Over a year ago, I have launched a new photography service for my clients called ‘New Yorker for a Day’.
The service was mostly targeted to tourists who visited New York City and wanted to have a collection of high quality- fashion-New York style- images to take with them back home. The ‘New Yorkerfor a Day’ became quite a success and I got calls and requests from people all over the Globe. I was even mentioned in a magazine in Australia!. Among my clients were French girls who came to New York to celebrate a Birthday, a newly wed couple (He is Israeli, she is Swedish) who visited New York and he surprised her with that session. A bride to be who got it as a gift from one of her NY’s friends, a woman who came to New York with her teenager daughter and many more who just wanted to have fun and get a memorable and different souvenir from the city.
People really loved it and in the first opportunity I had, I offered it in Paris and shot ‘Parisian for a Day’ .
I am a true believer that as a photographer, if I want to give my clients a better service and connect with them in a more professional level, I’d better go through the ‘New Yorker for a Day’ myself. If I be in front of the camera and not behind it, as I usually am, I will be able to direct/connect with my clients better.
That was when I asked a good friend of mine and a talented photographer Olga Miranova to take pictures of me in my favorite neighborhood, the West Village and walk in the pictorial streets I usually hang out such as Morton, Hudson, Charles and Perry.
‘Israel’s cool coastal city is an electrifying mix of stylish hotels and high design landmarks- all along miles of white- sand beaches’
This is how Tel Aviv is described in the October issue of Travel+Leisure magazine.
Last April I was contacted by one of the Photo Editors of Travel+Leisure Magazine, asking me if I was by any chance in Tel Aviv and available for a shoot. The timing was perfect and I was assigned to shoot the monthly column T+L Decoder for Tel Aviv. The Decoder is actually the definitive guide which covers the best places to Eat, See, Shop and Stay in one city. Tel Aviv was chosen for October issue. Needless to say how excited I was and honored to shoot Tel Aviv. A few days later I got a list of places and locations I had to cover. As someone who lives in New York for a while now and comes to Tel Aviv for holiday visits, I must admit I was thrilled to discover new locations in the city and capture them from a different point of view. Not a local.
Beside shooting the various locations, I also had to keep in mind an interesting, graphic and impressive image for the guide’s cover. When I mentioned it to some of the ‘objects’, they got enrolled and excited and all wanted to be chosen for the cover. When I was in need for people as objects, some of my friends happily volunteered to be photographed as they also wanted to see me in my ‘working mode’.
The article was written by David Kaufman, a great NY based writer who, as I’ve heard, loves Tel Aviv. Here is the online version of the article. (I highly recommend to download the interactive iPad version)
Hope this article and the images will take you soon to Tel Aviv.
If you want to see young guys talking about laundry detergents or getting some folding tricks, head towards WasBar (available in Gent and Antwerp, Flanders)
WasBar is a winning concept of a launderette and a cafe, which is now getting a twist and raising its functional appeal with the addition of a hairdresser and a working space, all under one roof in a well designed space.
Here is a great clip that explains about the place and its concept.
The founders of WasBar are two young guys, Dries Henau and Yuri Vandenbogaerde, both live in Gent, known as a University city, with lots of students who live in dorms or student apartments that sometimes lack the laundry machines. Dries and Yuri themselves, used to take their laundry to their mothers during the weekend, and I guess at a certain point they got tired of it. They asked themselves ‘What does the student want?’ They came out with the assumption that students want to spend their time more usefully and enjoy while waiting for the whirring machines.
So they decided to create a special place for that.
Their concept won a TV competition for young entrepreneurs (The flemish version of The Apprentice) and they opened the space in Gent on October 2012 and recently expanded to Antwerp.
Dries and Yuri pay attention for everything. They chose a young and hype design studio, PinkEye which created a suitable designed and colorful space for the students and the young professionals in Gent. I loved the graphic identity of the place; from a clothes-pin crossed with a bottle opener logo, to the pink-light blue and mint green color palette, not to mention that each laundry machine has a name! The laundry machines are named after women while the tumble dryers are named after men.
The space is opened till 10pm and there is no better thing than overhearing two young guys in their 20s discussing laundry matters.
In July, AFAR Travel Magazine sent me to Flanders to indulge in the rich culture of the region and to enjoy the Flemish way of life. I was visiting four different cities (Gent, Brussels, Bruges and Antwerp) in six days and shot tons of pictures. I met a lot of interesting people who were very proud of their country and profession, I tasted few different kinds of beers, I even sniffed and inhaled chocolate and experienced the original Gentse Feesten in Gent. It was a hectic, enjoyable and an eye opener trip.
