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I took up photography because...

I was on a trek to Mount

Everest in 1994 when it struck

me how much I enjoyed taking

photographs of our planet, so

I thought it was about time

I took my hobby more seriously.

Tell us about your favourite

photographic themes.

My love of the outdoors has led

to a passion for landscape and

nature photography. Living in

New England I am lucky enough

to experience all four seasons, but

I also try to capture the beauty of

other countries too.

Name one item that every

photographer should own.

I enjoy shooting long exposures and

creating stitched panoramas, so I

would say every photographer needs

a good tripod and a cable release.

What’s the biggest risk you have

taken as a photographer?

I once carried 30lbs of

photographic equipment into the

Annapurna Mountains in Nepal

during a snowstorm. I had to

reach a narrow ledge to get the

pictures I wanted.

Do you have a photographic habit

that you wish you could shake?

It would be nice if I were less

impulsive, that way I could spend

more time evaluating different

shooting angles. The ease of digital

photography makes it quite hard

to slow down.

What has been your most

embarrassing moment as

a photographer?

My wife and I visited a

wonderfully preserved Greek

temple in Sicily. I circumvented

the rules and got round a fence

for a better view. I was using

medium format equipment at the

time and I somehow loaded the

camera with a roll of film that

had already been exposed. I never

got the pictures I wanted.

Who has been the greatest

influence on your photography?

Fine art photographer John Sexton

has had a huge impact on my

work – he told me to pay attention

to our planet with both my heart

and my camera.

Tell us about a photographic

opportunity you have missed.

I was on a trip from Kathmandu

to Lhasa over the Himalaya when

a farmer with a mule pulling a

cart approached in the opposite

direction. The mountains would

have made the perfect backdrop,

but there was nowhere to pull

over, so the moment was lost.

Tell us your favourite quote.

When asked what his favourite

camera was I believe Ansel

Adams replied ‘the one I happen

to have with me at the time’.

What, in your opinion, is

the greatest photographic

discovery of all time?

To my mind the very idea that

light sensitive paper can capture

a moment in time has to be the

greatest discovery. This observation,

made in the 1800s, inevitably led

to huge advances in photographic

equipment and technique.

Which characteristics do

you think you need to

become a photographer?

It’s important to be schooled in the

All images © Paul Hetzel

FEATURE 60-SECOND EXPOSURE

Having trained as a medical oncologist, Paul Hetzel’s love of the

outdoors eventually allowed him to switch from the fast lane to a

slow contemplation of landscape and nature. Edited by Tracy Hallett

Little Colorado Rapids, Grand Canyon, Arizona.

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