in conversation with
Bernd Nicolaisen
Former fashion photographer Bernd Nicolaisen ushered in the new millennium with
a radical change of artistic direction. Now it’s all about the light, and of course, ice
Interview by Nick Smith
T
he trouble with fashion photography is that, unless
it is incontestably iconic, it will be destined for
a future no loftier than wrapping tomorrow’s fish
and chips. This is how former fashion photographer
Bernd Nicolaisen sees his earlier (and it must be said, hugely
successful) career, snapping on the catwalk and behind velvetcovered ropes. Today, the 50-something Swiss national is an
abstract fine art nature photographer. ‘Maybe it was something
to do with my age, but there came a point where I really felt
I wanted to do something that was longer lasting.’ His subjects
are elemental: ice, rock, wood and water, and his images are
extraordinary, all about textures and surfaces. At times, Bernd
ponders the possibility that his monumental photos might still
be around in a thousand years time.
Shot in Iceland, his current portfolio – the fruit of a decade’s
labour – features in a newly published book and has recently
been on show at the Krypta Grossmünster in Zürich. Entitled
Restlicht, which translates from the German as ‘residual light’,
the portfolio is the work of a meticulous craftsman and artist.
For Bernd, each aspect of executing his compositions is vitally
important: but nothing means more to the photographer
than his interaction with light. ‘You could say, of course, all
photographers work with light. That’s what the word means.
But, for me, photography means exploring light.’
The first stage in Bernd’s transition from fashion to
photographing the natural world on large format film had, by
his own admission, ‘nothing to do with taking photographs.’
Before he could set about capturing images, he needed to learn
about ‘the whole process that goes on in the background,
developing in the darkroom. In 2001 I began learning the craft,
and by about 2005 the negatives were starting to become
perfect.’ It was at this point that Bernd started to focus on his
narrative themes of water, stone, wood and ice. ‘The first ice
pictures I took, about a decade ago, were in the Swiss mountains.
But the ice you find in the Alps is completely different to the ice
in Iceland. It’s not the same colour and it’s very milky because
it is younger. But when I first saw ice caves in Iceland I was
blown away because as a photographer you look for your atelier.’
The idea of finding an atelier or ‘workshop’ in the wilderness
is important for Bernd because the nature of his equipment
means that he can be carrying 25kg, making it necessary to find
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a place to drop anchor and set to work ‘where you can be in
complete control of the subject, the technology, the emotions…
all these things.’ The cornerstone of the technology is his ToyoField 810MII, an 8 x 10 inch folding field film camera with ApoGerminar lenses. ‘The lenses are the whole point of the system,
because with them you have absolute control of the luminosity
and every other detail in the shadows and the light when
shooting black & white. I also shoot the images in colour, with
the Phase One System IQ250. But this is really to open the door
for the public to understand the images. But for the real abstract
and artistic pieces my heart is really in black & white.’
Bernd says that working with vast film formats helps him
to think in a more abstract way, and never more than when
working in Iceland. When he works closer to home, particularly
in Switzerland, he finds ‘you always have the light working
against you. But in Iceland where you can find thousand-yearold ice, there is a better transparency. With this clarity of ice,
which you can shoot through to see the volcanic lava, you can
above Searching,
Vatnajökull
Mountain, Iceland.
right Drop,
Breidamerkurjökull,
Iceland.
Autumn 2015 Outdoor Photography 17
18 Outdoor Photography Autumn 2015
Autumn 2015 Outdoor Photography 19
When you sit in the ice caves, for the first five minutes you see nothing, because your eyes aren’t
open enough, and you wonder what you are doing here, because there is absolutely nothing
start to tell stories with your image. At the end of the day I see
myself as a storyteller and the story is in the lava, while the
scenery is provided by the ice.’
Bernd says that for any abstract photographer – be the subject
wood, leaves or ice – the main driving force for the creative
process is always light, a theme he returns to again and again.
He speaks hardly a sentence without the word being present.
‘But when you talk about light, you also have to talk about
the dark things. When I first wanted to shoot the ice I said to
my guide that I wanted to get into the caves to see the light,
to see what possibilities there were to look through the glacier
to the outside world. But he said that nobody wants to do this.
But we arranged it, and today it is common to see four or five
guides taking people into the caves. My guide now calls me
the godfather of ice cave photography!’
When winter comes, life can be difficult for Bernd, as available
light becomes restricted and moving around inhospitable terrain
20 Outdoor Photography Autumn 2015
is more challenging. But when the light returns ‘you have this
luminosity in the landscape, the impressive moods of the ice,
and you can work very creatively as you explore the light.’
Photography also means exploring in a more literal sense.
‘When you have a strong feeling inside to create something, you
also have the feeling of adventure. When you sit in the ice caves,
for the first five minutes you see nothing, because your eyes
aren’t open enough, and you wonder what you are doing here,
because there is absolutely nothing. But then you have to
explore the scenery to make things open up. When you see these
pictures in the exhibition, or on the website or in magazines,
I must say that this is not the real world. That is because in the
real world you start off with nothing. And then you have to look
to find these beautiful things to bring them into a good picture.
When I make one good picture in a year, it is a fine year for me.’
For the next few years Bernd’s photographic world will
continue to be all about the ice. There are no plans to change
previous pages –
left Black pearl,
Breidamerkurjökull,
Iceland.
previous pages –
right Blue light
waves, river Breida,
Iceland.
left Ballroom,
Svinnfellsjökull,
Iceland.
above Perspiration,
Breidamerkurjökull,
Iceland.
Autumn 2015 Outdoor Photography 21
above Cave of
sounds, Vatnajökull
Mountain, Iceland.
theme, style or approach, as there are still things that need to be
said and explored. ‘Every time you go out into the field you find
new situations, and I can’t imagine a better place than Iceland
for me to tell stories about. I started on Restlicht 10 years ago,
in 2005, and now we have the exhibition’ – which will be touring
the world if all goes to plan. It will take up a lot of Bernd’s time,
leaving only limited opportunities to return to Iceland.
Our time is up and I leave the photographer with one final
observation for his consideration. These days we are inundated
with artistic messages, manifestos and agendas. As we become
increasingly aware of the melting of the polar icecaps and the
retreat of the world’s glaciers, what does his work say about
global warming and climate change? ‘Nothing. There is no
political message in my work. I just want people to look at my
pictures. If one person is inspired by the beauty of the ice then
everything I have done is worthwhile.’
To see more of Bernd’s work visit berndnicolaisen.com
Get the book!
Bernd’s beautiful book, Restlicht, based
on his ice project and other abstract
images of water, wood and stone is
available now (Hatje Cantz, hardback,
£55, ISBN 978-3-7757-4061-6, text
in German and English).