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PROFILE B+W
Paul Hetzel’s fi rst profession was
medical oncology, but he turned
his attention to photography
more than 20 years ago during
a trek to Mount Everest. Since
then he has travelled widely,
shooting landscapes in Nepal,
Tibet, Patagonia, Africa and the
US. He lives in Springfi eld,
Massachusetts, and recently
published his fi rst book,
From This Sapling.
To see more of Paul’s work
visit http://www.03photography.
photoshelter.comTorres del Paine, Patagonia, Chile.Bass Pool and refl ections, Grand Canyon, Arizona. Denali and the Alaska Range, Alaska.basics, but it’s essential to have
a desire to capture the world.
It’s OK to be influenced by
others, but you need to find
your own style. Don’t be afraid
to take chances – we all learn
from our mistakes.What single thing would
improve your photography?
I believe I would have been
a better photographer had
I not been entirely self-taught.
Learning with others might have
given me a different perspective,
and allowed me to receive
constructive criticism earlier.What would you say to your
younger self?
Learn the basics of the
photographic process before you
go out and shoot.If you hadn’t become a
photographer, what would
you be doing right now?
I am a trained oncologist who
had a very busy practice full of
sick patients. Photography took
me from the fast lane to the slow
lane and allowed me to focus on
something completely different.
It also gave me a chance to talk
about something other thanillness with my patients – and
I am eternally grateful for that.What is your dream project?
I would love to spend six months
in the southwest of the United
States shooting remote canyons,
rock patterns, Native American
sites etc. It would be nirvana.Tell us one thing that most people
don’t know about you.
I have always wondered how far I
could have taken my photography
if I had been able to dedicate a
few years to it after college. It’s
a thought that lingers.80-81_SIXTY SECONDS_175 ER/MB.indd 8180-81_SIXTY SECONDS_175 ER/MB.indd 81 18/02/2015 16:4918/02/2015 16:49