Artist Statement
My photography is rooted in a quiet dialogue with the natural world, exploring the intersection of minimalism, light, and spiritual presence. Rather than simply documenting a location, I seek to reveal the underlying rhythms and timeless beauty found within the landscape.
Before making an exposure, I spend time observing the interplay of light, form, texture, and motion, allowing a place to unfold at its own pace. Utilizing long-exposure techniques and medium format gear, the physical world softens into its essential lines, transforming the familiar into something gently unfamiliar. These images go beyond literal interpretation, capturing a sense of stillness, patience, and the quiet harmony of the natural environment. My work is an invitation to pause, breathe, and step across the threshold into stillness.
Biography
Annie Sobol is a landscape photographer who has lived and worked in Japan for the past nine years. Her work explores the intersection of minimalism, nature, and spirituality, shaped by an immersive journey documenting the country’s landscapes. Captured primarily with medium format gear, her photography emphasizes patience, light, and the mastery of long-exposure techniques to reveal the quiet, harmonious presence of the natural world.
She holds a Master of Art in Photography from the Savannah College of Art & Design (SCAD), where her thesis focused on documenting sacred Shinto spaces, along with a Bachelor of Arts with a Minor in Business Administration from DePaul University and an A.A.A. in Studio Art, graduating magna cum laude from the TCC Visual Arts Center. As an educator, Annie previously taught as an Adjunct Professor, instructing courses in Introduction to Digital Photography, History of Photography, Studio Lighting, and Introduction to Video Techniques.
For more information on Annie's work or to get in touch regarding classes, workshops and sessions, or to just say hello, feel free to email her at anniesobolstudio@gmail.com.
EXHIBITIONS
Group Exhibition - 2019 “50th Annual Art Faculty Exhibition” TCC Visual Arts Center (Portsmouth, Virginia, U.S.A.)
Group Exhibition - 2018 “49th Annual Art Faculty Exhibition” TCC Visual Arts Center (Portsmouth, Virginia, U.S.A.)
Group Exhibition - 2018 “Solo Monthly Art Exhibit” Bayside Library (Virginia Beach, Virginia, U.S.A.)
Solo Exhibition - 2017 “Solo Show” Percolator Space (Norfolk, Virginia, U.S.A.)
Group Exhibition - 2017 “Open Members’ Show” Suffolk Art League (Suffolk, Virginia, U.S.A.)
Group Exhibition - 2017 “33rd Annual Spring Stockley Gardens Arts Festival – Emerging Artist” Hope House Foundation (Norfolk, Virginia, U.S.A.)
Group Exhibition - 2017 “Earth Day Photography Exhibit – Nature In Your Neighborhood” Slover Library - 5th Floor (Norfolk, Virginia, U.S.A.)
Group Exhibition - 2017 “Tidewater Art Alliance Portfolio Exhibition” Suffolk Art Gallery (Suffolk, Virginia, U.S.A.)
Group Exhibition - 2017 “Open(C)all” Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art – Community Gallery (Virginia Beach, Virginia, U.S.A.)
Group Exhibition - 2017 “Alternative Processes” Southeast (SE) Center for Photography (Greenville, South Carolina U.S.A.) Juror: Jill Enfield
Group Exhibition - 2017 “Genesis: College Student Juried Exhibition” Peninsula Fine Arts Center (Newport News, Virginia, U.S.A.)
Group Exhibition - 2017 “46th Annual TCC Student Art & Design Exhibition” TCC Visual Arts Center (Portsmouth, Virginia, U.S.A.) Juror: Sam Hughes
Group Exhibition - 2017 “33rd Annual Juried Photography Exhibition” Suffolk Art Gallery (Suffolk, Virginia, U.S.A.) Juror: Adrienne Azhderian-Kelly
Group Exhibition - 2016 “45th Annual TCC Student Art & Design Exhibition” TCC Visual Arts Center (Portsmouth, Virginia, U.S.A.) Juror: Charlotte Potter
Group Exhibition - 2016 “32nd Annual Stockley Gardens Fall Arts Festival – Emerging Artist” Hope House Foundation (Norfolk, Virginia, U.S.A.)
Group Exhibition - 2016 “Emerging Artists Award Winners Exclusive Group Show” Hope House Foundation (Norfolk, Virginia, U.S.A.)
AWARDS
2nd Place Emerging Artist Award: 33rd Annual Stockley Gardens 2017 Spring Arts Festival (Hope House Foundation)
1st Place Award in Other Notable Category: Earth Day Photography Contest 2017 (The City of Norfolk, Slover Library)
The Chrysler Museum of Art Award of Excellence for Innovation in Sculpture: 46th Annual TCC Student Art & Design Exhibition 2017 (TCC Visual Arts Center)
2nd Place Emerging Artist Award: 2016 Stockley Gardens Fall Arts Festival (Hope House Foundation)
Award of Excellence for Photography: 45th Annual TCC Student Art & Design Exhibition 2016 (TCC Visual Arts Center)
Winner of MOCA snaps competition; three photos selected: Butler Gallery ARTlab 2015 (Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art)
PUBLICATIONS
340 High Street – Student Art Magazine, Vol. 19 Issue (June 2017) https://340highst.tumblr.com/tagged/analog
Beyond 340, Portsmouth, Virginia, Vol. 1 (April 2017) pp. 5-6
340 High Street – Student Art Magazine, Vol. 18 (May 2016) pp. 48, 50, 55
Creativity for Women Workshop. Alumni: Orcas Island, Washington Vol. 1 (Spring 2015): pp. 65-74
Popular Photography Mentor Series: Oregon Coast (June 2009): pp. 6, 19, 23, 33