Dana Bjarner is a photographer, conservationist and storyteller.
She's an ambassador for Keiko Conservation and leads her own conservation and sustainability project called Proyecto Sucre that works with coastal communities of Ecuador.

"We are alive thanks to nature, every breath we take is thanks to her, so due to our inherently connection with what surround us, I believe that my work and my lifestyle will always be closely linked to conservation". 

Photo Credits: Johny Gohan

Could you tell us a bit about yourself and your background?
Since I was very little I have been connected to my artistic side. I was a dancer from the age of 4, and until I was 21, I explored the career of being a professional dancer, teacher and choreographer. I lived in New York for a year, where I was studying contemporary dance. Eventually I realized that professional dance was not the path I wanted to follow and I returned to Ecuador, where I continued teaching dance classes for a while. I have to admit that I was a bit lost for a couple of years. After I stopped doing the only thing I've known for my whole life, I started to explore a bit further, and reconnected with doing things that I loved but had left behind for a while, such as spending more time in nature and in the ocean. That's when I decided to explore the world of photography. I remember that one of my favorite things about my parents was their huge photo albums they had saved from our entire childhood, their childhood, all the trips we had shared together and also photos taken with film cameras. I loved that feeling of being able to relive a place, a moment or an experience, just by looking at the photos, or even having them tell me their stories through the photos in which I was too young to remember or not yet born.

Photo Credits: Johny Gohan

Back then I remember my mom and brother were super into photography, they both had their Nikon cameras, and they gifted me my very first camera. At the beginning, I only took photos on land and what I liked the most was taking photos of animals. It has always been and will be my dream to reach the level of photography of National Geographic photographers. I have always loved the sea, and all the species that live in it. My frustrated dream, if it was not to be a professional dancer, was to be a marine biologist. Eventually I decided to get my diving license, and that's when everything changed, my first dive in life was with the Giant Mantas that come to Ecuador once a year. I had already heard of them and it was my dream to see them underwater. I never expected that that first day of starting this new learning experience I would have the opportunity to see them. In short, that first meeting and seeing them up close was the thing that confirmed to me that this was the place where I was meant to be.

Photo Credits: Erick Ramos

I didn't stop diving throughout the manta season and one of the things I liked the most was being able to capture them with the GOPRO camera and being able to make small videos of the encounters. Little by little I met more people in the diving world and likewise, underwater photographers, which led me to obsess that one day, I would have my own underwater camera housing to be able to take photos underwater. Eventually, after a lot of work and dedication, I got it and was able to buy my case, and since then I have not looked back.

Underwater photography has led me to many things, from getting involved in marine conservation and leading two conservation projects, meeting many idol photographers and biologists and learning a lot from them, to discovering the sport of free diving, which has reconnected me with my artistic side. In a way it had me dancing again, underwater with so many animals, and it has inspired me to follow my dreams within this career and thus be able to inspire the people around me to live a more connected life with nature and more sustainably. Today, photography is my job. From creating content for different brands, being an ambassador for Keiko Conservation, leading my own sustainability project called Proyecto Sucre, to being an ambassador for big brands like GOPRO and REEF. Thanks to this path I have lived many experiences in so many great and different places that I thought I would never be able to reach.

Photo Credits: Erick Ramos

We adore your photography work. What led you to start a path in photography?  
I think it's a bit difficult for me to mention what exactly led me to start a path in photography, because it has changed throughout my life as a photographer. When I started, you could say that it was pure curiosity, or that I was trying to find something to do since I had stopped dancing after so many years, which is not that far from the truth (laughs), but deep down, I think that the real reason why I started with photography was my search for connection.

Photo Credits: Johny Gohan

I was so lost at that time, that I felt that urgency to connect both with my art and with nature, the latter being the space where I liked to be the most. Perhaps at that moment I didn't understand it but now I can see that it was so. Today it inspires me to be a voice for those who do not have it, to use my art to communicate the reality that our planet lives, to use my stories to inspire more people to connect with nature and rethink their lifestyles and how small changes in the decisions we make in our day to day can generate a huge change. But I believe that this search for the art-nature connection has not changed and will never change, since art, whether through dance or photography, has always been my greatest expression tool.

Photo Credits: Johny Gohan

It is beautiful to see how your photography work is directly influenced by your travels and explorations in nature. What destination (place) has deeply inspired you?
I think that one of the places that has taught me and inspired me the most is Galápagos. Every time I go, I feel at home, and each trip to the islands is completely different from the other. It has taught me to be patient, and to receive the unexpected. Galápagos is one of the most unpredictable places in the world, you never know what you are going to find or what nature is going to give you. As a photographer, the pressure that I put on myself to take the best photo or have the best encounter is sometimes inevitable, and Galápagos has put me in my place many times, and has given me a lot of experiences that I will never forget.

But, likewise, it has also taught me a lot about the reality that human beings live in today, and how disconnected we can become from nature, seeing a place that has been evolving and adapting for millions of years, being in a vulnerable state, due to the actions of humans, it makes you rethink a lot about things and how you live your life.

Last September I had the opportunity to visit my dream location for the first time, and has left a huge impact in my life! French Polynesia was beautiful, exciting, and full of emotions. 

