Nature, human existence and emotionality with Alice Zilberberg

Can you tell us a bit about how you became a photographer? And tell us something about your pictures.

I have always been an artist. I started with painting and drawing when I was very young, and I played around with manipulating images even before I picked up a camera. When I started with photography, I right away liked the manipulated look that made the works real and unreal at the same time, and I've been working in that style ever since.

Photo: Alice Zilberberg

Please share something about your images. What is your special interest? How do you choose the colors, composition, themes etc.? 

Creating my images is a laborious process. I don’t shoot anything before I have an idea and a theme. I travel wherever it is needed to gather the images for each piece. I’ve traveled to places such as Iceland, Canada, the US, Thailand, Indonesia, and India. With the animal works, the animals are shot separately from the backgrounds and put “back” into nature in post-production, giving them a new home in a place that represents nature as a whole. There are many layers and multiple folders in the final file of each image. My latest work centers around well-being, and the importance of preserving nature.

Photo: Alice Zilberberg

Where does this interest come from?

I've always been connected to nature. I've always found that going out into nature restores a kind of perspective on our human lives.

How do you get inspired? And what inspires you the most? Films, books, or magazines? Or what surrounds you?   

For me, inspiration can come from anywhere. It is usually the case that I combine two or three ideas together to form a theme.

Photo: Alice Zilberberg

What was your first camera?

My first camera was some sort of 35mm film camera.

What else should we know about you?  

I was born in the former Soviet Union (in Estonia), we moved to Israel when I was a baby, and to Canada when I was just 11. I now live in Israel. I hold a BFA from the Toronto Metropolitan University in Photography Studies. My work has received much international recognition, winning many prestigious awards, including Hasselblad Masters, as well as 1st place titles in competitions such as the International Photography Awards, the Julia Margaret Cameron Awards, and the Fine Art Photography Awards.

My work has been exhibited in galleries and museums worldwide, next to renowned artists such as Ansel Adams, and Imogen Cunningham. I’ve also been interviewed and featured in publications and platforms such as MTV, Breakfast Television, and CBC.