You are visiting a conceptual photographer and digital artist, specializing in fashion, portrait, and commercial photography. I love to create narrative, expressive and emotional imagery that make people feel that the impossible is possible. I'm an image constructor, meticulously crafting all details to often form realistic surrealism.
At the age of 31 I completely changed my life. I had spent 10 years within the academic world, getting a Master of Science within neurobiology and working at a DNA analysis company, when I decided to follow my heart and passion instead. I left my old career behind, and embraced the world of imagery by attending school for Professional Photography (Fotoskolan Göteborg). And I've never looked back.
I have a never-ending urge to come up with and tell stories through my photographs and am certainly drawn to cinematic imagery. I often get highly inspired by the location itself when building alternative stories to sceneries that goes hand-in-hand with the concept and styling. Growing up on the Swedish countryside open landscapes, woods, and nature were always present and I've always loved the magic of a wild scenery. Also, my mind has always flourished inside great novels or being enchanted by movies. It is now obvious that my artwork is highly inspired by my childhood experiences, making me romanticize and dramatize my environment and put fantasies into the frame. The landscape is a returning location for my stories and I want to capture the natural beauty of a place but with my own twist. I like to highlight the hidden charm of an, at first sight, ordinary place.
I am currently working as a freelance photographer, available for commissions and assignments. Also, I am continuously shooting my fine-art series "Parallels". I reside in Göteborg (Gothenburg), Sweden, with my husband and graphic designer Andreas. I work on location without boundaries.
Whether you already have an image for your wall or considering getting one, there are always questions that will arise about how to frame and hang your photo art. To help out I therefore put together a nifty guide, all for free, for questions about:
Size Frame or no frame? Glass and alternatives Why a mat? Outsource or frame yourself Placement
Good luck, and I hope you will get to enjoy your photo art for many many years to come!
GET YOUR GUIDE HERE IN
ENGLISH:
SWEDISH / SVENSKA:
Interested in purchasing beautiful photo art prints in Limited Editions from JENNY JACOBSSON? Read more here.
Create your own fantastical story by following me through my process of creating storytelling photography with my special version of realistic surrealism. I’ll teach you a simple method for coming up with a story, plan and prepare everything for your shoot, how to shoot it, and show you how you can approach the editing. With this course you can open the door to your own enchanted world of images.
THE COURSE IS IN SWEDISH so for you who don’t speak it… you might need some help to understand it… If you are interested in getting English training from me, let me know in the comments below because I’m looking into how I can broaden my spread of knowledge.
COLLABORATION WITH MODERSKEPPET
For this course I worked together with, and as a freelance teacher for, Moderskeppet (meaning The Mothership), who has been teaching photography and Photoshop for 10 years. At Moderskeppet they create video courses (about 500 available today) for you who are a creator. You’ll get unlimited access when you subscribe to them. Fantastic teachers teach you how to photograph, edit, make film, and design. They truly are an amazing, fun, and knowledgeable crew that I’ve grown to love dearly. For quick daily free tips, go to Moderskeppet – Knowledge for photographers.
NEW! Commissioned Portrait Photography by JENNY JACOBSSON
Your story is worth to be a piece of art. Portray the unique beauty of what you are all about; RELIVE YOUR PAST, CAPTURE YOUR PRESENT, OR EXPERIENCE YOUR DREAMS!
It’s with the GREATEST of joy I hereby present, my special version of a portrait photography service, now available for you! I’m so happy I could cry. I’ve worked so hard and truly put all my love into forming something really unique for you out there and I deeply hope this will be of pleasure for so many people in the upcoming future.
“A single photograph can truly tell a full story. It holds the power to enchant us; to make us pause and reflect. It invites us to a world of emotion and intrigue and it lets us relive a story of the past or dream of what is to come. It gives us the opportunity to experience the beautiful tale of the one portrayed.”
Wouldn’t you say a portrait should be just like that? I surely do. Therefore I offer a portraiture service far beyond the usual headshot. My mission is to turn you and your story into a unique piece of storytelling art. Why hang someone else’s story on your wall as an art piece when you can hang your own!
For you who want that special something:
THE IMAGE A portrait from me is conceptual, strong in its idea, based on and telling your unique story. I will put it in an environment where it belongs and thrives. Behind every art piece lies careful planning and an advanced digital craftsmanship to create imaginative and extra striking pieces.
A PIECE OF ART | THE PRODUCT Truly I believe that you value quality before quantity, that you want a piece of art. Therefor together we will create one unique portrait, and this portrait will be presented as timeless prints for your wall, that will remind you about the beauty of your story every day.
