Guadalupe Laiz
Guadalupe Laiz is an artist, explorer, and storyteller whose work is rooted in a lifelong search to better understand what it means to be human through the lives of wild animals.
Born and raised in Argentina, Guadalupe has spent more than two decades traveling to some of the world's most remote landscapes—not simply in search of extraordinary photographs, but in search of the quiet lessons the natural world has to offer. Over time, she realized that the animals she encountered were never just subjects before her lens; they became her greatest teachers.
The Icelandic horses revealed a deeper understanding of belonging. African wildlife transformed the way she thinks about connection, family, and coexistence. Polar bears taught her resilience in the face of uncertainty, while the Arctic reminded her that acceptance is perhaps nature's greatest wisdom. Each journey became less about documenting wildlife and more about discovering the values that connect every living being.
Her large-scale fine art photographs are an invitation to look beyond the image itself. Rather than asking us to admire wildlife from a distance, they encourage us to recognize ourselves within it—to remember that we are not separate from nature, but an inseparable part of it.
This philosophy has shaped four published books, beginning with Horses of Iceland (TeNeues, 2018), followed by Among the Living Where You Belong (Images Publishing, 2023), In the Land of Fire and Ice (Images Publishing, 2025), and the forthcoming Echoes of the Pack (2026), a deeply personal exploration of the Canadian Inuit dogs of Baffin Island. Her next project, The Lonely Wanderer, continues this journey through the Arctic, exploring solitude, resilience, and our relationship with a rapidly changing world.
Today, Guadalupe's work is exhibited through her Aspen gallery, where each limited-edition piece reflects not only the beauty of the natural world, but the timeless questions it continues to ask of us.
Alongside her artistic practice, Guadalupe has collaborated with organizations dedicated to wildlife conservation, environmental protection, and humanitarian work, including the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, Save Giraffes Now, and 4Africa. She believes that while photographs cannot change the world on their own, they can change the way we see it—and that lasting conservation begins with a deeper sense of belonging, understanding, and respect for all life.
NONPROFITS
Protecting over 1.6 million acres of wilderness in the Amboseli-Tsavo-Kilimanjaro ecosystem of East Africa, Big Life partners with local communities to protect nature for the benefit of all.
Since its inception, Big Life has expanded to employ hundreds of local Maasai rangers—with more than 30 permanent outposts and tent-based field units, 14 patrol vehicles, 2 tracker dogs, and 2 planes for aerial surveillance.
Co-founded in 2010 by photographer Nick Brandt, conservationist Richard Bonham, and entrepreneur Tom Hill, Big Life was the first organization in East Africa to establish coordinated cross-border anti-poaching operations.
Today, the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund is dedicated to continuing and expanding Dian’s work. We protect gorillas and their forests every day, while also helping the people who live near them.
Mountain gorillas have been monitored and studied closely since Dian Fossey began her work with them in 1967, after establishing the Karisoke Research Center. She started the process of habituating them to the presence of human observers, so that she could closely observe and document their behaviors, status, movements and other important information. Today, Fossey Fund trackers and researchers protect and study roughly half of all the mountain gorillas in Rwanda, with the other half protected by the Rwandan national park authorities.
Lewa serves as a safe refuge for the critically endangered black rhino and the endangered Grevy’s zebra, as well as the elephant, lion, giraffe, wild dog and other iconic wildlife species in Kenya. The Conservancy is also home to more than 400 species of birds.
Lewa envisions a future where people across Kenya value, protect and benefit from wildlife. This future depends on communities being able to derive their day-to-day livelihoods in ways that are compatible with thriving wildlife habitat. As a result, Lewa invests heavily in the livelihoods of its neighbours through programmes in education, healthcare, water, micro-enterprise, youth empowerment and more.
Their mission is to save giraffes from extinction so they can live freely and safely in the woodlands and savannas of their native Africa. Save Giraffes Now works with incredible conservation partners and allies across Africa and around the world in the vital work of saving giraffe in the wild NOW, and in building support for giraffe conservation.
Giraffes are sensitive, social, and friendly by nature – these iconic gentle giants may be a head above the rest, but they’re also a lot like us! Save Giraffes Now supports on-the-ground programs that take concrete action to prevent the extinction of giraffe.
