Verner Soler

My friend Verner Soler, a photographer in Los Angeles, has recently updated his Web site—take a look here.

Copyright © Verner Soler

Verner was born and reared in Vrin, a village in Switzerland. At the age of 22, he moved to Los Angeles, knowing no one in L.A. Much of what Verner does in his photography is preserve the things that are most important to him—his family, his home, his past—and I find that dichotomy (the urge to leave something and preserve it at the same time) compelling.

When I told him that I couldn’t even imagine how bizarre it must’ve been for him to move to L.A. from Vrin, he said:

L.A. was a huge culture shock to me. I was 22 years old at the time (a child) and barely spoke English. It was frightening in a lot of ways and still, for me, the thought of living out the rest of my life in the village was scarier. I never quite fit in there. Maybe because I always felt drawn to art and ideas and that wasn’t one of the eight things you could do there when you grew up (farmer, bricklayer, carpenter, mechanic, butcher, teacher, priest . . .). I actually became a teacher and taught school for half a year before realizing I just couldn’t do it.

Copyright © Verner Soler

That’s what it takes, you know? At 22, he moved halfway around the world, from a village of a few hundred people to Los Angeles. A terrifying prospect. And yet the thought of living the rest of his life in Vrin was scarier.

We makes changes when there is no alternative.

Be sure to check out Verner’s work.

Copyright © Verner Soler