HOW IT WORKS To create a unique art work telling your specific story, each collaboration needs to be a one of a kind experience. Together we will dive into your story and through 5 clear steps we will move forward. I will use my expertise to make sure you will get a fun, smooth, and exciting experience.
I reside in Göteborg / Gothenburg, Sweden, but I surely work on location without boundaries. Feel free to contact me (in either Swedish or English) if you want detailed information about my packages, to book your meeting, or if you have any questions. And if you think someone you know would love a unique portrait of themselves and their story, please feel free to share these news!
I so look forward to creating your storytelling portrait together with you!
In the spotlight of ‘f11 Magazine’ – 27 page feature and interview
“Jenny Jacobsson is a Swedish photographer from the city of Gothenburg. Her mission is to create a narrative, using expressive and emotional imagery. From concept, through construction, capture and post production, her images hint at stories where the impossible really does becomes possible. It’s a far cry from her previous work in neurobiology and the satisfying result of a decision to follow her heart and embrace her passion for creating conceptual imagery. Jenny Jacobsson – Storyteller“
Tim Steele
That is the description for the big feature and interview in f11 Magazine, written by publisher and creative director Tim Steele. I’m so happy to have been given the opportunity to be part of this amazing magazine written all the way from the other side of the globe, in New Zealand. In this October issue the magazine covers images taken from all across Australia (winning work from AIPP APPA Awards 2014), to the desert in southern Africa (Joshua Holko), finding its way to the northern climes of my home in Scandinavia, reflecting the global approach by f11. And it’s exciting!
Some of my favorite interview questions from the feature is
• Your subjects obviously inspire you to tell their stories, but what external sources also influence or inspire you? • I see strong conceptual pre-visualisation in the creation of your images, does the idea always survive the migration to the capture process?
If it’s hard to read from the images, read the full 27 page feature and interview here:
Do you remember the incredibly popular movie (and book) “Fried Green Tomatoes (at the Whistle Stop Cafe)”? I certainly do since it was one of my favorite movies growing up and the incredible story about friendship and strong women has always had a special place in my heart.
“The american author Fannie Flagg recently released a new book called “The All-Girl Filling Station’s Last Reunion” and when the Italian publishing house Rizzoli Publications asked me if I wanted my image to be the book cover for the Italian version, I jumped up and down out of excitement!“
The cover image is one of the portraits from my series ‘Parallels‘. A big part of my work process is the inspiration that I draw from a particular location. Passing by this old gas station made my heart jump and thump and this little story evolved in my mind. I just had to make this shot! Bringing a 50’s inspired dress of mine I went back there with Andreas as assistant and after half an hour of shooting, and lots of cars passing by real close (as always I wonder what they thought…), this retro fashion inspired shot was done.
This image is proof that if you get that special feeling in your gut for a place, don’t hesitate to go at it. I’m happy to say that this image is one of the most appreciated as an art print from me. If you are interested or curious about getting this image or any other, check out my Prints section on my website and don’t hesitate to contact me.
Want to read the book? Go here if you want to buy it on Amazon.com in Italian, or if you want it in English (not my cover).
Creating the story of a phoenix, and setting fire to a man
“The phoenix hope, can wing her way through the desert skies, and still defying fortune’s spite; revive from ashes and rise.”*
When Anders came to me to tell his story through my portraits I got so excited. We had worked at the same office before, but I had no idea about the strong and gripping story surrounding his path through life. I feel so fortunate and honored to be one of those he wanted to open up for and to have been invited to hear the full story has truly enriched my own view of life. Hopefully, many more will get the opportunity to sit down with Anders and talk about his interesting life, and even more so, the fantastic transformation he is going through right now to come out a stronger person.
THE STORY OF A PHOENIX
The more he told me about his life the clearer it got that to me Anders is like a phoenix. Transforming in front of our very eyes, shedding his old life, rising from the ashes and coming out in all his splendour. Ready to take on the world again, to spread his wings and fly. Together we took this story and made it into that fabulous imaginative and a bit surreal reality we both are drawn to so much.
SHOOTING, BARBECUING CLOTHES AND SETTING FIRE TO A MAN
So we threw ourselves into creating this image and after loads of conversation and planning to come up with this final vision we went out to the archipelago here outside Göteborg (Gothenburg). The evening was warm and still and we gave ourselves proper time to do all we wanted to do. We had a marvelous picnic that Anders had made. We were barbecuing, not food, but clothes. We shot Anders for about 30 minutes and then we sat down on the warm cliffs and talked and talked watching the sun set.
