Here you will find behind the scenes snippets, vigenttes and occasional deep dive into my projects and commissions.
Norway is a country close to my heart. I’ve had the privilege of working on many interesting projects and commissions, photographing its people and landscape for many years. My latest visit was during the closing days of summer to work on a new initiative being developed by Fjellnettverket (Mountain Network) called Bondens bord (farmer’s table).
In just nine days, the commission embarked on a journey of 1,884 kilometres across 17 rural mountain farms in Innlandet, Buskerud, and Telemark. All vehicles were fully electric, reflecting Norway’s lead in transitioning from internal combustion engines to fully battery-powered transit. The advent of numerous 360kW charging stations, even in remote areas, has effectively eliminated range anxiety and slow charging concerns.
Fjellnettverket, a cooperative body representing Norwegian counties, regional councils, and municipalities with mountain areas, works to ensure viable and attractive modern living for mountain communities.
The cooperative aims to incorporate the ‘mountain perspective’ into all national governing policies. It emphasises the value of natural resources, manages mountain sustainability, and ensures that these resources benefit present and future inhabitants. Additionally, Fjellnettverket explores ways for visitors to use mountain areas in a ‘gentle’ manner.
Agriculture, food production, and tourism are established industries in rural areas, but there’s still unused value creation within them, especially when considering the local farmer’s perspective and the cultural landscape. Seeking to combine the strengths of these industries, Fjellnettverket looked to the Faroe Islands to test their service, Heimablídni (home hospitality).
In recent decades, the Faroe Islands have experienced a significant influx of tourists, with much of the wealth concentrated in the cities. At the same time, there has been a desire for rural areas to provide good, locally produced food. To address this wealth deficit, a Faroese tradition of Heimablídni, where guests pay to experience traditional meals in local people’s homes, was introduced to tourists as well.
Norway has also experienced a significant tourism boom, with a large influx of visitors during holidays and weekends. Surveys from Innovation Norway show that more and more people, not just international visitors but Norwegians as well, are seeking special experiences and want to eat locally produced food at source. Inspired by this trend, Bondens bord was formed by adapting Heimablídni into Norway’s mountain regions.
Whilst Bondens Bord is still in the development stages, Elin Halland Simensen, Fjellnettverket’s Project Manager for Food & Tourism, commissioned me to start building a photographic narrative around the farmers who will be offering Bondens Bord when it is formally launched in Spring 2025.
Given the diverse range of personalities within the Bondens Bord network, I felt that a series of impactful environmental portraits would be best, as one could feather in visual clues to what each farmer will offer. By framing the farmers with a strong sense of place, we could vary those clues, from the location of the visitors’ table, to highlighting the type of fresh produce that their meals will be prepared from.
Even in the late summer, Norwegian weather can be challenging in the mountains with regular wind, rain and even light snow on the higher ground. I found it interesting to incorporate those meteorological realities into the photographs, as those conditions are representative of working life in the fjells.
Another theme that Elin and I were keen on illustrating was that modern Norway is thriving in the mountains. Embracing contemporary designer kitchens, building renovations, and innovative farming methods in the series better reflected the farming community’s willingness to adapt and thrive. Many of the farmers we visited are a new generation with young children who had pursued careers and skillsets before returning to their family roots to revive their farms’ past successes while incorporating outside knowledge and experience to secure their future prosperity.
This Journal post features a select few of the formal portraits and some extra details captured whilst spending time at each farm.
As this is a journal post, I feel it’s appropriate to share three behind-the-scenes shots: lighting, iPhone snaps, and video. When embarking on a commission like this, flexibility and adaptability are key. You need to be able to work with non-ideal lighting and people’s working schedules. The people being photographed are working farmers, not models, so even the best time of day with soft, natural light isn’t always available.
Another challenge is finding the best elements of each farm to focus on while maintaining consistency across the series. It’s a delicate balance. Farms aren’t stage sets or ‘studio’ ready, so you often have to augment the scene by moving objects or physically hiding distractions. All this while still capturing an honest portrayal of the farmers and their surroundings. In short, problem-solving on the fly.
We arrived at Mestrand Gard around midday, greeted by intermittent scorching sun directly above. Not ideal. Seeking a haven, I spotted a wonderful greenhouse built by Øyvind. The lush green and ripening tomatoes projected an agri-tech, Wired Magazine editorial vibe. I placed lights either side of the greenhouse and ramped up the power. The non-modified, contrasty light flooded the space, with the foliage acting as gobos.
Lightly Tina and Øyvind directly, a fresh oasis emerged from a dark and shadowy growing room. Look closely, and you can see sheep’s wool layered on the ground – a clever way to reduce parasites and retain moisture.
As you can see in my video, we arrived at Line’s farmhouse to find it pouring heavily with rain. The rain had been relentless all day, and since Line was our last photoshoot of the day, I knew we had to embrace the weather to capture her magnificent garden.
To project an even and soft light across the scene, I used an umbrella to lift the flat light. This created a subtle brightness in the vegetation while also illuminating Line’s face, subtly pulling her out of her umbrella’s shadow. I also gave her direction in terms of facial expression and encouraged her to move spontaneously, as if caught in the rain. Line was such a fun person to collaborate with.
Later that evening, we were nearly caught in a flood when a river burst its banks. Many main roads were damaged overnight, and there were emergency warnings everywhere.
Inger Torill Holte Breien. Breie gård, Etnedal, Valdres, Innlandet.
Breie Gård, perched atop a majestic 711m high hill deep within the heart of the Valdres valley, offers breathtaking views for miles. Upon arrival, we were greeted by crisp air and a sun-drenched, cloud-free sky.
The elegance of the main house was immediately striking. After Inger Torill’s return to the family home a few years ago, it had undergone a wonderful restoration. However, capturing the essence of a location can be challenging, so I often focus on key elements. In this case, Inger Torill herself and a carefully composed shot of the house.
The house was the star of the show, but it was bathed in morning shadow. To achieve a rich, detailed exposure, I exposed for the shadows. To illuminate Inger Torill, I placed an umbrella directly in front of her, ensuring it illuminated the entire frame edge to edge, creating the largest fill light.
Opening the double doors had two crucial purposes: to create a sense of warmth and add depth to the ‘flat’ frontage, and to prevent any glass from reflecting the umbrella’s light beam. As the sun quickly moved across the roofline, we moved some distracting objects inside the house and opened a random blind on the top floor to create more even symmetry. Finally, I directed Inger Torill into her pose.
We took a nice frame, but I wanted to offer some alternative poses. Three additional frames were captured, and we were complete. Just then, serendipity struck…
…the sun had risen to the point where it started to flare across my wide-angle lens. It was perfect! We immediately repeated the poses before the flare was too intense, causing the image to become unfocused and lose all contrast. We wrapped up the shoot, sat down for breakfast, and enjoyed a cup of coffee.
I want to extend my warmest gratitude to all 17 farmers I met and photographed. Your collective warmth and welcome made me smile every day. I was also delighted by the pride in your produce and the passion you have for sharing your stories. I wish you all the greatest success.
Finally, I want to express my deepest gratitude to Elin Halland Simensen for trusting my photographic eye once again. Two weeks of great conversation, laughter, astute charging decisions, and of course, visiting a fantastic range of murder hotels were truly unforgettable ⤲
https://fjellnettverket.no
All photographs by Emile Holba.
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