Photographer Elizabeth Carmel Finds Inspiration in the High Sierra

Photographer Elizabeth Carmel in the High Sierras, CA

“So what would you do if you came upon a sight seen before only to see it as if for the first time? This was the effect Carmel’s work had on me; capturing the power of what exists while elevating the experience through the poetic use of photography.” – Robert Redford from the forward to Brilliant Waters

Following in the footsteps of landscape photographers like Ansel Adams, photographer Elizabeth Carmel has made a career out of capturing majestic mountain scenes throughout the Sierra Nevadas and sharing them with both outdoor and art enthusiasts. Inspired by the changing light at dawn and twilight over snow covered peaks and pristine alpine lakes, she makes the long journey into these remote locations by mule bringing only the necessities – camping supplies and of course her Hasselblad h44D camera. With an ultra-high resolution 39 megapixel, she is able to capture the vivid colors and subtle details of the natural world. She does all of her own printing on fine art paper or canvas with long-life pigmented inks. Carmel’s breadth of work is astonishing. Her award-winning photos are on display at galleries throughout California and Washington including her own gallery in Truckee, CA, and at the Nevada Museum of Art. She is also the author of two books Brilliant Waters (2006), which features a forward by Robert Redford and The Changing Range of Light (2009). Along with her husband Olof, also a photographer, they own Carmel Gallery in Truckee, CA.

How did you choose this place to live, work, create?

I moved to Truckee in the early 90s to work for the newly incorporated town as a land use planner, and found that it was the perfect place for me with all the outdoor activities, friendly community, and beautiful scenery. Now I can’t imagine living anywhere else.

Describe the art community where you live and work.

I think our arts community here in Truckee has so many wonderfully talented and creative people. I think it would be great if we had more art galleries in our historic downtown, but it is difficult to pay the high downtown rents as an art gallery. We really got our start through the North Tahoe Arts in Public Places program. We sold our first prints at the Truckee Starbucks and Wild Cherries coffee houses, and everything progressed from there through participation in Art Tour and then in a few local galleries & art shows, until we were able to open our own gallery in 2006. I hope there is an opportunity for a local artists co-op to take root in downtown Truckee.

What inspiration do you derive from your community and place?

We are so fortunate to be able to live in an area with such beautiful scenery and unspoiled places. I realize that most people do not have this opportunity. I am constantly inspired by the great vistas and places I see while out skiing, mountain biking, and hiking. It is not hard to be inspired when you live in the Sierra region. I particularly like to work with the seasons and take advantage of all the photography opportunities offered by the changing seasons.

You’ve traveled all over the world, what makes the Nevada County arts community and the art made here unique?

We love to travel but there is nothing like being able to return home to such a great place. One thing I talk about in my books is that the Sierra region has wilderness that is still wild and primeval. The concept of protected wilderness in the developed world started as a very American construct, and one of the things about which I am very proud of as an American. We owe a great debt to the previous generation who was visionary enough to protect large swaths of the Sierra as national parks and wilderness. I think the large, protected, beautiful parks are one of the reasons we have seen some great photographers emerge from the Sierra, such as Ansel Adams, Galen Rowell, etc. The challenge of our generation is to be good stewards of what we have inherited and to address modern threats to our region, particularly the issues presented by climate change and increased motorized recreation.

Do you see your work as commercial, political or fine-art? Or a little of both?

I think it is a little of all of those. It has to be commercially appealing for me to be able to devote myself full time a a profession. It is political in that I have a message I try to communicate about the importance of protecting beautiful, wild natural areas. And it is fine art since I shoot primarily with an eye to creating pieces that (I hope) communicate a sense of transcendence and the experience of that which is also invisible.

Not only are you a photographer, but a gallery owner, publisher, mother and wife. How do you juggle all of these?

We are fortunate at the gallery to have a wonderful staff of people working with us as art consultants and we also have an amazing framer who is an artist himself. I definitely couldn’t manage without Olof being the great father & husband, & businessman that he is. I have to stay organized and focussed on priorities, but enjoy having alot going on so it works out well. We realize that we are very lucky to do what we do for a living, and try to never take that for granted. We are grateful to the community for supporting us in our artistic ventures.

What is your favorite season in the Sierras?

That would be like trying to pick a favorite child, it can’t be done!

For more information on Elizabeth Carmel go to www.elizabethcarmel.com. Visit Carmel Gallery in Historic Downtown Truckee, 9940 Donner Pass Road, Truckee, (530)-582-0557.