Artist Comments “The Norwegian Professional Photography Awards (Landskonkurransen) is the country’s most prestigious photography awards. The awards in the National Competition form the basis for selection of the national team in photography, participating in the World Photographic Cup – the World Cup in Photography. I am truly honored to have been awarded 1st place in the Fine Art Category (“Åpen Klasse”), in Landskonkurransen 2022. Being ranked number three across all categories is incredibly humbling. I feel privileged to have my work […]
Torleif Lie
Interview with Torleif Lie
BIFA 2020 Winner, 1st Place, Professional Nature category – “How We Bleed The Earth, Our Guilt and Shame“
Q: Tell us a little bit about your background?
Technology has been my past and it allowed me to see and record the world in ways that others do not. Art then became my obsession and Photography allows me to show the beauty, fragility and destruction of the world that I have seen during my travels and professions. I seek the beauty of all things, places and humans, even when beauty is found in destruction.
Q: What was your last work and what inspired you to do it?
My last project was an underwater study, “Birth, Death and Resurrection”, as a symbol of hope and renewal in a time when humanity was facing extreme global challenges due to the pandemic. Bringing together the primordial element of water with a human body were the only way for me to convey this symbolism.
Q: What genre of photography do you enjoy most?
My background in aviation and the subsea industry have enabled me access to creating images of the immense natural beauty found in our fragile planet from above and below, expanding our limited physical views of our world and exposing what could easily be lost or destroyed within a few decades.
Q: Your work, “How We Bleed the Earth, Our Guilt and Shame”, is powerful as well as sad. Do you believe there is hope that humans can change and save the world instead of destroying it?
Hope is eternal, but as humans we are now facing our uninformed naivety and greed squarely, and as we approach a looming climate / human disaster, the radical changes needed by our societies to survive this global challenge are likely to be very slow, hard and conflict driven.
Q: You won the Nature Photographer of the Year 2020 title. What does winning this award mean to you?
Winning this award was truly a humble experience. Being able to reach such a large audience with a crucially important message is incredibly valuable. My photography carries an environmental reminder that our world, and ourselves are at a crossroads.
Q: You must have travelled a lot to shoot nature photographs. What are the most outstanding or significant places that you have visited, and why?
Some of the most memorable experiences I have had were the aerial photography project over the Rio Tinto Mines, freediving in Bahamas photographing wild dolphins and photographing two local landmarks in Norway in divine light: Kjerag & Preikestolen (“Zeus” & “Valhalla Rising”). These images all convey the fragility and beauty of our planet and what’s at stake.
Q: What would be your dream project in photography if there would be no budget limits and you could travel anywhere, photograph anything/anyone?
Photographing our beautiful planet from space.
Q: What would be the one advice you would give to photographers just starting out?
Focus on the message you desire to convey, instead of camera and technique. Photographs are important messages, be careful what you say with them.
Q: Are you working on something new right now? Can you tell us a little bit about it?
I have several projects always tugging at me and they will rise in due time, but all within the fluid life of being a full-time artist in our complex world.
Acquire Torlief Lie’s winning work here.
Source: https://budapestfotoawards.com/interviews/torlief-lie/
Artist Comments “I am immensely grateful for being a finalists in the prestigious Hasselblad Masters 2021 Competition. The image series “How we Bleed the Earth, our Guilt and Shame” was selected as one of ten finalists in the Arial Category. A series of images portraying the impact of humankind’s destructive industrial practices on the natural environment. The Hasseblad Masters is renowned for being one of the world’s most prestigious professional photographic competitions. With a registered My Hasselblad account, the public […]
July 15, 2021 We are proud to present the Budapest International Foto Awards private exhibition in the intimate space of the House of Lucie Budapest Gallery. The show was on view by appointment, from 1st till the 14th of July, 2021. The group exhibition showcased the winning images of the 2020 Budapest International Foto Awards, comprising 33 artworks of the 1st and 2nd place winners in each category. The work of the following photographers was the part of […]
Artist Comments “A series of images portraying the impact of humankind’s destructive industrial practices on the natural environment. The images portray the terrible beauty of mining’s toxic impact on the land, whilst serving as a reminder of man’s folly. Human impact on the environment or anthropogenic impact includes changes to biophysical environments and ecosystems, biodiversity, and natural resources. This affects global warming, environmental degradation such as ocean acidification, mass extinction and biodiversity loss, creating an ecological crisis, and ecological collapse. […]
Artist Comments “A special connection between humans and trees has been evident throughout human history. In addition to providing needs such as food, shelter, healing, and protection, trees have also played an essential part in the spirituality of various groups of people and religions. The tree of life is a fundamental widespread mytheme or archetype in many of the world’s mythologies, religious and philosophical traditions. This includes the Tree of Knowledge and Tree of Life in the Bible, the Tree […]
Artist Comments “Thank you so much for the nominations and the honorable mention in the Fine Art Category. I am truly honored and delighted to be awarded among such talented artists. Congratulations to all the photographers and a huge thank you to the esteemed jury.” International Color Awards – Winner Announcement LOS ANGELES March 27th, 2021 – Professional photographer Torleif Lie of Norway was presented with an Honorable Mention and three Nominee titles in the 14th Annual International Color Awards […]
Artist Comments “I had a vision in my mind of what I desired for this shot to be a perfect autumn mood. After searching for weeks to locate this magical nature scene and waiting for several days, Mother Nature presented herself with the full splendor of fall. As the early morning sun filtered through the golden canopy, it illuminated the scene in a symphony of lights. The smell of the autumn leaves filled the air as I carefully framed the […]
Artist Comments “I am immensely grateful for being awarded 1st Place Category Winner in the prestigious Budapest International Foto Awards. I feel privileged to have my work showcased alongside such talented and creative artists. Congratulations to all the photographers and a huge thank you to the esteemed jury. A special thank you to Mr. Pierre Dutertre and United Photographic Artists for your invaluable mentoring and guidance! How we Bleed the Earth, our Guilt and Shame” is series of images […]
“As you know, the winners of the 2020 International Photography Award have been selected and can now be viewed on the IPA Winners Gallery. This year, for the first time, IPA jurors were also given the opportunity, during the voting process, to select their Top 5 favourite entries, from across all categories and levels that they voted on. It is my pleasure to inform you that your image series has been selected a favourite by one of the Jurors – […]