-focused on shooting anything and everything rather than getting acquainted with the true character of the place I was in.
As I got older and more seasoned as a photographer and naturalist, my mindset and priorities shifted. By becoming more connected to the things I was shooting, I became a better photographer and observer.
My intensity level with photography ebbs and flows as well. I go through periods where I don’t touch my camera for months. Creativity is like a light, sometimes it’s on, sometimes it’s off. Although my relationship with photography will continue to evolve, I am content with my current approach. However, my lifelong goal is to always challenge my perspective and continue to improve my craft.
South Fork of the American River - Copyright: Laura Ashburn
Sarah: Your photography is incredibly effective at depicting the varied moods of the natural world. How does your own relationship with the natural world inform your decisions as an artist?
Laura: Photographers have a responsibility in respecting the places they visit and shoot. With the rising popularity of sharing on social media, many natural spaces have been negatively affected and some even more heavily restricted and regulated because of our desire to share photos on a global platform.
This can encourage an unsustainable surge in visitation overnight in some locations. Many visitors and photographers do not abide by the rules and regulations in that area due to a lack of education or respect for the environment.
There is nothing wrong with people wanting to experience these beautiful places. I would be a hypocrite if I said wanting to visit and share photos online of a pretty place is wrong.
The outdoors is for everyone, but outdoor ethics and education should be learned by those who visit these places if we want to protect them.
My relationship with the natural world dictates my decisions when I am out creating images. I do my best to educate myself on the places I am visiting and prioritize the well-being of the natural environment over getting the shot.
Cronan Ranch, South Fork American River - Copyright: Laura Ashburn
Sarah: What effect do you hope your work has on your audience?
Laura: My hope is that people can view my images and appreciate the beauty of the wonderful locations that I am lucky enough to visit and capture.
I hope they can sense my love and connection to the places I photograph.
I hope my images inspire a curiosity about the natural world. We need everyone to get out and experience nature’s power. Ultimately that is the first step in appreciating and developing a vested interest in the natural world. Without a true connection to natural systems, that knowledge and appreciation are lost and people stray further and further away from nature.
I also invest a lot of time exploring and shooting my local region. While I do enjoy and dream of traveling to exotic locations, there is so much to discover in your own backyard. Shooting the same place over and over again in varying conditions and seasons is what challenges my creativity.
I hope my love for shooting local encourages others to explore and learn as much as they can about their immediate surroundings, which I believe helps sow the seeds for advocacy for your own community and nearby region.
South Fork of the American River - Copyright: Laura Ashburn
Sarah: You spend a lot of time hiking in the Sierra Nevada Mountains and working down in the foothills on the South Fork of the American River. What issues are important to you in regard to the health of these places? In what ways would you like them to be protected?
Laura: Growing up along the South Fork American River in Lotus, California around my family’s whitewater rafting company and campground, I was fortunate enough to be introduced to issues and topics relating to the natural world.
I learned how the state of the environment personally affects my family’s livelihood at an early age. Our business depends on and is affected by certain climate conditions and weather patterns. Droughts and flooding are periodic occurrences, and we are always at the mercy of mother nature.
We have had our fair share of hardships, but getting the privilege to work by the river every day creating special experiences in the outdoors for our guests is a rewarding opportunity I will never take for granted.
The protection of unique ecological and culturally important spaces is the most important issue to me. Development continues to chew up California’s landscape. It is important to conserve portions of our beautiful state not only for the sake of the wild species that rely on them, but for us humans so present and future generations can experience that land.
Another perspective I have been able to develop from my experience growing up in a whitewater rafting business in California is the many issues surrounding water. The South Fork American is a dam-controlled river, and without the upstream series of reservoirs and timed water releases, we would not have summer recreational flows conducive to commercial rafting operations.
On the contrary, dams and reservoirs are highly destructive and severely alter the river and riparian ecosystems. The historic salmon runs have been diminished and the trickling effect that has had on the ecosystem is unfortunate.
It is quite a juxtaposition to simultaneously desire healthy wild rivers and rely on dams as part of your livelihood. Gaining this perspective through my relationship with the river, as well as a brief experience working for a local water district, has led to my much broader interest in water management and issues in the West.
Balancing the need to protect our natural resources with providing the resources needed to sustain the human world is extremely convoluted. There is no perfect answer or solution. But working towards maintaining a balance to create a healthier natural environment and thriving communities for humans is vital.
Moab - Copyright: Laura Ashburn
