Interview with Giulia Gartner, exploring the world looking for the perfect shot

How are you? How’s this quarantine going? Have you found any new passions?

I am doing great, thank you. I am in Austria, because when I came back form South Africa, about two months ago, I stopped at my family’s house and then lockdown started so I was kinda stuck. Which is actually very nice now. I cook sometimes, but overall I like to take it slow. The last few years have been pretty crazy, so it is nice to slow down a little bit.

Are you making any kind of home made photography experiments right now?

A little bit, but I get bored pretty easily shooting around the house. I prefer being outside in nature, obviously.

Going back, what would you say/advise to the 15-year-old Giulia?

Probably not overthink everything that I do. Just go for it, do the things you want to do.

How do you choose with which companies you want work with and why?

I am now in the position where I can choose the brands to collaborate with. I always like to work with brands that stand for something and have an afterthought for sustainability. I think it is very important nowadays to focus on that and to promote companies that are also doing something good for the environment.

You have a job that allows you to travel all over the world and see great places, although we both know it can be tough to keep up sometimes. What’s the thing you hate most about your job?

In the beginning it was always very exciting to travel around, but now every time I take a plane I feel very guilty. Also the travelling on a plane itself is tough: 10 hours with no access to good food, you feel tired, but get little to no sleep. When you get to the destination you are very excited, but at the same time very drained. Usually work trips are quite short, one or two weeks, and you want to make the most out of the time that you have, which means that you normally feel guilty for resting every now and then.

Tell us one place that’s still in your heart and a place you never want to go back to and why?

For a very long time, I would have picked New Zealand as my favourite place, but now I would say South Africa. I don’t think there is a place I would never want to go back to, because for me is not only about the destination itself. It’s about the experience, the people that are with me. Usually I travel with people I go along with pretty well, so there is always this positive energy in my travels, even if something goes wrong or I don’t like the location. There is always fun involved somehow.

How important do you think it is to send a positive message to all women who travel the world? Do you think your experience could be a good example for other women out there to feel even more motivated to travel without excessive worries?

It’s important, that you feel comfortable going alone. If you don’t, then bring someone you trust that maybe has a lot of experience, especially for your first trips. It is nice to have someone to share your trip with, that you can take photos of and viceversa. It’s really important that you choose the right people to travel with, because not everyone is compatible. Sometime it is hard to find that out before, but trust your gut feeling.

You are strongly attached to traveling, would you consider giving up a solid stable home and continue traveling all the year?

No, I like coming back to the Dolomites. It’s a beautiful place to return to. Right now I want to have that base to go back to and recharge my energies. Who knows, maybe in the future.

How do you see the photographer’s role in society in 10 years?

I usually don’t like to think about the future. I am someone that tries her best to live in the moment. In 10 years I would be 31. I hope that photography is still a thing and I can still do something creative in the field, but I have no image of what that could look like.

During your trips, have you been able to see the effects of climate change in the years? Can you perceive it? Is there a specific place that you have in your mind about this?

Definitely. It’s something that is literally right there in front of your face all the time. Especially going back to Iceland in the course of 4 years, one can tell that places are being modified. Glaciers are maybe so big that you can’t tell, but people are destroying nature even just by visiting all these remote places, jumping over fences to get a closer look or perfect shot. In my past I am guilty of these things as well, but with the time you become aware of these nocive actions. I consciously choose what photos to post on social media, especially if they portray me in spots where I shouldn’t be standing. I have seen before people feeling allowed to go to these places because someone with many more followers has posted a picture that was shot there. I try to avoid that.

Social media has greatly increased visits to some natural places around the world, unfortunately not only by nature conscious people, what do you think about this effect and what do you think people like you could do about this?

It’s fundamental to remind people that these places are so fragile. All around the world, not only in places like Iceland, where they are so strict with regulations. I think these should apply everywhere, all around the world. It’s also scary when you hike somewhere and you see plastic and trash on the trails. Most of the times when I see these things laying around I try to pick them up, but it’s just frustrating. I don’t understand why there aren’t more rules to keep places clean. I think we should communicate more about these things.

Last one: a message that you would love to leave for the next generation?

A piece of advice, that has been very important for me and can work for everybody, is to really follow the things that you love doing. I know it sounds very cliché, but it is true. If you do what you love and enjoy doing, you are gonna be happy. Overall, your life will be better. It’s very simple, and cliché, but that’s just how it is.