Born and raised in Bergen, Eirik has lived on Norway’s southwestern coast his entire life. He purchased an apartment near the city centre almost 6 years ago, and appreciates having the hiking trails in the surrounding mountains close by. “I consider myself lucky to be within walking distance to both my office, the city and the mountains.” If he ever were to leave Bergen, he would want to move abroad to experience a culture other than Norwegian.
Eirik has been working at an insurance company since 2013, and changed positions within the company a couple years back. His work tasks are varied, but all deal with risk management to some degree, and are constantly offering new challenges. Eirik told Localfolk that his short-term aspiration is to tackle the challenges in the best way that he can, to help the company continue to move in a positive direction.
When it comes to photography, Eirik finds inspiration in movies and storytelling. “My interest in photography goes hand in hand with my love and passion for movies. I have always paid extra attention to the visuals, and how it can tell a story on its own. In many ways, a movie is a collection of still photos.” Eirik therefore strives to take photos that tell a story, and admires cinematographers such as Roger Deakins, Vittorio Storaro, Freddie Young, and Robert Elswit.
Back in 2014, he purchased his first Fujifilm camera and has stuck with the brand ever since. Today he uses the Fujifilm X-T4. He prefers prime lenses over zoom lenses, and many of his photos are shot with telephoto lenses. “I want to show a different perspective to something people see every day, and the lens and focal length that can achieve that is my favourite lens.” That said, if he had to pick only one, it would be a 35mm.
One of Eirik’s dreams is to take a few months off work and travel all over Japan. “It’s a country that has a very interesting mix of the historical and traditional, and the very modern and innovative.” He would particularly love to photograph a geisha and experience autumn in Kyoto. As for the most beautiful image he’s ever captured, Eirik recalls a hike to Bakkanosi in 2019. “It’s not only special because of the view, but because of the memories from the trip.”
Photography is mostly a hobby for Eirik, so he only accepts projects that really interest him. He has worked with Dale of Norway on a few occasions, and has prints and postcards on sale at Heim, an independent store located on Bryggen in Bergen. If he had to choose one genre to do professionally, it would be documentary photography, but for now he enjoys just bringing his camera around and documenting whatever he finds interesting.
Eirik’s message to aspiring photographers is to take as many photos as possible with whatever camera they have available. He says you can take great photos with today’s phone cameras, the most important is to have fun and do it for yourself. “If you’re having fun doing it, I firmly believe you can see it in the photos.” Another tip is to do some street photography from time to time, since it’s a great way to test your boundaries.
“I think photography or anything creative should be all about exploring your comfort zone. It’s a cliché for a reason, but you don’t develop in your comfort zone.”
When asked what he loves about Bergen, Eirik responded “I love how accessible everything is, and especially the mountains.” He went on to say that he loves the rain and varying weather conditions, although he wishes it could be more predictable… but then again, that’s maybe what makes it interesting. Since Eirik likes to show things from different perspectives, he likes to capture Bergen in all types of weather – his favourites are light rain, fog, and snow.
