We were lucky to catch up with Natalie Grybiene recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Natalie, thanks for joining us today. What sort of legacy are you hoping to build. What do you think people will say about you after you are gone, what do you hope to be remembered for?

Legacy is something I think about often. I am not sure we have much control over how people will remember us after we are gone. But I know that I want to live the kind of life that gives my children stories that they are proud to tell. Being a photographer, I hope that I also leave a body of work that people will continue to find resonance with even when I am not here to explain it.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I have been interested in art and photography since I was a child, but I really only started finding my artistic voice about 4 years ago. My focus on nature photography is a reflection on my fascination with our planet, and the unique perspective that I have of my place in this world. Some of my clearest memories as a child are of watching ants at work or poking the roly-poly bugs on the sidewalks, picking dandelions and blowing dandelion clocks, making mudpies with my grandma or my friends. I remember feeling so much a part of my environment; a feeling that slowly retreated as I got older as I think it inevitably does for most of us. So when I rediscovered photography as an adult I felt immediately that I was returning in some way to the feeling of connectedness that I had lost. When I spend time in nature looking through my lens I can see things that I might otherwise never pay attention to. This is what I hope comes across in the images I take; the feeling of wonder, awe, and maybe even joy.
Every artist puts a little bit of themselves into their art. I think my life experiences find their way into my art in way that I choose to focus on the less obvious, the small and more intimate details instead of the expansive vistas. As a Black woman in a male-dominated photography niche, I think bring a completely different perspective and set of values to the art. I’m not about conquering the heights or “bagging” the most iconic views. I come to nature to find healing and peace, and create something beautiful along the way. I actually love that I have no control over what I will find when I go out. There’s a peace in surrendering all expectations and just being and exploring. It feels like creating in collaboration with nature, like I take whatever I’m presented with and then try to interpret it into something that other people can appreciate as well. It feels like a triumph when I can make an image that makes someone say “Wow! I never thought of XYZ as being a beautiful thing before”
As for what services I provide, I offer high quality fine art prints on my website, and I have begun offering a very limited number of private photography sessions for individuals and families who are interested in having an outdoor photography session. I look at it as inviting my clients to be a part of my artwork, and it’s a lot of fun to take people to some of my favorite places and play around together to create something really special.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

One thing that particularly drives me is that when I was a child I never had a thought of making a career as a photographer or artist or a doctor or scientist because I saw no one who looked like me doing those things. I had hardly any examples of Black women portrayed as successful in the arts or sciences to look up to. I certainly hope to be a commercial success, but even if I’m not I think it’s more important to be out here, showing the next generation what is possible and helping them to dream even bigger.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

Tying back in to my mission to be an inspiration for future Black girls, I’ve had to unlearn decades of cultural expectations of what Black people do and don’t do. It’s letting go of worrying if I will be thought of as ‘not Black enough’, and realizing I can make my own definition of my culture and identity. I’ve had to give myself permission to be my own force of nature. I’ve had to learn to let go of my own internal guardrails and embrace being wild and free and as quirky and unique as I can be. This is something that I couldn’t have done in my teens or twenties. It’s only been in my late thirties and now mid-forties that I have been able to completely let go of those worries about what ‘they’ will think and just do the things that bring me the most joy.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ngwildernessphotography.com
• Instagram: @ngwildernessphotography
• Facebook: NGWildernessphotography
• Other: I’m most active on Threads @ngwildernessphotography

Image Credits

Image of me by Ty Nichols
All other images by Natalie Grybiene