Before any of you think I’m a terribly cruel person, setting fire to a man and pushing him off a cliff, I want to say that the whole shoot was safe. The clothes weren’t actually burning on Anders’s body, but instead the flames were added afterwards with some digital craftsmanship in Photoshop from frames that I took with burning and glowing fabric. “No men were harmed in this photography session” 😉
“ALL THE PREPARATION”
Since Anders seemed to have such a wonderful time through all of the process creating this portrait, later on I asked him what he found the very most fun part of it all. And it was so great to hear that he had enjoyed immensely the whole preparation phase, planning everything and the time we met up to tear up his clothes, and then later going into the photography day. And well… I couldn’t agree with him more 🙂
*Quote: Miguel de Cervantes, The Book of the Bizarre: Freaky Facts & Strange Stories (2008) by Varla Ventura
Large interview and feature published in Fotosidan Magasin
“GRAND MINIMALISM Jenny Jacobsson is the neurobiologist who stopped researching the human limitations and started creating new worlds where everything is possible.“
That is the headline and introduction of the interview and feature Fotosidan Magasin (one of Sweden’s largest photo magazines) just published about me in their latest issue. The theme of this issue is “creative editing” and Fotosidan called me up asking if I would be their featured profile for this topic. And of course I said yes (with a huge cheer!).
I want to give a warm thank you to the reporter Amy Lagerman for such a nice interview and conversations. It was a blast!
Winner in PX3, Prix de la Photographie Paris, 2014
I’m so humbled and happy to announce that a series of my images was awarded with a Silver Medal and an Honorable Mention in the renown 2014 PX3 Prix de la Photographie Paris, in the Advertising/Fashion category.
The Px3 is regarded as one of, if not the, most prestigious photography competitions in Europe. The jury selected PX3 winners from thousands of photography entries from over 85 countries, and I must express that I’m so honored to have been selected as a winner. The PX3 is such an amazing competition and I want to congratulate all my fellow winners. There truly are such wonderful work awarded.
ABOUT PX3: The “Prix de la Photographie Paris” (Px3) strives to promote the appreciation of photography, to discover emerging talent, and introduce photographers from around the world to the artistic community of Paris. Winning photographs from this competition are exhibited in a high-profile gallery in Paris and published in the high-quality, full-color Px3 Annual Book. Website: px3.fr
Since it’s Throwback Thursday I want to revisit, and show you for the first time here on my blog, the conceptual portrait series ‘The creators’.
‘The creators’ is my examination exhibition project, shot and produced during my final year at Fotoskolan Göteborg (Photography School Gothenburg) and exhibited at Gothenburg Film Studios in December 2012.
THE CREATORS Examination exhibition series Portraiture
I – Pernilla – Writer, columnist, never-ending life reflector II – Eva – Dressmaker, fashion designer, bold style connoisseur III – John Ola – Composer, artist, stripped music hypnotist
Fascinated by the circle of inspiration and creativity, I knew I needed to focus my project on different types of creators. Reaching out to different types of artists, we initiated dialogues about what they do, why they create what they do, what inspires them, who they inspire, who they are… And the conversations shaped and carved out image ideas, building onto concepts. Through my portraits, I want to tell their stories, hoping to feed the circle of creativity.
Our wedding – Part II – 9 tips to consider before choosing your wedding photographer
Today is the 1st year anniversary of our incredible wedding day! To celebrate, being a photographer and all, I can’t help myself to share some hopefully useful tips to all of you out there who are going to be married, or knows someone who are, about important considerations and wishes for a bride and groom to be when it comes to wedding photography. Also, don’t miss Part 1 where I share the wonderful images that we were blessed with, to hold the memories vidid and bright of the best day of our lives.
First of all, I want to point out that I do not shoot weddings. So this is not a self promo. But instead of just sitting upon and hiding away some things that I’ve experienced and thought thoroughly about, I can share my thoughts with you all, giving you a helping hand with some things that can be good to think about when it comes to photographing your very VERY special day.
Now I’ve been a bride, and I am a photographer. And I bet that a bride-to-be and a photographer is one of the toughest customer combinations for a wedding photographer to come upon. I surely was concerned about how to choose, how to pass over all the things I was thinking about when it comes to images and style, how to express my wishes, etc etc, before we decided on who we wanted to shoot our wedding. I collected these thoughts and tips for you below, in this “9 tips to consider before choosing your wedding photographer”.
So me being this happy with the images we got for our own day, is almost a miracle. But it’s all thanks to my beloved close friends and fellow photographers Rania and Nadim, who I met through photography school 3 years ago. Because of them I could be completely relaxed and comfortable knowing it would all be perfect. I utterly trusted their knowledge since we’ve studied photography together and I totally know their skills and styles. And they are fantastic!
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1 Make sure you are hiring a wedding photographer
Great photographers often have a speciality field. And it’s in this speciality they shine and where the heart is. And that’s where the good work comes out.
