Photos by Annette Pehrsson
I am a 21 year old photographer currently living in Sweden. I studied photography for two years
during upper secondary school (2005-2007), but the interest has been with me since I was younger.
My father gave me my first camera as a christmas present when I was seven years old, and already
at this young age I could see the fascination of analogue photography. I shot roll after roll, some were
developed and some were not, and I still have the un-developed ones in my closet somewhere.
Once I decided to study photography in school I switched to digital, and a few years after graduation I went
back to analogue. The process of film photography is so much more appealing to me, and compared
to digital it often gives a little more interesting results. I often portray myself in my photography, but I
almost never see my self-portraits as self-portraits. Instead, looking at myself in these pictures feels
strange and I always feel like it’s not me, it’s more like it could be anyone, or some kind of alter ego.
In July last year I published my first book through blurb.com and I have been featured in other publications,
both on internet magazine and printed issues. Most recently I was featured in ELLE Girl Magazine in Korea
and the new independent Raw Magazine.
1) Can you tell us something about you?
I am 21 years old, I live with my cats and make cookies all the time.
2) Where do you live and work now?
I live a couple of kilometres outside of Halmstad, on the west coast of Sweden. At the
moment I am unemployed and photography is what I keep myself busy with.
3) How long have you been a photographer?
About six years, I started getting serious with it when I began secondary school in 2004.
4) How did you get into photography?
It’s always been there, ever since I was little. Mostly because of my father who is
also a photographer. He bought me my first camera (a regular point-and-shoot 35mm)
when I was about seven years old, and he often let me try out his SLR.
5) Where your inspiration comes from?
This is always a difficult question. Sometimes I have no idea what inspires me, but it
can basically be anything from movies, music, books, a stream of light or a location.
And of course, other photographers always makes me motivated to shoot something.
6) What does it mean for you streetphotography?
For me, street photography has always been portraits of people in action, mostly in an
environment located on the streets of a larger city, and preferably in black and white.
7) Can you tell us something about your portraits, what’s is important to focus for you?
I think I would have to say that what I focus on is mostly intimacy, and this is also one
of the things I find most important when it comes to portraits in general. There has to be
some depth in order for it to be interesting, even if it is spontaneous. I also think it is
important to make the location noticable in some way in the portrait, just a glimpse of a
wallpaper, floor, curtains or anything like that. I always like the feeling of portraits combined
with landscapes as well.
8.) What are your future works, do you have a special project?
At the moment I have nothing special going on, but I have had thoughts on starting a
diptych project: to shoot some rolls with just vertical photos and then putting them
together into a series of diptychs. I don’t know what will happen with these once I’m
finished, but an exhibition would be nice.
