SAN FRANCISCO ISSUE 272 May 2011

"I was born in a town called Orkanger in Norway, the land of the northern lights and long winters. This is the place from where I draw a lot of my inspiration, with incredibly dramatic and striking scenery. It has a special landscape that evokes the legends and fairytale stories I grew up with, tales of moody and mystical Nordic environments brimming with depictions of trolls, princesses and nature.

"After four years of study I was restless, and curiosity about the world drew me out on a year-long trip to discover and explore distant corners of the globe. Eventually, this led me to Brazil. The human warmth and sensuality of its culture and people had an immense impact on me, and I made it my home for a two and a half years. This experience taught me a great deal about myself and became a huge inspiration for my work. There, I learned Portuguese, encountered very passionate people and discovered my own passion for photography. After living in Brazil, I realised I could never live in a cold place again, and the drive to pursue photography led me to San Francisco, a magnificent city to go to live and study. This was in 1995 and I still live and work here.

"After graduating in photography from the Academy of Art University, I assisted various photographers and started pursuing stock and commercial work. In the past decade I have created high-end image collections for stock, with clients including Gilead, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Macy’s, AT&T and Warner Bros, and my work has appeared in prestigious photo publications such as Communication Arts, PDN, Graphis, APA Shows, and Graphic Design USA. Once a year, the northern winds call upon me and I go back home and visit Norway, to feel the Scandinavian sea breeze and see the midnight sun."