I often get the question if I want to shoot someone’s wedding. And I gratefully thank them for them asking, but then I give them advice on who they should contact instead of me, since I’m not a wedding photographer (I shoot conceptual imaginative portraits and fashion). Of course a lot of people not involved in the photography business don’t know exactly how it works. Why would they? So keep in mind, just because a photographer creates beauuuutiful children studio portraits doesn’t mean he or she will create the wedding images of your dreams. I will try to explain this by this comparision:
“Asking a photographer who doesn’t shoot weddings to shoot yours, is like going into a shoe shop and ask to buy a sweater. They are both selling clothes… but it’s oh so different!“
You don’t really want the shoe sales person to go out and find you that sweater do you? Well maybe you do. If you are adventurous. But do you really want to be adventurous on your wedding day? Go for the pro. Go for the wedding photographer. There are so much practice and experience going into creating wonderful images in such a special situation as a wedding. Make sure they have that practice and experience so that you can feel safe and comfortable with your choice. And if there is someone new within wedding photography that you absolutely love, they can always be the 2nd shooter! So that they can get more experience and you can still be on the safe side.
2 What style of photographydo you really like?
Documentary, conceptual, romantic, preppy, nostalgic, sweet, epic, hard core… what’s your style? Make sure you and your photographer have the same one.
This sounds like a basic thing to consider, but I’ve gotten so many requests from people who really hasn’t bothered or don’t realize that photographers are not all the same. Take a good look at the photos in a photographers portfolio and/or on their website. If you don’t like what’s up there, you probably won’t like your own wedding images either. If you looooove them, well, then you’ve taken the first step towards finding the right photographer!
2 They should take the time to get to know you
How can the photographer know what to give you and what images you want if they haven’t taken the time to ask you? I for one would choose someone who takes the time to get to know me a little. Who makes sure we are on the same page. So when the photographer offers pre-wedding meetings, grab onto those meetings with both hands!
3 Sure they need to be talented,but also nice!
You’ve taken so much care inviting people that you love and you want them to have the nicest day ever. Why would you invite a photographer who isn’t adding to that loving emotion and adds extra positive energy? A wedding photographer needs to interact with you and your guests, and I surely wouldn’t have wanted a mean person stomping around muttering on our special day! To get people relaxed with someone taking their picture, getting those fun, close and natural moments captured, it actually requires some social skills from your photographer.
4 Make sure you getall the informationyou need
Choose someone who is on top of their game, who explains well how everything is going to get down, and everything you need to know to make you comfortable and eliminate another worry about your big day.
5 Waiting to choose and book untillast minuteis a big no-no
Please…. pretty please… don’t wait to book your photographer. This should be one of the things that you add to your to-do-list together with booking the location and caterer. If you don’t it’s high risk that the fantastic photographer that you like will already be booked for another wedding, or another assignment, if you wait too long. If you are from a country where the most popular wedding season is short, like the summer Sweden, this is of particular importance. You will have to put in the time at some point, why not do it in the beginning and save yourself the trouble of getting disappointed by getting a no or the trouble of trying to find another great photographer with short notice?
6 Yeah you want those pretty portraits, but don’t forget your wedding day is also about…
…the preparations The first part of your wedding day is truly special. My own was a time filled with sooo much emotion, tension, and laughter. And it was a wonderful few hours spent with my dear bridesmaids, remembering times we’ve been through and dreaming of what was to come. Also, going through that transformation together with getting our hair done and putting make up on… I wouldn’t have missed this part in photography for anything. I’ve looked at these images so so many times already. How I want to remember how I felt when my hair dresser finally showed me my hair and my eye’s teared up out of happiness and joy and I saw my bridesmaids faces light up…
…the ceremony This part feels obvious to some, but some also forgets this and mostly think about the portraits that come afterwards. But gee… the emotion that shows in the images in the moment we say “I do”… I could not have lived without them. And be sure your photographer knows about the venue you are using so there is no surprises with light or space for them, so that they have the right equipment ready and don’t have problems moving around during the ceremony (THEY should ask YOU about this).
…the emotions Although these images don’t show the most beautiful me, they are OH so important and special. Those emotions making me burst into tears, they were so intense, wonderful and filled with love. And I’m so grateful our photographer caught those moments. And if you don’t hire your photographer to be there of most parts of your day, you are in great risk of missing them in your album.
…the reception Same goes as for the emotional images above. If you don’t ask your photographer to hang around and also shoot during the reception, are you sure you want to rely on friends and family, that are your guests and being busy with cheering, mingling and eating and drinking, to pick up their cameras to capture all the moments that happen during the reception?
