Why I Left, and Why I Came Back

-What Living Abroad Taught Me About Photographing People

Moving from Denmark to the United States changed how I work.
Moving back to Scandinavia changed how I see.

EVERYTHING CHANGED WHEN I CHOSE TO SEE THE WORLD IN A DIFFERENT LIGHT

I successfully built a business in the US with clients that I absolutely adored, but something still felt hollow. The American mindset about wealth and fame had snuck up on me. I, too, wanted to have something grander, something that I thought was more substantial at the time. I was living the American dream, and I wanted the rewards.
Growing up in Denmark taught me not to be afraid of becoming ill or to fear deep poverty. I grew up with trust in my fellow humans and in society as a whole. It made me resilient, fearless, but at times somewhat gullible. Coming to the US shifted all of my perspectives, and in order to survive in my new country, I had to adapt. Fully…
I had to become tougher, more focused, a different type of dedicated than I had ever experienced before. Suddenly, I felt fear creep into my life. A different kind of fear. The type that I hadn't known before.
The 'what if’ fear.
The one that comes when you have nothing to catch you if you fail. You are 100% self-reliant.
There is some good to that. I became stronger than I ever thought I could be. And I did do the things that I wanted to do. I built the business of my dreams in that moment, and my life at times felt like a true adventure. Except for when it didn't, and the wear and tear of a performance society was wearing me down slowly but consistently. My ego was growing in a way that felt wrong to who I am at my core. And my softness and deep trust were slowly fading away. I didn't like that version of myself. Scared and anxious.

The fear kept scratching at my brain, and I found myself wanting more wealth. Thinking I needed more to be safe from illness, from cultural shifts and financial recessions. But I learned that that safety is an illusion. Life can happen no matter where you are and how much you have. It doesn't matter who you are. Everything can be taken away.

Ultimately, the worry and unrest started gnawing too much at my soul, and soon I knew it was time to come home.
After nearly 10 years in the US, I uprooted yet again and moved to Sweden. Which isn't exactly where I grew up, but my Summers were here, in Älmhult, Småland, where I now live and work, and it is where my parents chose to retire. I chose peace, quiet and family over fame, a fast-paced life and superficial masks.

I am not going to claim that I don't miss it at times. I had a good life there with friends who became my family. I was, at times, incredibly happy, but it was a happiness that was often overshadowed by worry.
Ultimately, the lesson that I learned was about slowing down and forcing myself to relearn how to listen. To myself. To the world. To the people I love and to the humans showing up in front of my camera, wanting to be seen fully for who they are.
It was time to kill my ego and to choose life. Real life. Not social media, or some fake version of the life I thought I wanted. But the life that is here, right in front of me, as I am sitting on my front steps, drinking my coffee in the morning. Or when I wander the woods and collect mushrooms and berries for my table. Now the scents are more tantalising than ever. The light floods my vision, and at times, I am utterly overwhelmed by the beauty of everything around me.
I am learning how to see again.

So what does this long story have to do with you, you might ask?
Well, not much really. Except if you are considering stepping in front of my camera.
Then it means a shift in how I photograph you. How I see you.

What I offer now isn’t about perfect lighting or perfected outward appearances. It’s about the quiet strength in being seen as you are. It’s about showing up, not to perform, but to settle and to be witnessed. It’s about creating a space where you can breathe a little deeper. Where you don’t have to perform. Where presence matters more than polish. Where the portrait becomes a reflection, not of who you think you should be, but of who you already are.

I’ve photographed people in city apartments, forest clearings, quiet kitchens, and coastal cliffs. Each space brings something different.

Portraits, for me, have become less about the outcome and more about what happens in the in-between. The pause between words. The gesture you didn’t plan. The way someone softens once they realise there’s nothing to prove. Yes, the final portraits matter, but the journey itself is where so much beauty is to be found.

This is the heart of what I do. And it’s why I work the way I do now, personal and fully present.
I don't take on a ton of clients. I am not a volume photographer. Because I have found that that takes away from the attention to detail I can give you. I want each and every single one of my clients to feel like they are the centre of my world for that moment.
That is the lesson I fought for and won.

THE STUDIO THAT TRAVELS

Most of my photo sessions take place in Sweden and Denmark. I regularly work with clients in Älmhult, Copenhagen, and the surrounding areas. But my work has never been confined by borders.

If the landscape matters to you, if you feel most like yourself near the sea, under open sky, or on a rooftop at golden hour, then that becomes part of the story too. Whether we meet on your kitchen floor or in the middle of the Scottish Highlands, the aim is always the same: to create portraits that feel true to you.

I bring what I need to create a studio where you are. Indoors or out. In your home, your favourite place, or somewhere you’ve only dreamed of standing still for a while. We build the space together. And then we make something beautiful in it.

WHY I PHOTOGRAPH THIS WAY

I believe in what happens when you stop trying to be impressive and start allowing yourself to be seen. You allow the masks of day-to-day life to slip away and show up as you truly are. Magnificent and so utterly beautiful in all that honesty.

The places we inhabit shape us. The mood of a room. The way the light falls on familiar walls. The feeling of wind moving through your hair in a place that means something special.

Because photography isn’t about fixing you. It’s about witnessing you. And I want that to happen on your terms. On your ground.

We can create something grand and magnificent, and we can breathe out quiet, authentic and honest portraits. It's up to you. We'll talk about all your photographic dreams, and I'll try to help you make them happen.

If you think this is what you’re looking for, I’d love to create it with you.