To learn more about my Flanders’ experience, make sure to read my complete Guide to Flanders on AFAR.com.
From the four cities I’ve visited, Antwerp is the one I wished I had more time to spend there. The city has a successful balance between culture and commerce, high end fashion and local tradition. It is strategically located on the Scheldt river, and has some great architectural highlights alongside 16th century guild houses and Art Nouveau gems.
Buildings such as the Train Central Station, which was completed in 1905 and serves as the main hub to Antwerp
The Law Courts by the architect Richard Rogers, with the spiked roofs and the bright yellow lines alongside the stairs.
Huis Van Roosmalen, which is a private residence, owned by designer and art collector Will Van Roosmalen. The house was finished in 1985 and designed by Bob Van Reeth. I love the black and white stripes and the curved structure.
and the Zuiderterras, which was designed by Bob Van Reeth as well and looks like a ship moored on the Scheldt’s river and serves as a cafe and a restaurant. All these architectural wonders make the city more interesting and surprising.
The city is very active. It has a great fashion scene, it hosts an impressive collection of restaurants and bars, has various museums, great architecture and a young and trendy vibe. I highly recommend to visit Antwerp during the Summer times, when the days are long and it is getting dark after nine.
Here is my Antwerp’s intake and my express guide to the capital of Flanders; Where to shop, sip, eat and visit.
Named after the building it is located in, Graanmarkt 13 is ‘a special house where every floor tells a story’. This beautiful building that used to be a bank, was bought by Ilse and Tim, who live with their two kids on the 3rd floor. I was lucky to meet Ilse, the owner, who gave me a tour around this beautiful concept store and restaurant. Graanmarkt 13 has a restaurant on the lower level, overseen by the young chef Seppe Nobels, who, by the way, uses only local products and grows the herbs on the rooftop terrace above the restaurant. The entrance level is the store and gallery, where fashion, jewelry and home accessories hand picked by Ilse herself, are displayed beautifully. The second floor serves as offices and a gallery, where sometimes designers can show and present their clothes. Isle, who used to be a lawyer, told me it was her dream to create such a concept store, and I must say, it’s a beautiful one.
This should be one of the stores to see when you visit Antwerp. It is quite a small place but it has an impressive collection of high quality gloves since 1884, the year it was established. The store interior seems like it stayed the same since that year. The great collection of gloves, ranging from lambskin gloves trimmed with rabbit fur or pigskin gloves lined with cashmere, is all stored in green colored drawers that line the walls. When I ask the salesperson how many gloves she holds at the store at that moment, she answered about 10,000 in store and in stock. People all over the world are attending the store and order this well known gloves brand.
I was very happy to discover Seven Rooms store in one of my morning strolls in Antwerp. I was on my way toward Marnixplaats square, which became a favorite location for me, when I saw the colorful sofa in the entrance of the store. It triggered my curiosity and I had to check out this huge white space. Seven Rooms was opened in January 2013 and it is a combination between Aldo Torelli, an Italian Fashion Agent, his Japanese wife Mie Sazen, and Gustav Bruynseraede, a Belgium retailer. The Concept Store is called Seven Rooms, because there are seven ‘units’ in that open space; Bedroom, Bathroom, Kitchen, Garden, Living room, Library and Walk in Closet. Each ‘unit’ has the right functional accessories. The whole experience is revolves hospitality. When I got in and met with the store manager, she made sure I would feel right at home, and welcomed me with coffee and cookies. Mie is the one who travels the world to find unique brands and things that look different than what the other designers bring to Belgium. The store has been a great success. Despite its high end brands and prices, I highly recommend to visit it.
Cafe Hopper is a well known ‘institution’ in Antwerp’s nightlife and Bohemian scene. It is a small place with simple wooden chairs and a piano but it is always packed. If you are not familiar with the local scene, you might think Cafe Hopper is just a simple place, but it attracts local and international jazz musicians and it is packed day and night. The cafe is located in Leopold De Waelstraat, a central square surrounded with great other restaurants and cafes, but despite its simple look, it considered one of the most mythological places in the Zuid. (South)
Cafe Hopper, Leopold De Waelstraat 2, 2000 Antwerpen
It is always good to know where the ‘cool’ local people hang out. I believe it is the best way to experience the local scene. One of the places I have discovered is Vitrin, an all-day cafe with a cocktail bar and an outdoor chairs and tables, packed with young and hype Antwerpenese.