…the dinner Our wedding dinner was absolutely fantastic. It was filled with laughter, hillarious games, wonderful food, fun assignments, and lovely presentations. And speeches that will be in our hearts forever. When I look at the images we got of this part, I can almost hear the voices, filled with love, once more.
…the dance If you send your photographer home before it’s time for the dance… are you sure someone will be alert enough to actually capture that moment?
Reeeeally sure?
If you’re not, please read tip number 8.
…the moments in between The day is filled with so many great moments. Where everyone is participating and with the big cheers. But those tiny special moments, where everything suddenly goes quiet and it’s just you and your loved one, in a bubble together feeling nothing but love for each other, I’m so grateful our photographer snuck around capturing it all without our knowledge.
…and especially, isn’t it also about your guests? Everyone is taking pictures of the bride and groom, but I for sure want to immortalize the people who without them there wouldn’t have been a wedding feast at all. The guests. Make sure you hire your photographer to capture everyone that are there to share your day with you. In this particular subject, also read tip number 7.
7 Consider aphoto booth if you like some fun!
Even though you have the greatest photographer ever, there are something special about a photo booth. It’s in there all the craziest stuff will be going on! I can’t say how much time we’ve spent looking at our photo booth images, laughing our little behinds off. And it’s truly an opportunity for everyone to get a prime moment for you to remember forever.
8Do not cheap out– neither financially or with your time to choose wedding photographer
Think of all the work you’ve put into your special day. The many many hours of planning table settings and flowers and the graphic design for your seating table… or the money and love you’ve put into getting the perfect hair, the rings, the dress, the suit… Why would you ever want to suddently cheap out when choosing your wedding photographer?
You can cheap out by NOT putting in enough time to consider the tips above. Please don’t do that. You have the time, if you want to. Put it into the planning like any other important part of your wedding and you will save yourself a lot of trouble and making yourself more relaxed.
Also, quality often comes with a price. Same goes for photography. I suggest adding the photography to your “must buy” list for the wedding and weigh everything against each other, making room economically for it. I’m not saying that you should spend the biggest part of your budget on it (if you don’t WANT to of course), or spending too much if you have a smaller budget. But compare it to other expenses and ask yourself if you can get it in there as well? Maybe spend a little less on some other things so that you can have beautiful images of your day? When it comes to the choice of hiring a photographer just for the ceremony, or portraits, or for the entire day, I think my Tip number 6 says it all.
9 If you are happy with your photos, from doing the tips above, prepare yourself tospend a lot of time looking at themfor many many years to come
Congratulations, if you made sure to get that fantastic photographer you wanted, you will keep those images close to your heart for a long time to come! And if we are a bit of the same, you will go back to those images again and again to relive and rejoice your special day, filled with so much love and happiness. Make sure to get all those images in a good way that suits you, may it be an album, digitally, or large wall portraits, you will not regret it. The only thing you’ll regret is that if you DON’T have them. So enjoy the process and the love that often goes hand in hand with photography.
Have a WONDERFUL and a very special and FANTASTIC wedding day!! 🙂
Our wedding – Part I – Revisiting the best day of our lives
Today is the 1st year anniversary of our incredible wedding day! To celebrate I want to share with you, in this first part the wonderful images that we were blessed with from Rania and Nadim, to hold the memories vidid and bright. And in the second part, I can’t help myself being a photographer and all, to share some hopefully useful tips to all of you out there who are going to be married, or knows someone who are, “9 tips to consider before choosing your wedding photographer”.
Nothing anyone could have said would have prepared me for the emotional storm that a wedding day would bring. Nobody could have explained to me that devout feeling that filled me up the first part of the day, the surreal and breathless solemnity, during the preparations with my wonderful bridesmaids. The indescribable physical reaction of my heart and body when the church bells stopped tolling and just before the church door opened. The current running through me by Andreas’s touch when he took my hand. And how every piece of my being fell into a knowing of finding home, when we both said “I do”. Words fall short. But the memory will always be vivid and strong. And I have the amazing, and absolutely priceless, images from the entire day to bring me right back there. I can’t count how many times we’ve looked at them. And it has only been a year…
“To my life’s love, Andreas. To our beloved families. To our dearest friends. To the sun that shone. To the grand gestures. To the heartfelt moments. And to all that love in the air… “
At 08.45 I slammed the door to the car I was going to drive to the hairdresser, panting from the run, sinking deep down into the seat. I felt the rain water trickle down between my toes in my soaked shoes, the skirt of my dress sticking wet to my knees. I held my breath for a second, and then I yelled. I yelled from the top of my lungs. In those few seconds I vented all those built up emotions and anxiety about all those fears of a bride to be. The fears that everything would go wrong and that the weather gods would to let us down on our wedding day. I sat there soaked by the rain, but in that short moment, through the yell, I let go of the last of those emotions.
