Born to British and Brazilian parents and raised in London, Joe now spends his life immersed in the wild and isolated lands of Iceland and Greenland, shooting stunning landscapes, leading photography tours and expeditions, inspiring others to do the same. With the effects of climate change becoming ever more stark, Joe’s work capturing the environment around him is more poignant than ever before. We chatted to him about his perspectives and his ‘life in the cold’ and discovered why his Billingham bags play such an important role.

Joe Shutter with his Billingham 445 (left) and Billingham Weekender (right).

Can you tell us more about yourself and where your photography journey began?

I can identify very clearly where my photography journey began: right at home in London, and from a very early age. I grew up surrounded not only by my father’s immense collection of National Geographic Magazines (started in 1970 and continues to this day) but also by his own photography, which adorns our walls.

It was striking, dare I say pioneering, imagery for the time from South America, Africa and South East Asia from 1970s to the 1990s. Along the way, he would tell me stories of how he took the pictures and how the people in the photos would sometimes only pause for only a brief moment, allowing him to snap the shot. This was the definite spark for my own interest in photography.

Do you have an ‘idol’ in the world of photography? Who and why?

My number one photography idol is my father, who started my journey, and to whom I will be forever indebted. Nowadays, my biggest photography icons are those I perceive to be making the greatest difference with regard to addressing the climate emergency that we are experiencing - Paul Nicklen being chief amongst them.

Joe Shutter with the Billingham 25 Rucksack in Iceland.

Did you study photography or have formal training, or was it something that developed over time?

I have never studied photography formally. My upbringing sprouted into a casual interest, which became more serious with time, then I got a small break from there and it was off to the proverbial races.

Why did you choose to follow a career in landscape and adventure photography?

My photography ‘break’ was not actually in landscape and adventure photography but in concert photography. I found myself photographing Iceland Airwaves (a music festival in Reykjavik, Iceland) for a magazine one year, and this very much felt like jumping in at the deep end.

Concerts are very difficult shooting environments. Firstly, it’s very dark. Secondly, there’s a lot going on. I feel that my initial lessons from my father stood me in very good stead: look and wait for the right moment. Sure enough, they came. There were some hard lessons in those early days.

Joe in Bilbury, Gloucestershire with his Billingham 445 and Barbour jacket.

You are known as ‘Joe Shutter’ – how did this nickname arise?

Joe Shutter is an evolution of the original name that I gave myself when, for a brief moment, it looked as if I would pursue concert photography: The Show Shutter. When I looked around and realised I was in Iceland and that I had all of this amazing scenery around me, the re-brand actually came to me quite naturally. Many believe that it’s my actual surname!

When and why did you decide to move to Iceland to pursue your photographic career? Apart from the natural beauty of the country, what drew you to work in this rather cold environment?

I moved to Iceland originally to start a Masters in Environment and Natural Resources. Halfway through the second and final year of the Masters, I got my break shooting at Airwaves.

The idea was to return to London. Life had other plans, however, and some projects relating to my master’s thesis came up, which kept me in Iceland a little while longer. It was during this time that the entire rethink about what I wanted to do with my photography came about.

Joe Shutter with his Billingham Weekender and Land Rover Defender.

Is it particularly challenging or complex to capture glaciers, waterfalls and snow-covered scenes? Can you tell us more about your techniques?

All shooting conditions bring their own set of challenges, the cold being no different. The biggest challenge is sometimes feeling your fingers in order to be able to operate the camera.

From an artistic or a photographic point of view, I would say that an application of the basic principles of landscape photography (colour contrast, shape, form and leading lines) set you up very nicely to start with. I do very much enjoy using telephoto focal lengths, 135mm being the most common I would say. From there on in, it is a question of trial and error.

Can you give us more insights into your photography and its significance in capturing the damage created by climate change on the planet?

The angle on climate change that my photography has taken in the last year could be viewed as the next step in my photographic journey. A raised general awareness of the climate emergency in the popular consciousness, combined with my destination workshops in Northeast Greenland, makes clear that things are not as they should be: we encountered huge amounts of ice in the fjords and a tragically thin polar bear.

Ice in the Fjords - Photo by Joe Shutter.

Most photographers have a personal favourite photograph. What would you consider to be the most notable or outstanding picture you’ve ever taken and why?

My favourite photograph, and perhaps the photograph that has done the most for me and my photography is that of Opal under the ice arch, taken during my sailing expedition in Northeast Greenland in September 2019. This was equal parts planned and unplanned: there was no way for us to know that this tremendous iceberg carrying an arch (the great Øfjord) would be in the right place at the right time. The planned element of the shot was that we got off our two-masted schooner and into a small zodiac inflatable raft. Our incredible captain brought Opal round for the perfect line up, and our first mate helped to get the zodiac perfectly aligned too. This was itself the beginning of an exhilarating shoot where Opal set sail and we were able to capture her whilst weaving in and around in the zodiac. This was truly an unforgettable experience.

The Opal Under the Ice Arch - Photo by Joe Shutter.

What is your preferred photographic equipment?

I have always used Nikon photo equipment. This is in partly due to the legacy equipment from my father, who also only shot on Nikon, so there were lots of lenses and bodies to play with, all film and manual focus.

I still use all the old gear from time to time, but now I shoot Nikon Full Frame DSLR (D850) and Nikon Full Frame Mirrorless (Z6). I have also gone one step further with the mirrorless setup and added the Z7 to the lineup. The Z6 and the Z7 together with a 24-70 and 70-200. They can easily be carried in my 445 with plenty of room to spare and without breaking my back on long hikes in the Icelandic highlands.