Vitrin is located in the ‘Zuid‘ (The South) area of Antwerp, known for its recent gentrification of young and artistic crowd. The cafe is in the Marnixplaats Square, which is surrounded by other cafe places, restaurants and bars. The two owners of Vitrine are Michiel Thys and Kenny Aernouts, who opened Vitrine in 2011, as they wanted to create a place that will be low key and simple, and yet, people will feel comfortable and welcomed. If you go there during evening time, or you just fancy a drink, ask for the special- a spritzer made with cava, aperol and sliced orange.
Located just across the street from Vitrin, also in Marnixplaats square, you can find the great seafood-only restaurant Fiskebar. The place is like ‘Scandinavian flavors meet Belgian tradition’ and is heaven to fish and seafood lovers. The place is simply styled; white tiled walls, chalk-written menu on the walls and wooden chairs. There is the bar area, which is mostly for small dishes and appetizers or the main dinning room for full courses. In the Summer times, better enjoy sitting outdoors and watch the crowd.
Museum aan de Stroom, or MAS, (or Museum on the Stream) is one of the most significant cultural and architectural building in Antwerp. The museum is entirely dedicated to the city of Antwerp, with some changing galleries and exhibits mostly around the escalators area. I visited the museum twice; First time at night and second time during day time. It is fascinating in every hour of the day. The museum facade looks like a stack of red boxed connected by see through tubes. These curled wave-shaped floor to ceiling windows allow you to have a marvelous overview of Antwerp’s docks.
Take the escalators to the 9th floor and exit the rooftop to see a 360 view of Antwerp. If you climb to the first and upper floors of the museum and you face the square, you can notice a painted mosaic of a skull, based on a painting by the Belgian painter Luc Tuymans.
Being in Antwerp and not visiting the ModeNatie Museum is like being in Beijing and not walking on the Great Wall. If Antwerp is considered the capital of Fashion, the ModeNatie is a must. The Complex includes Flanders Fashion Institute, MoMu Fashion Museum, the editorial department of A magazine and the fashion department of Hogeschool Antwerp. The building has an interesting interior of geometric lines and dark wood stairs that can stand in contrast to the flowing shape of the fabrics that are part of the exhibit and display.
When you visit the museum, don’t skip the Copyrightbookstore that keeps a great collection of Art and Fashion books. I loved it!
When I grow up I want to design a hotel…Yep, same like this one…the citizenM hotel in Bankside London.
I’ve heard about citizenM when I was visiting London on July. I was having a meeting and a portfolio review with WallPaper Magazine and in preparing myself to the meeting, I read the WallPaper Travel section and came across the citizenM post. The hotel happened to be located just across the street from WallPaper offices so I made sure to go and see the hotel with my own eyes.
Yes. I admit. I love Shapes and Colors. (and if you follow my blog for a while now, I’m sure you have probably noticed that) so no wonder I was drawn into the huge lobby of citizenM immediately and wandered its colorful labyrinth. Then I got to the working space area that really made me envy I wasn’t the one sitting there working on my computer.
Wandering the lobby, I’ve noticed the nonchalant atmosphere among the guests, who seemed to feel like it was their own living-room. I loved it!
When I got back to New York, I had the pleasure of meeting Noreen Chadha, who is managing the up and coming citizenM in New York. Noreen was kind enough to share with me the story of the hotel chain and I’m so excited to share it with you.
It all started when Rattan Chadha, back then a textile tycoon and now the founder of citizenM, was always looking for a different kind of hotels while he was traveling for business. During his fashion days, Chadha had about 100 designers traveling all over the world, from London to Milan to Paris to New York, and they were always complaining about their hotels. These were cool creative people, and they wanted to stay in a hotel where they could connect with the brand and with the lifestyle. They wanted to have a drink at the bar and meet likeminded people. But they always ended up in a Holiday Inn or a Marriott, because of budget. This was a common frustration, and it got Rattan thinking about a new opportunity. He got a team of people, all hospitality-connected, all frequent flyers and together they came up with a list of frustrations but also with some creative solutions and suggestions.
citizenM, The New Generation of Traveller
Chadha and team realized the hospitality world is no longer divided into just two segments of travelers; The 5-start traveler or the Budget traveler. No. Nowadays travelers are mix and match and no longer boxed in one category; They might stay at different types of hotels for different trips, fly economy, take public transportation and yet, they want to dine in the hottest restaurant in town. They might wear Zara or Uniqlo but will also have a Rolex on their wrist.
