why we travel: a conversation with emilie ristevski part two
emilie ristevski’s dreamy photographs are instantly recognisable. with over a million followers on instagram, her pastel-hued compositions facilitate via phone screen a magical escape to an ethereal world. emilie’s creative pursuits have carried her all over the world, from iceland’s untouched glaciers to the desert plains of namibia. her iconic images have opened up partnerships with established brands like adobe and mercedes. out at mungo national park, we had the privilege of sitting down with emilie to talk about who she is as a photographer, what gets her heart racing, and how to get that perfect shot.
below, the second instalment of our two-part conversation with emilie.
You’ve been to some incredible places. If you had to pick a few of those places where you felt this overwhelming sense of wonder, where would those places be?
I’m really drawn to New Zealand. It was one of the first places I travelled to. I absolutely love the mountains, and the landscapes there are so beautiful. It’s close to home, so it does have that special feeling, and revisiting it you start to develop a connection with places that’s really lovely. On the other side of that, places like Namibia blow my mind. I feel so privileged to be able to travel to places like that. The landscapes have so much variety for my work. They’ve got these beautiful landscapes – these wide, vast sand dunes, and beautiful salt pans with dead trees – that are so surreal. And then they mix it up with the beautiful wildlife. You can see everything there, elephants, giraffes, lions. I’ve done a couple of trips there now, and I’ve hosted workshops there where I’ve been able to share really special moments with people. Seeing wild animals in their natural landscape for the first time blew my mind, and I fell in love with it. There’s this indescribable feeling when you’re connected to these places. There’s so much there, and you meet local people, and have these really authentic experiences. It does feel like a piece of your heart is left in these little places around the world.
“the pandemic has given me the time to focus on more meaningful projects, and reconsider why we travel. I think that’s really important, especially in our world where everything is changing so quickly. Considering why, and what it means to us, and how it shifts our perspective of the world.”
Absolutely. That’s beautiful, you’re making me want to travel again, which of course, we haven’t been able to for a while. If you had to choose – and obviously we’re limited to Australia – where’s one place you’d go domestically.
I’ve got an endless list for Australia; I feel like I need to do a big road trip. Surprisingly, there’s still so much I haven’t done. Probably top of my list would be more of WA, and probably the Kimberley area. I’ve always been drawn to this desert feeling. They’ve got such beautiful landscapes, like the Bungle Bungles with those beautiful formations. The way the light hits those and creates a glow is just incredible. It’s also about reconnecting with the indigenous history in these areas, hearing these untold stories that are so important in knowing our land.
You were saying that you had a really special experience recently in a place called Laura in Queensland?
I did a trip up there at the end of last year. We went to this place called Jarramali. I was blown away. They have the most incredible rock art that has only been discovered in the last decade or so, and it’s been incredibly preserved. It blew me away for Queensland, to begin with. You don’t really associate that outback feeling with it – it’s sort of like a cross-between Kakadu and the Blue Mountains, with this beautiful escarpment of rock, that glows red in the sunset. I loved being able to learn those stories there. We had a really wonderful guide, who told us his own personal story. It was just so inspiring to be able to connect to something so authentic like that.
Yeah, it’s a rare and privileged experience to be taken in and be able to connect to country in that way and have someone share their insights and their stories of the land. It’s very special. How have you handled not being able to travel? Have you enjoyed being grounded for this past year?
A lot of people have asked me this question! And I actually have. I love travelling, and I have felt that wanderlust. But I really love slowing down too. The timing of it for me was actually really perfect. Looking back, I’ve been travelling for the past five or six years almost full time. It does get full on, and as much as I love it, there is a point where it can get a bit much, almost like you’re on the edge of burnout. I got to the point where, after a few really special experiences travelling to some remote parts of the world, I realised that I needed to slow down and reconsider my impact. I love our planet, I love our natural world and the environment, but at the same time, travel can have such a huge impact on it. It’s a little bit ironic that you can love those places so much and yet affect them by travelling to them. Slowing down has really shifted my perspective, and definitely made me more grateful for everything I’ve been able to see. It’s also given me the time to focus on more meaningful projects, and reconsider why we travel. Before covid, before this huge crazy chaotic pandemic, travel was so accessible. More than ever, everyone was travelling as much as they could, almost mindlessly, and not really considering the ‘why’. I think that’s really important, especially in our world where everything is changing so quickly. Considering why, and what it means to us, and how it shifts our perspective of the world. I have also had time to work on things like my book, which was really nice, because otherwise I don’t think I would have been able to do it travelling full time. I’m grateful I’ve had projects to keep me busy.
I love what you just said around the ‘why’ of travel. I’m also personally obsessed with that idea, having a theme or motivation to tap into when you go, so you really have a purpose. This trip was geared around capturing the ethereal and the transient, which you do so well. It’s interesting to hear you talk about mindfulness and travel, because when I look at your photos, I feel mindful. They remind me to stop and be present. It’s beautiful because they almost feel like a meditation. When we can finally travel, I would love to know where you’d love to go next. Obviously, Namibia is close to your heart, but is there anywhere else you’re yearning to capture? Of course now, you’ll be travelling with a lot more intent, so you’ll be even more selective with where you want to go.
With my work, I am drawn to those remote, off the beaten paths around the world. At the same time, they’re the places that are extra hard to get to. Especially when we consider what’s going on in the world right now, a lot of those places are underdeveloped countries and travelling there might not be realistic. I’m probably just going to end up with a dream list of places. Many of my projects have been postponed for the time being. Places like Bolivia and Mongolia were at the top of my list – both places I’ve never been. Realistically, the places I’ll go first will probably be closer to home. So, New Zealand - It would be great if that little travel bubble could open up and we could head over there at some point. I’d love to go back to Greenland. I had a really fascinating experience in Greenland that really shaped my travel experience. It was conflicting, because Greenland is really at the forefront of climate change where you can visibly see how it’s affecting those communities. The trip really made me rethink a lot of things, both in my own work and in general. Wanting to travel to these really beautiful, far off destinations, is close to my heart, but slowing down and considering more meaningful projects is what is most important. If I did go to one of those places, I’d always be looking for ways to give back, whether that’s with local communities o partnering with charities. Any way that I can spread messages relating to our environment, to make people realise that some of these really beautiful places are going to be under threat from what’s been going on with everything, is the most important thing for me.