Instead, a feeling of calm and breathless expectation took their place. Ok… it might rain this day. But it didn’t matter.
“I was going to marry the best man I’ve ever known. My kindred spirit. My best friend. The person I trust more than life itself. And immediately I was filled with that complete and utter love again.“
This was going to be the best day of my life. With or without the rain. And no matter what would happen. I just couldn’t wait for it all to begin. And little did I know that later the weather gods would be my best friends…
I met up with my absolutely amazing (oh how I love you guys) bridesmaids Maria and Kristin at Studio Duo, and of course my beloved Rania, who was the designated photographer for the day. It was almost a surreal feeling seeing them, this being the last day that one of us wouldn’t be married. A complete new chapter in our friendship’s history. Maria, Kristin, and Jannicke, our fantastic hair dresser and make up artist, had prepared bubbly drinks, coffee, fruit, and sweets and we surely had a lovely morning in the studio.
“I kept on going back and forth from incredible happiness and laughter, to completely going into myself, trying to grasp the emotions going through me and collect myself.“
The girls who are mostly used to see the happy giggly me surely thought I was behaving differently, but I’m sure they understood. I’ve never felt such a devout feeling ever that I did that day.
When Jannicke showed me my hair in the mirror I think I couldn’t speak (for once). My eyes filled up with tears and I felt my heart land in my chest. I loved it. I was going to love my hair on my wedding day. What a fantastic and relaxing knowledge. I’m so grateful to you Jannicke, hearing me and creating something even better than I had hoped for.
I’m so happy Rania was shooting during the preparation time, cause I’ve realized that this part of the day was also a very important one. Spending time with my girls and going through all those emotions… I’m so truly happy I have beautiful images of it all to remind me for all coming future.
After the hair and make up session Kristin drove us all to Saltholmen ferry terminal where we took a boat with the destination Styrsö island. The wedding was going to take place at Styrsö church (Styrsö kyrka) in the southern archipelago (södra skärgården) outside Gothenburg (Göteborg) and we were kindly borrowed the beautiful cottage from my sister-in-law close by the church, where we could get dressed and do the final touches.
Andreas and his best man and marshal were close by in my parents-in-law’s house so we had to sneak by it not to be seen. The weather was terrible on our walk from the ferry to the cottage and hunched over we tried to cover us up as much as possible to try to save our make up and not getting our beautiful hair-dos to blow away. It was so nice getting inside the cosy cottage, taking a few breathes, and starting to get ready.
All those emotions were even more intensified and we got dressed under a very attentive mood. Maria and Kristin helped me got into my dress. I had been practicing at home to tie a perfect bow for the waist band of my dress, but my hands were shaking so terribly and I had a real hard time doing it right…
“And then something magical happened…”
Rania, who were walking around shooting pictures of us and also my dress, jewelry and flowers, came in from the outside with the most wonderful news ever! “THE SUN IS SHINING!” she announced. The sky had cleared and there was a beautiful blue sky! And the cottage was instantly filled with an amazing noise of romping and laughter! The bow came together and everything felt wonderful!
Later I was told that when all the guests had arrived with the boat to the island they were met by gorgeous sunshine and had a dry and lovely walk on the beauuuutiful pathway that is leading from the boat to the church. I couldn’t ask for more.
I had asked the very talented, and oh so kind, florist Sissel Karlsson of Fröken Blomma to do my bouquet and also the buttonhole flowers for the men, and she kindly added some pretty roses for us to use for the bridesmaids’s hair. The bouquet was everything I’d hoped for and I felt so happy and proud to have such a lovely creation in my hands that day.
We walked from the cottage to the building next to the church where we waited for the church bells to ring. Those few minutes were so intense. When my father walked in, he took a look at me and I saw the expression on his face change, and that look filled my eyes up within a second. “Wow, you look so beautiful” he said with a tone in his voice I’ve not quite heard before. I had to quickly look away and plead him not to say any more because I truly didn’t want to start to cry there and then, just minutes before the ceremony. And oh I was close…
We tried to gather our selves for a minute, and then I took Dad’s arm and we started to move towards the church.
It was time. The church bells rang. A few seconds of frenzy, the brides trying to get their hair in order, place the train on my dress right… and my heart almost beat out of my chest. The moment was here, that I’ve waited for with such longing. Behind those doors my beloved awaited. All the closest and loved ones of our lives where inside. I was going to be the wife of Andreas. He was going to be my husband. The feeling was surreal. I could hardly breathe…
The sweet tunes of Aerith’s theme started to play on the grand piano. (listen to it here)
And then the doors opened…
When I saw Andreas’s face there down the isle, I couldn’t had been more sure of anything in my entire life. I could hardly pace myself and almost wanted to run towards him to be by his side. I’m so glad I had my father’s steady arm to hold on to. Thank you Dad. You are the best father a girl could ask for. I love you so.
