Thea is a wedding photographer and cinematographer who loves to capture unrefined love and nature in all their forms. She is based in Bergen, where she was born on a small island called Askøy. She recently moved back to her hometown after nine years of living abroad. “It felt like the right move in such a challenging time for the world.” She has many passions and interests, and she is lucky to combine them in her work. She works as a FinTech Advisor, a wildlife and nature photographer, and a filmmaker.

Thea discovered her interest in photography when she was volunteering in Zimbabwe at the age of 19. She was fascinated by wildlife conservation and wanted to document it with her camera. “Every moment is unexpected and you have to act fast, or you will miss it.” Wildlife photography still brings her joy, but she has also developed an interest in photographing people and their love stories.

Thea shared a memory from Zimbabwe that shaped her vision as a photographer. She helped deliver a baby in a small hospital with no doctors. She felt helpless and scared, but she also witnessed the unrefined love between the mother and the child. She felt grateful for being part of such a vulnerable moment. “Unrefined love is what I seek to capture today. Truth is our most important story.”

Thea’s workday varies a lot, depending on the projects she is working on. She enjoys doing creative projects and collaborating with companies in the travel industry. She often works with her partner Stian, who shares her adventurous spirit. She also loves filmmaking and the process of creating art with motion and sound.

One project that stands out to Thea is her first wedding film. She had a vision that she was not sure she could execute, but it turned out better than she expected. She loved the experience and the result, and so did the couple who could relive their day in a more dynamic way than photos could ever show. “Film is art, it’s an expression of the subject and the producer, and every piece is different.”

Thea uses a Canon 5D Mark IV camera and a Sigma Art 50mm f/1.4 lens for portraits. She edits her photos in Lightroom and keeps them natural. She believes that imperfections are beautiful and she wants to celebrate things as they are. Her advice to aspiring photographers is to find your own voice. “Remember that photography is an art, and that means that you are always learning.”

Thea loves Norway and Bergen, where she lives. She describes the city as humble, beautiful and diverse. She likes the wood houses, the mountains, the fjord and the seafood. She also likes the unpredictable weather and the changing seasons. “Bergen offers choice, a different story for every season.” Her favourite place to photograph is Rundemanen, especially when the colours change to orange and red.

Thea’s greatest inspiration is wildlife photographer David Lloyd. She admires his respect for pictures as they are, and calls his photography classic, real and thought-provoking. She also gets inspired by the people around her and those she meets along the way, as well as by dramatic light. Her most beautiful images, Thea told Localfolk, are the ones that were not planned.