Images as a way to connect with people: photographer Jacob Aue Sobol’s pictures have captured numerous encounters. Arrivals and Departures America is a journey through all of the 50 United States. However, the series is primarily an encounter between the people there and Sobol himself.

What is your relationship with the United States – when were you there for the first time?
My first personal experience of America was with my family – my twin brother, my sister and my parents. We went to New York in 93 – it was the golden age of rap music with names such as A Tribe Called Quest and Wu Tang Clan, and I’ve been listening to the same songs from back then ever since. It has given me a lot of energy and inspired me in many ways. When I meet an American, he or she becomes my friend. I feel there aren’t so many layers that I have to peel off. They are who they are, and it gives me a more direct and honest contact. Then again, it’s impossible to generalise about anyone or anything. That’s a dangerous mind. In the end, a young couple in love in Milwaukee share the same emotions and feelings as a young couple in love in Moscow or Beijing. You need to meet people with an open mind and show that you trust them – then they will trust you back, and you have created a mutual understanding that will show in the images. I need to feel that I’m not only being a voyeur, but that we’re sharing a moment that we both will remember.

Which particular encounters do you remember? Is there a photo with special meaning for you?
To be honest, there are so many beautiful moments that I don’t want to focus on one specific one. It can also be very difficult to explain what that feeling is about. This is also one of the reasons why I take pictures – to feel closer to other people. But how do you describe that in words? It’s very much a feeling that doesn’t need a specific physical event. Who can explain how it feels to look into someone else’s eyes and realise that you are not alone – that there is someone else who sees and feels the world just like you. I’m looking for that connection in another person. I’m looking for things we have in common rather than what makes us look different on the outside.

Do you spend time with a person before the shoot in order to achieve closeness?
It’s very different – sometimes I do and sometimes I don’t. I don’t have a certain method that I use every time. But I can only agree when Anders Petersen says, “It’s not about photography”. No, of course it’s not about photography – it’s about who we are and how we connect with each other. To feel that we need each other. The image in itself is not interesting. It’s the encounter and what you are able to share that makes you human.

Is it harder to photograph people you are close to than complete strangers?
No – not for me. But it’s very different. When it’s a complete stranger, you need to create a connection in a very short time. Sometimes it happens and sometimes it doesn’t. When you photograph your loved one, the trust is already there. You are more free. But you also feel a great responsibility – because you choose to share this love with the world.
I always admired people who had the strength to do this. It’s a very generous act and they walk the line with the risk of being punished for their honesty. Personally, I love to photograph my wife the most, because I’m in love with her, so it makes most sense to me to record the moments and feelings we share. The love you share with your closest is the core of your existence, and this feeling you bring with you when you encounter strangers and take pictures of them. The same goes for other emotions such as anxiety, loneliness and the fear of losing what you love. Life is only beautiful because death exists.

What future projects do you have in mind?
I don’t plan my projects. I live and photograph where life takes me. Five years ago I moved to the countryside and started fishing, because it’s the kind of life I miss from my years living in a small settlement in Eastern Greenland. I recently went back to my negatives and edited a new book from material I created more than 20 years ago. The book is called James’ House and is about my love for an inuit hunter and his 10 children. The fact that I started fishing again, and now have two small children with my wife, brought me emotionally back to that family and everything they taught me. It’s a relief that I don’t have to make up my projects, but that they come from a natural need inside me to remember and re-experience certain periods of my life… But to answer your question, I’m taking pictures of my wife, my family and fishing. The first exhibition of this work will be together with the work of my wife, Sara Aue Sobol, who is also a photographer. We will show the exhibition Hunting Heart at the festival Rencontre D´Arles this summer.

Jacob Aue Sobol was born in Denmark in 1976. He graduated from the European Film College, and from Fatamorgana, the Danish School of Documentary and Art Photography. As a member of the Magnum Photos Agency, he has published a number of book and his work has been widely exhibited. The James’ House exhibition is on display at the Leica Gallery Vienna until June 3, 2023. Find out more about his photography on his website and Instagram page.