I hardly know what the priest said during the entire time. I was utterly filled with emotion and the touch of Andreas’s wonderful hand in mine. I looked over at my brides maids and I felt so grateful for having them in my life.
During the whole ceremony I struggled not to burst out in tears out of happiness. It was surely difficult, especially when I tried to take comfort with the best man Håkan. I thought to myself “Håkan is steady. If I look at him I will be steady too”. One look at Håkan and I saw his eyes red, touched with emotion, and my own got even worse haha. No help there.
It was a magical ceremony. The absolutely wonderful Alice Mattsson sang our songs like an angel, truly surprising everyone with her gorgeous voice, and I doubt there was a dry eye in there (I heard a lot of sniffles behind my back 🙂 ). Andreas had chosen ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water‘ to be sung to me, and I had chosen ‘Come What May‘ to Andreas. And it was so beautiful. From the bottom of my heart, thank you Alice. It was pure magic.
I never imagined that we would laugh out loud during our ceremony. But when it was time for our vows both Andreas and I misspoke a little and all those happy tears were exchange for pure laughter. And it felt soooo good to hear the church get filled with the sound of happiness. It felt like a beautiful symbol of Andreas’s and my relationship. Filled with love and laughter.
When we got to turn around and walk back down the isle every little tension were released. It was a fantastic feeling. We were finally husband and wife. As we were meant to be. I can truly say that this is what complete happiness feels like.
And when we all came out through the door, the sun was greeting us all. Although in companion with a rain of rice!
On the island of Styrsö no cars are allowed so everyone is driving around in rebuilt golf carts or flatbed mopeds. So what would suit better than being driven away not by a luxurious car, but an enhanced flatbed moped!? We absolutely loved it, and it resulted in a lot of enthusiastic cheering. A HUGE thank you to my now father-in-law who had decorated it with so much love and who also was our chauffeur.
As we drove off on our moped our guests took the beautiful walk back down to the ferry terminal where we had leased a big boat to carry us all to the neighboring island Stora Mosskullen where the dinner and party were going to take place. There are only two houses on Stora Mosskullen, one of them being an old boatyard house that is now owned by the restaurant and catering company Utsökt mat. We were lucky to got to rent the house and all the services from Utsökt mat, so all we had to do was to sail over there and get the party started!
Above photo: courtesy of Aki Hiraga
We had asked Emma and Nadim (above) to be our toast madame and toast master and surely they couldn’t have been a better or more loving couple and hosts! We love you guys!! <3
While everyone was relaxing with some bubbly drinks and canapés everything was prepared inside and Rania took some time to photograph some lovely images of the decorations and table setting. The old boatyard house is lovely rustic and full of marine gorgeousness and Utsökt mat had done such a wonderful job. Also, the food was absolutely delicious! We were so happy with it all.
The dinner was so wonderful and it truly was such a special feeling sharing the entire experience with everyone there who we cherish and love. We finally were completely relaxed and had a marvelous time enjoying a special written song, laughing hard at a couple of somewhat embarrassing 😉 but still endearing image slide shows…, and playing some very fun games. And last but surely not least, listening to incredibly thoughtful, lovely, tear bringing, and humorous speeches that warms my heart just thinking about them.
The evening was the best of my life and I can’t express my appreciation to each and everyone of you who were there, sharing and spreading the love. Thank you so much.
The dinner was such a success that everyone almost forgot to round it up for the wedding walz and the following party dancing. But eventually Andreas and I got to dance together for the first time as husband and wife, and when the walz was over… a true party bursted out! And we partied until it was time to take us all home with the rented boat.
Emma and Nadim (our toast madame and master) had, completely on their own initiative, surprised us with building an absolutely fantastic photo booth! Out of courtesy to the guests we don’t share more than one (rather innocent) image from within the photo booth…
“(what happens in the photo booth, stays in the photo booth)“
…but let me tell you, we’ve laughed SO hard to the incredibly fun images from in there! A hot tip for every party! And Emma and Nadim… thank you so so much for arranging it.
And so we finally were husband and wife. And we truly agree, that our wedding day was the absolutely best day of our lives.
ULTRA:EXTRA is an online platform for discursive conversations on visual art and culture in the digital age. They talk one-on-one with artists, writers, curators, critics, academics, and the public to create a forum for open and thoughtful discussion on what our eyes see in this world.
And when they asked me to take join in the conversation, I happily said YEAH!
If you want to see the interview and all the images featured on the ULTRA:EXTRA page, you can find it here.