The new generation of traveler is the citizenM (M is for Mobile). The citizenM traveler is a frequent traveler going to the major cities of the world, travels for work or pleasure or both. He is conscious about value, cares about quality, luxury and quite protective of his time. He doesn’t want to waste time, but wants things to be easy, efficient and friendly.
Once the mobile citizen profile was established, it was easier to figure out what does a citizenM traveler want from a hotel; The result was 5 main things:
* Lifestyle- ‘You are where you sleep’. When you walk into a hotel you want to connect with the vibe and the atmosphere. You want it to fit with your lifestyle. You also want to feel comfortable and at home. And when you are at home, you spend most of your time in your living room or your kitchen, and you mainly use your bedroom for sleeping. So this is what hotels should be like. Instead of a small lobby, citizenM Hotels; lobbies are built like oversized living rooms. All hotels are designed by Concrete, Amsterdam, and the furniture are all by the Swiss luxury brand, Vitra. Each hotel has contemporary Art that comes from the chain’s private Art collection and the chain has an in house stylist who travels all over the world, collecting authentic items to put in the hotels’ living rooms, so it really does feel like a home.
* Efficiency. Self check in and check out. You can be checked in within 60 seconds. citizenM likes working paperless, and most communication is via emails. Your room-key is an RFID card, that also doubles as a luggage tag and you can use it any time and at any hotel of citizenM. You can also use the room-key to pay for food and beverage.
* Luxury. Even though rooms are quite small, you will have a luxury sleeping experience thanks to the 2×2 meters beds with the custom made mattresses by Sealy, Italian linen and super fluffy pillows. The shower amenities are all designed by Alessandro Gualtieri who spent months perfecting the citizenAM and PM fragrance for the hotel chain.
* Technology should be simple, user friendly and has to work! All rooms run on a customizable ambient server. Each room has his own mood-pad (designed especially for citizenM by Samsung and Swisscom). The mood-pads are all one-touch, easy to use. You can change the color of the lighting, the intensity of the lights, temperature, different types of alarms (wake up gently by a woman counting down and the lights slowly turning on, or wildly with the lights on bright and the sound of pingpong balls or elephants thrashing through the room). There are no hidden costs in the room. So you can enjoy free WiFi, free movies on demand and free phone calls (run through VOIP).
* Genuine, human service. This might be one of the most important values of citizenM; Their Staff. The hotel doesn’t believe in segmenting people into functions or positions, and instead, the hotel trains its staff to be multi functional. The staff is citizenM’s brand ambassadors and they embody the typical mobile citizen themselves. Each and every one of them is trained as baristas to make you great coffee, as mixologists to shake you a perfect cocktail, but they can also check you in or out, help you in the room, and they know the city well so they can help with local tips and advice. Therefore, I was so amazed when the bartender who welcomed me also showed me the rooms and gave me a private tour.
Each staff member is purely hired on his/hers personality and those who are going to make you feel at home the moment you walk in the door. (Trust me, I am talking from my own experience). It doesn’t matter if they have tattoos or pink hair, as long as they are great and welcoming people who know their job.
citizenM hotel is all about affordable luxury, comfort and design. As a travel photographer, who is always looking for a great, comfortable and eye-catching design, I am curious and drawn to these kinds of hotels, such as citizenM.
Next time I’m traveling to London or Amsterdam, you know where I will be staying, and you know I will be proud to be part of citizenM.
What if a fashion student from Brooklyn, a web developer from San Francisco, a videographer from Zurich, a Brazilian couple from Rio, a Brazilian couple who lives in Toronto and an Israeli photographer who lives in New York, all sit around one table for a Saturday brunch in a cute little apartment in the Lower East Side? It might sound like a beginning of a joke, but at the same time, it is a very possible situation, thanks to EatWith.
If you didn’t hear the latest news, EatWith is definitely IT.
Founded and started in Israel, and now rapidly spreading to Spain, Brazil, Italy and New York, EatWith is like the Airbnb but for food. As their statement says: ‘It is a global community that invites you to dine in homes around the World…connect with amazing hosts, share stories and unforgettable experiences, and enjoy delicious homemade cuisine’
As a travel photographer, I always prefer to walk in the less traveled paths. (This is when and where I get most of my best shots). And I have also been a fond of connecting with locals and experience their city through their eyes and daily habits. As the famous phrase guides me: When in Rome do as the Romans do….
Thanks to EatWith, I know that the next time I visit Barcelona and want to have original Tapas on an open terrace, I can easily book it here, or if I am in Amsterdam and want to have a special dinner cooked by a professional chef, I can book it here. The next time I be in Lisbon for a shoot and feel like having an old school Portuguese lunch, I can book it here. The options and the variety are almost endless…you see what I mean.