Gorilla Doctors is the only organization in the world dedicated to conserving mountain and eastern lowland (Grauer's) gorillas through veterinary medicine, science and a One Health approach. The life-saving work of our veterinarians is more important than ever during the COVID-19 pandemic and we appreciate your support as we continue to protect the health of these endangered animals.
The land surrounding the national parks where gorillas live is some of the most densely populated in Africa. As a result of intense human activity near and inside the parks, gorillas face numerous threats to their survival, including poaching and habitat loss. Because gorillas share 98.5% of their genes with humans, their greatest health threat may come from human-borne infectious diseases.
“Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better. There is pleasure in the pathless woods, there is rapture in the lonely shore, there is society where none intrudes, by the deep sea, and music in its roar;
I love not Man the less, but Nature more.”
— LORD BYRON
MOTION
.For a long time, I felt lost, unsure of my direction and the purpose behind my work. It wasn‘t until my spontenous trip to Iceland, that I finally found some clarity. It wasn‘t easy but something there inspired me to reconnect with my creativity and purpose. This short film captures that journey — an ode to resilience, the beauty of nature, and the power of pursuing what truly moves us. I hope it resonates with anyone navigating their own creative journey.
Director: Thrainn KolbeinssonProducer: Guadalupe LaizDOP: Thrainn KolbeinssonEditor, colorist & sound: Thrainn Kolbeinsson
This is an intimate interview in which Guadalupe Laiz talks about her path to becoming a wildlife photographer and the person she is today; what she has learned in life over the years, and why she is so inspired to follow a life full of adventure, uncertainty, and love for her subjects. She also discusses in depth her upcoming book, In the Land of Fire and Ice: Horses of Iceland, her third published book to be released this year, and her collaboration with Icelandic photographer, filmmaker, and artist Thrainn Kolbeinsson. Previously, she has published two books, Horses of Iceland (2019) and Among the Living, Where You Belong (2023) PRE-SALE In the Land of Fire & Ice: Horses of Iceland https://guadalupelaiz.com/store/p/hor...
Fine art photographer GUADALUPE LAIZ, published her first five year project 'Horses of Iceland' with Teneues in 2019. She is now inspired to work in Iceland again in the most extreme cold and rough environments of the Icelandic Winters showcasing the beautiful connection between horses and their habitat. Horses of Iceland part II is quietly and slowly taking form in the only way Guadalupe Laiz likes to work, letting things develop organically, no forcing time and simply being present. Iceland 2022.
Fine art photographer GUADALUPE LAIZ, published her first five year project 'Horses of Iceland' with Teneues in 2019. She is now inspired to work in Iceland again in the most extreme cold and rough environments of Icelandic Winter showcasing the beautiful connection between horses and their habitat. Horses of Iceland part II is quietly and slowly taking form in the only way Guadalupe Laiz like to work, letting things develop organically, no forcing time or place and simply being present. Iceland 2022
Behind the scenes, Guadalupe Laiz is working on her second book, 'Among the Living, Where You Belong', published by Images Publishing in 2023. This 588-page photography book showcases the most magnificent wildlife photography from Kenya, Namibia, Tanzania, Batswana, Rwanda, and Uganda, which took over six years of traveling to Africa. Among the Living Where You Belong is Guadalupe’s need to share the beauty of what is priceless with the world.
Fine art photographer GUADALUPE LAIZ, published her first five year project 'Horses of Iceland' with Teneues in 2019. She is now inspired to work in Iceland again in the most extreme cold and rough environments of Icelandic Winter showcasing the beautiful connection between horses and their habitat. Horses of Iceland part II is quietly and slowly taking form in the only way Guadalupe Laiz like to work, letting things develop organically, no forcing time or place and simply being present. Iceland 2022
Guadalupe Laiz is producing a short film with her long-time Icelandic friend and work partner, Thriann Kolbeinsson. She defines Kolbeinsson as Iceland's most creative and talented Icelandic videographer and photographer today, alongside the incredible Ragnar Axelsson. Thriann and Guadalupe work in one of the most isolated places on earth: Baffin Island, the fifth-largest island in the world, in the Canadian territory of Nunavut. They fulfill Guadalupe's dream of becoming one with the Arctic.
PRESS
