This nature photographer’s greatest muse is Iceland

Marta Witkowska’s photographs whisk us away to impressive, otherworldly landscapes. While she always travels with a camera in hand, some of her most arresting images were taken in her former home of Iceland, where windswept black sand beaches, towering snow-capped mountains, lush valleys and glistening lakes adorn the landscape. It’s an oft-photographed place, yet Witkoska’s images bring an understated beauty otherwise unseen.

Currently based in Norway, Poland-born Witkowska, 40, has always had a fascination with Scandinavia – so much so, in fact, that she moved to Iceland 16 years ago. “I finished my cultural anthropology studies in Poland, and I was just so curious about the Nordics,” Witkowska says. “I started reading about Iceland, thinking how amazing it sounded, and decided to try living out there.” Life in Iceland proved to be the perfect fit for Witkowska, providing her with endless inspiration and breathtaking scenery to explore and capture. “I've always thought there is something mysterious about the Nordics,” she tells me. “But the thing I like the most about living in Scandinavia is that you can be so close to nature. For me, moving to Iceland was like moving to another planet.”

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Entirely self-taught, Witkowska got her first camera at the age of 12. Having always been interested in photography, she quickly learned the ins and outs of the craft by taking portraits of her friends and family before honing her skills further by assisting other photographers. Witkowska’s move to Iceland sparked her interest in nature photography. The unparallelled Icelandic environment is among her greatest muses.

“There are so many colours, and everywhere you go, you see the ocean, or the fjords, or other beautiful places,” she says. “Also, I think the difficulty of being in Icelandic nature, that it’s so unpredictable, there’s something about it.” In the quest for the perfect image, Witkowska would set out on road trips around the island, capturing the weather’s mood swings. “I would stop somewhere and stay there for maybe one or two days while waiting for interesting weather to come.”

A few months back, Witkowska’s Norwegian husband’s work took the couple and their 15-month-old son to Aurskog, a sleepy town an hour away from Oslo. Although her current home country is also known for its spectacular scenery, at first, Witkowska longed to be back in the temperamental Icelandic environment she fell fiercely in love with. “When I moved to Aurskog, I thought, ‘OK , I’m not surrounded by mountains and the ocean anymore, and everything is different’,” she says. “But then I decided I’ll try to find something beautiful and creative here. It’s all about being curious and open-minded when you go to new places.”

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Although she’s now focusing on taking care of her son (and taking pictures of him), in the future Witkowska hopes to further expand her portfolio. “I would love to do more meaningful portraits, travel and take pictures of places on my list, such as the Faroe Islands,” she says. She also hopes her work can reach more people, noting that her Vogue debut is a pretty good start. “I’m just so excited to be featured in the magazine,” she says, beaming. “There are so many people who take great pictures. I’m very happy that my work stood out.”

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