INTERVIEW: MEET THE PHOTOGRAPHER

When did you get your first camera, and what kind of camera was it? I got my first camera in 7th grade and it was a really bad digital camera from Kodak, I think it was 2 mp... After some years I upgraded it to a Canon EOS 500D and ended up with my beloved Canon EOS 6D three years ago.

How did your interest in photography start? I think my interest in photography developed more and more after I bought my first camera. I just remember how fun it was taking snapshots of everything I could see with my little compact camera. It was really magical for me as a 12 year old seeing the pictures show up on the screen right after taking the picture! I began reading more about photography, learning the technical aspects, playing around with all different kind of techniques. After some years I decided that I wanted to do photography full time.

Where does the fascination for shooting fashion come from? And why men's fashion? To be honest, I can't quite remember where it all started. I remember in high school I didn't really understand fashion. I didn't find it any interesting and I couldn't quite understand the concept either. I used to be more interested in the technique and different effects, rather than about aesthetics and storytelling. After taking portraits of my classmates for a while, I realized that I wasn’t really interested in portraying my friends. I wanted to create my own little story trough my pictures. In some way portraying myself through my models. Perhaps that was one of the reasons why I began shooting fashion, I could create my own reality through models, clothing and different locations.

Until about eighteen months ago, I only did women’s fashion. But when I got feedback on my photos, the response was always the same; they were boring, the model looked stiff and it didn’t look natural. When I eventually did my first men’s fashion editorial, it all fell into place. The male models looked more lifelike and edgy, and I could shoot them in a much more natural manner than what I had previously experienced. Since then I have almost exclusively worked with male models. However, after realizing that I could incorporate what I had learned from working with men, into women’s fashion as well, I have started to work with a few female models again.

What was the first picture you got published and where? The first editorial I got published was online for the magazine Peter, Tom and Dave. It was actually one of my first male fashion editorials, and I did it on my first trip to Copenhagen. It was quite exciting!

What makes a great photo? And what makes not. This is such a tough question... I think it all depends on personal taste. There are so many different aspects that can make a picture good! Personally though, I think it is important that the picture makes sense in some shape or form - everything should fit together.

Who is your dream model right now? There are so many! Scandinavian models are often my favorite, we have a lot of cool and edgy models! The Norwegian model Haavard Kleppe has a really cool look, so does the danish model Aske Hyldborg, those are maybe my favorites. There is something unique about their look, and their imperfections make them perfect. Two other favorites are the danish model Ville S and British model Connor Newall .

What’s your highlight in your career so far? I don't feel like I have had a so called highlight yet. Doing test shoots here in Copenhagen however, has given me a lot of opportunities to work with different people in the business. It has given me a lot of new opportunities.

What do you look for in a good picture? What I look for in a good picture is the aesthetics and the light. The feeling. How the picture in composed through colors and composition. When it comes to fashion photography I also value the importance of casting and styling.

What inspires you the most? I get inspired by so many different things, it could be from personal issues, a feeling or mood, a cool location, the model or any other observation.