JOHN KERNICK — Soul Safari

"I love cold places, Iceland, Labrador, Newfoundland, the west coast of Scotland. People who live in remote places and struggle to live where others would give up inspire me."

Born in the UK and now based in New York, John Kernick is a lifestyle, food and travel photographer. He works for both editorial and commercial clients including National Geographic, Williams-Sonoma, Food & Wine Magazine and Travel & Leisure, and he's collaborated on several cookbooks, most recently Steven Satterfield's Root to Leaf.

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How'd you become a photographer?

I think the point where I started to make money from taking photographs came when Jim Franco (the photo editor at the time for Travel & Leisure) hired me to photograph the Oregon Coast.

Photo: Shooting in Marrakesh.

Are you following the path of a trailblazer or being guided by a mentor?

Every photographer is following the trail that someone else blazed, maybe an artist or the subject. Most of my work is done in collaboration, so I'm always conscious that I didn't get here alone.

Photo: Constantly changing, never boring, the view south from the bike path on the George Washington Bridge. Bike riding is my chance to escape and meditate.

Where is your soul place?

Anywhere near the ocean, I love cold places, Iceland, Labrador, Newfoundland, the west coast of Scotland. People who live in remote places and struggle to live where others would give up inspire me.

Photo: The North East of Iceland, close to the arctic circle.

What's the one piece of advice you'd give other creatives in this field?

Stay loyal to your beliefs and style and try not imitate. Make sure you love what you have set out to do.

Photo: Doodling while making another cup of tea.

If you could do anything in the world, what would you do next?

I would like to have more time to do independent projects, stills or video. Not sure I'd be qualified to do anything outside of photography.

Photo: I've been enjoying some new challenges, making videos for Williams Sonoma lately. This is a still from their Cook's Atelier video.

All images used with permission of John Kernick.