‘THE BURDEN’ – a portrait of unrealistic beauty ideals
This is not a portrait of a girl. This is a portrait of all girls, who are suffering under warped expectations. A portrait of the burden of unrealistic ideals.
I’ve kept this place in the back of my mind for two years. At my first encounter I was blown away by it’s beauty and knew I had to make a portrait here one day. But I wasn’t prepared. And as we all know, the cherry blossom don’t last for too long. And when it’s gone, of course another year has to pass on by…
April came again. On my way from a meeting I took a detour to this park with my bicycle to check it out once more, and I got the exact same feeling again. Still I had no specific story in mind, but I felt a sudden urge to just go ahead and do something spontaneous. I started to ask around on my Facebook page for someone to model for me on short notice and Amanda, who is now attending the same photography school I did, volunteered. The timeframe was short, but with the wise words “GO JUST GO” as a tagline we jumped right at it.
the STORY
It so happened that Amanda only a few days earlier had posted a self made short film on YouTube that truly struck a cord with me. It’s called “För mycket hud i pannan” (in English “Too much skin in the forehead”) and is a very personal, very strong, message from Amanda about the effect the distorted beauty ideals can have on young women of today. But also about choice, willpower, and to be totally fed up with it. An issue that I, as so many others, have a personal relation to and feel very strongly about.
Sketching on the story for the image I couldn’t help but get inspired by Amanda’s story. It trickled down into my own tale, starting to crystallize a story about the price for the strive of beauty. In Japan, cherry blossoms are a true metaphor for the ephemeral nature of life. They bloom out with such extreme beauty, and then they die within a few days, the petals floating like snowflakes to the ground. With this phenomenon and symbolism as a base the idea of a girl, or rather an entity, heavily weighed down by her task, started to form.
“To me, this image is a comment about beauty ideals, the pressure from the world around us, and the toll it’s taking to keep up appearances. But also, in this image lies a bit of hope, that the burden of unrealistic ideals one day will be lifted by our collective choice and willpower. Maybe even defeated.”
the PREPARATIONS
We decided to shoot the image just three days after me first bringing it up, not to risk the flowers to disappear. On the question of how early in the morning Amanda could imagine to come to the location her answer was “Everything for the arts – as early as needed”. Oh how I just love that attitude!
The day before the shoot I set the alarm to 05.30, grabbed my bike and went to check how the light looked at this hour.The light was how I wanted it to, but it was absolutely freezing cold and I was a bit worried that Amanda would be really uncomfortable with sitting still in a thin dress in that cold morning air. But again, Amanda just laughed at me worrying. And her enthusiasm couldn’t make more excited.
I also spent the day asking around for an old painter’s ladder, and happily, getting hold of one by the kindness of my former teacher Kalle. I also looked up a recipe for home made, environmental friendly… and hopefully more skin friendly… paint and went at it. It actually turned out better than expected! Creating my own paint bucket out of a strawberry jam container, going back and forth across town to get hold of the ladder, ironing the dress, packing some warm socks and a blanket… and we were good to go.
the (quite cold) SESSION
The shoot itself went very smoothly. Amanda was such a trooper in that dress, even with me splashing cold wet paint all over her and treating her like a baby, pulling ragg socks on and off of her bare feet to try to keep her warm between set ups.
It all took about 30 minutes from rigging the equipment until it was packed again, and then Amanda surely was well deserved to change into something more comfortable. Even though her skin to some extent was still covered in that, now dried up, pink paint… But she was still smiling 🙂
good work deserves a GREAT BREAKFAST
After the portrait was shot we went to the fantastic nearby, american diner inspired, Egg & Milk for breakfast and we spent a couple of absolutely great hours of chatting about hopes and dreams, upcoming shoots, and most things in life.
It’s so fascinating when you connect so strongly with someone you just met, forgetting about time, and just keep on talking about and sharing passions. It was such a lovely morning and I truly hope we get to do that again some day Amanda!
And I hope the good people of Egg & Milk forgave the strange pink stains we possibly left in the restroom…
Amanda Falkman is also a very gifted photographer with an interesting career on her way. Check out her work here and for Pete’s sake… GIVE AMANDA SOME LOVE for her participation in this portrait!
I’m so happy to say that the fantastic Papercut Magazine published my fashion editorial ‘The space that is and isn’t’ this month! The series is showcasing the collection made by fashion designer Emelie Arvidsson with whom I’ve had the honor of having a fantastic collaboration with.
You can see the full feature over at Papercut’s website.
I’m also THRILLED to say the main image for the editorial, ‘The space that is and isn’t – I’ (above) won the prestigous international One Eyeland Photography Awards 2013 – category Advertising | Fashion. Read more about the win!
