ECR:  Tell us a little about yourself.

Greta:  I like to think that I am collecting homes. I mainly grew up in Boise, Idaho, but spent my babyhood in the Netherlands and teen years in rural Japan. For the last five years, I lived in Missoula, Montana and spent this summer in Berlin, Germany. I just relocated to Portland, Maine. Along the way, I picked up a fondness for the ocean and the mountains, a constellation of remarkable friends and degrees in Cultural Anthropology and Photojournalism.

ECR: Why photography?

Greta: I always, always wanted to be a photographer, since I was little. Photographing is truly one of the few things that really makes me feel like myself. I really love to talk to people and so I consider photography to be a means of creating and preserving a unique type of dialogue. I usually feel like my photographs have achieved their purpose when they have the feeling of a great conversation.

ECR:  What is the most difficult part of being a photographer?

Greta:  Sometimes, the best part of being a photographer is the struggle! Doing creative work challenges yourself to face your own inadequacies and embrace your skills, to constantly evolve, to think about how your images will be perceived and how you want them to be perceived. However, my own greatest obstacle is figuring out how to “make it” as a young photographer in a world with so much extraordinary competition and such minimal support. I may not have “made it” yet, but I think it requires learning when to compromise and when to hold fast to your own vision.

ECR:  What is your photography setup?

Greta:  To be honest, the less gear I have, the better I feel when I am shooting. I feel like multiple lenses and lights usually create a barrier between the people I photograph and myself. I like image-making to be a simple process. However, I love my little kit: Canon 5D Mark ii and my 24-70mm 2.8 lens and 580 EX Speedlite flash!

ECR:  What is the most important lesson you’ve learned in photography?

Greta:  I think I learn a lesson every time I photograph. But lately, I have realized how much intuition and trust factor into my own process of photographing. Photography is like a little conversation between the brain and the heart. I have learned how to use all my gear and expose correctly and efficiently and now I’m learning to rely on my gut to give me the rest: telling me what composition fits best, navigating the social aspect of photographing people and making editorial decisions.

ECR:  What are your thoughts on the future of photography?

Greta:  I started teaching photography a few years ago, to kids and adults. I think photography can be a conduit and catalyst for some really amazing things. For example, it is a remarkable tool for community outreach, introspection and therapy. I think that as an industry, we are just beginning to shake it up a bit, to publish conceptual photography in editorial publications, to discover social media’s capability to create art or promote change and to learn the value of a nontraditional photograph or photographer. I’m really excited to see what will happen!

ECR:  Lessons for others?

Greta:  In a letter to his son, George Rodgers, a founder of Magnum Photos and British photojournalist wrote, wrote: “good photography is based on truth and integrity… let your picture composition be honest, pure, strong and well-defined. It is a matter of design, and the less complicated of a design, the more pleasing it is to the eye.” I think this is the best advice about photography, mainly because I think it says so much about how to create meaningful imagery. And, although he is writing about composition, I believe the same could be said about approaching and portraying your subject with honest and pure intentions.

Greta Rybus on 4ormat