Huibo Hou: Iceland | The Culturium

Bringing personal vision to life

“The key is to focus on our own genuine,
intuitive response to the landscape.”

HUIBO HOU is a landscape photographer based in San Diego, California, U.S.A. She grew up in China and moved to the U.S. in 1995 as a graduate student in Electrical and Computer Engineering. She fell in love with photography in 1998, initially as a hobbyist, and gradually became more serious over time.

In recent years, her work has gained international recognition with multiple awards and publications. Landscape photography, especially in black and white, is the art form that she is most passionate about. It serves as her creative outlet to express how she observes, interprets and connects with nature.

The following interview is reproduced with kind permission from the Iceland issue of SOULFUL PHOTOGRAPHY No. 10 (July/August 2025) by the magazine’s founder and editor, Kedar Misani.

Huibo Hou, Iceland - The Culturium — © Huibo Hou, *Iceland*

Thank you for reaching out to feature my Iceland images in The Culturium, after seeing my photographs in the Iceland issue of Soulful Photography magazine.

It’s always very humbling to see my work from Iceland published, especially since I’ve only been there twice and feel I’ve merely begun to scratch the surface of its beauty.

For years, I hesitated to visit Iceland. Not only as a busy parent did I have to be very selective about taking long photography trips abroad but I also doubted my ability to produce something fresh.

In my early years of learning photography, I eagerly chased iconic locations; then, for a while, I intentionally avoided them.

Over time, however, my perspective towards iconic locations evolved again. I now believe personal expressive work can be created anywhere.

The key is to focus on our own genuine, intuitive response to the landscape, and to be willing to depart from—or go beyond—the images that we are ‘expected’ to bring back from such well-known destinations.

During my two trips to Iceland, I’ve found that turning my attention to smaller scenes, abstract forms and atmospheric moods has really helped me connect with the landscape and bring my personal vision to life.

For further information on her photographic work, visit Huibo Hou’s website.
Single issues and subscriptions are available from SOULFUL PHOTOGRAPHY.

Soulful Magazine, Iceland - The Culturium

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