Albert Palen is a self-taught photographer, currently based in London.
Albert studied Art and Illustration, but never valued photography enough, naively believing that starting with a blank paper was the genuine way to create. But then, backpacking New Zealand solo for a year in a 1983 Toyota van brought an unexpected change of direction for him. The following addiction to travel grew hand in hand with documenting his adventures. Hunting landscapes, portraits and stories slowly became an obsession, and then he realised that capturing imagery across the globe had been his real passion all along. Albert’s work emphasises landscape and strong portraiture, bringing a taste of remote locations to his audience.
There are three things that fuel Albert's inspiration to reach a creative state: interacting with people, curiosity, and music. Either while photographing someone he just met, climbing a mountain just to see what’s behind, or hunting down a landscape for sunrise… these ingredients give him the kick of inspiration he needs.