I feel like some places or experiences I’ve lived through my life where put in my path to teach me a big big lesson about myself no matter how hard it is, and I feel like French Polynesia was one of those, In a way I can’t fully explain into words, it was an experience that showed me how I really want to run my life from now and to stay true to my path.

Now I can’t wait to go back this year, and experience it all over again, meet new people, see more places and have many more encounters. 

What are some lessons that nature has taught you during all your travels and experiences?
To be patient and that the good things in life are not forced. That we are part of nature and not apart. Lastly, the most important and the hardest is that no matter where we are, if we don't work on ourselves, we will never be ready to receive what nature offers us.

Photo Credits: Johny Gohan

Do you see advocacy or activism for different types of projects as an extension of who you are? What are some of your interests apart from photography?
Totally, I feel that a lot of what I do will always be linked in some way with conservation. It really doesn't make sense for me to enjoy nature or that my career is built thanks to it without giving something in return or without being aware of my actions in the way I may be harming a place I go to or in respect of my behavior towards the animals with which I share a certain space, if I am having a respectful interaction with them, and what is it that I communicate in my social media and the example that I want to set. We are alive thanks to nature, every breath we take is thanks to her, so due to our inherently connection with what surround us, I believe that my work and my lifestyle will always be closely linked to conservation.

Photo Credits: Johny Gohan

Are there any rituals and routines that are important to you and your work system?
I'm sorry to admit that I'm not a routine person, but I also admit that it's always been my goal to change that. I have been lucky that every year, I manage to travel more, or have more projects underway, for which it is difficult for me to answer where I am going to be from here in 3 months and so on. The only time in my life in which I managed to create a daily routine was during the pandemic. I was lucky enough to spend it in a place I love with my partner, and I dedicated myself a lot to working on myself, eating well, exercising, and I have to admit that I loved it. But within my line of work, everything is very unpredictable, and sometimes I just have to let go and not try to control those situations.

What does raw beauty mean for you?
This question is quite difficult for me coming from a dance background, where judging ourselves is very normalized, to see yourself in a mirror, 24/7 and where your physique is criticized or examined inch by inch. Many times, the world of photography is not far from that, but I have been learning that we bring to light natural beauty when we are being ourselves, when we do what we love, or even in our most vulnerable moments.

Photo Credits: Johny Gohan

I've had the opportunity to be a photographer at women's retreats, where they do a lot of introspection and connection workshops, and I have realized that apart from doing nature photography, I LOVE taking photos of people who are experiencing something they love or feel. Most of the times, they are in a super vulnerable and transparent state, my camera automatically turns to them, and I feel that in those moments without being invasive, is when I manage to capture the natural beauty of people.

Photo Credits: Johny Gohan

The relationship you keep with your clothes, is that something important to you and why?
I've never thought much about this to be honest, but in recent years, what I've been looking for with my clothes is to be comfortable, to feel good in clothes that I like, and above all, clothes that work really well with my travels. Another very, very important factor that is present now in terms of clothing is where it comes from. I generally spend very little on clothing, but many times I had spend on garments from brands that are 100% irresponsible with the environment, with very little to none work ethic with their production teams, so changing my consumption in terms of the clothes I wear, is one of my main goals that I now have ahead of me.

Photo Credits: Johny Gohan

That's why I love you chose me for being an ambassador of your brand, this collaboration just feels right. I went on my last trip not knowing what to expect from the weather and the place, since I had never been there, and I can say that half of my clothes stayed in the suitcase, since I only used the clothes that I took with me from Lais y Acalia. I felt beautiful, comfortable, and most importantly conscious, knowing that I was wearing clothes from a slow made, Ecuadorian brand, produced by a team of women.

What do you think of a person 's style? Do you feel that you lean towards one in particular?
I think it depends a lot on the person and how connected you are with your style. But I think that each one's style represents in a certain way what one is, or the lifestyle one leads. I don’t think I have a particular style, I have always leaned towards a vibe, a bit vintage, beachy, kinda hippie, I don't really know how to describe it. It's funny because I love clothes for the winter, and I'm almost NEVER in cold places hahaha but I'm not going to lie, once a year I don't mind dressing up for an event and getting out of my leg warmers and baggy pants.

Photo Credits: Johny Gohan

How would you describe LAIS AND ACALIA?
Freedom is the first word that comes to my mind. It is a brand that transmits a lot of that. I feel that your garments open the doors to play with other clothes, or with the occasion and the space, and I really love that.  

Photo Credits: Johny Gohan

Knowing that I can wear the same pants on a trip to an island, as for an event in the city, and I will continue to feel myself, well that feels very free to me. Beyond that, it is an environmentally conscious brand, led by incredible women who care about every detail and deliver always a timeless product. 

What's next for you in the following months? What are some things you’d like to accomplish this year?
One of my main goals for this year is to keep chasing my dreams, keep looking for the lifestyle I want to lead and carry out the projects I have in mind, but always doing it from an honest place, not leaving my mental health aside. Oh, and obviously going back to French Polynesia.

Photos in collaboration with Dana Bjarner.
Instagram @danabjarner
Photo prints @prints.ec