Torben Ulrik Nissen

Sam Abell (l) and Torben Ulrik Nissen (r) in the courtyard near Café Marché. Photo by Erick Hoffman

Friendship, Hardship and Vulnerable Beauty
A Q&A with “Amazonia” photographers Sam Abell and Torben Ulrik Nissen
By Suzi Steffen

Thursday morning, 9:30 am. The sun shows its face for a few hours, and photographers Sam Abell (who flew in from Charlottesville, Virginia) and Torben Ulrik Nissen (who came a bit farther, from Denmark) walk into the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art at the University of Oregon.

Abell, a National Geographic for more than 30 years, and Nissen, an experienced wildlife photographer and guide, met on Abell’s first trip to the headwaters of the great river system.

We talk about Abell’s original plan for the show, what happened when he met Nissen, the dangers of working in the Amazon and the different working philosophies of each photographer.

Read the interview after the jump!