Before I tell you more about my recent Middle Eastern Brunch with a Hummus Master in the Lower East Side last Saturday, I have a confession to make; I know the people who run EatWith. And I know how hard they work to make this global community successful, professional and tasty.
Maya, who is a good friend of mine, joined EatWith group as the VP Product Developer right from the start. In fact, as a foodie, Maya used to cook special dinners for her friends and gradually turned these dinners into a networking get-together and raising money for a good cause. In one of her dinners, Guy Michlin and Shemer Schwartz, EatWith founders, were among the guests. They heard about Maya’s dinners and wanted to meet her in person. It took them one cooked meal to ask Maya to join their team.
Through Maya, I was introduced to Guy. I actually met Guy in Rome for the first time. I was there for a shoot and he was in Italy to recruit hosts. I had the opportunity to hear from Guy himself how did it all start. You can read all about Guy’s story here.
In one of my recent visits to Tel Aviv, I had the opportunity to join one of EatWith dinners. It was nice to see how strangers enjoyed sitting around one table and sharing dinner. ‘Well, of course it isgoing to work’ I thought to myself, ‘Because Israelis are so easy going and open’. But last Saturday I was so happy to discover that this concept of sitting around one table and sharing a meal with strangers, is quite successful even outside the borders of Israel, and in New York as well. I’m quite sure that if the typical New Yorker who can be sometimes skeptical, invites strangers to his home and cook for them lunch or dinner, than this EatWith vision to bring people together one meal at a time is definitely working.
I don’t quite remember how and when exactly did I find Guillaume Gaudet‘s page on facebook, but I remember very well how much I loved what I saw and how I found a close correlation between his images of New York and the images I took. In some pictures, it seemed as we were both at the same location almost at the same time, pointing our cameras. I was quite happy to discover that there was another photographer out there who sees similar things to what I see and vice versa.
Even today, few months after I have contacted Guillaume for the first time and met him in some occasions, there are times when I upload a picture on my facebook and Guillaume emails me back and says: ‘Funny, Sivan…but I have a similar picture from that same place…’
When I first saw Guillaume’s pictures, I knew I would love to shoot with him. I love to shoot with my local colleagues. It is fun and inspiring. But Guillaume was super busy and I was away, so the first time we met was only this mid June. I learned that beside shooting the same locations in New York, we might be sharing a similar path: We both left the Corporate world and followed our passion of Photography.
My favorite series of New York is NY Street Noir. It makes me want to shoot more Black and White. …’NY Street Noir is an ongoing series of street photography in New York City. I select photos and convert them in black and white when I feel that there’s a strong contrast of light and shadows or because the subject is better shown in a simpler way rather than in color, which could be a bit distracting. It’s pure street photography, moments of life in the Empire City caught by my eye and camera…’
Following Guillume’s work really makes you feel you are right there, in the moment. Take a look at his website, facebook page and blog, Shooting the Days.
I’m very excited to share with you more of Guillume’s NY Street Noir.
Merci Guillume!
Where are you from? France. I was almost born in Madrid. Then moved every 2 years until I was 15 years old. I lived in Germany and Argentina. It makes you more open-minded and keen to meet with other people. I just regret not having youth buddies.
Where did you study photography? I’ve never studied photography. I took my first photo class 2 months ago. It was a 2-weekend course about studio lightning. I’ve learned photography through magazines, books and on the web. Everything is out there for free. I just wish I had been able to study it and have more confidence from the beginning. I’ve shot a lot without being sure of myself at first.
What made you want to learn it? I moved to NY and I fell in love with the City. Being jobless at that time gave me a lot of time to shoot. When your hobby is your main occupation, you become more serious about it. I would spend more time editing my pictures, learning new stuff, etc.
If you weren’t a photographer what would you do? I’ve worked in real estate, finance and communications before becoming a photographer. It’s my fourth career. I’m not planning to change again. It’s my last one, for good. I never knew what I wanted to do before becoming a photographer. Now, I know.
Where do you get your inspiration from? Hard to tell. When I’m walking on the street, I look around and sometimes something catches my eye. It can be a person, a light, a shape, etc. I rarely know what I’m going to shoot. Except maybe for portraiture or lifestyle. I look at other photographers’ work, I see how and what they shoot.
What do you mostly love shooting? Environmental portraiture. People in a nice setting. If you have a very nice background and you put a cool or good-looking person in it, that’s the perfect picture.
How do you usually approach a new project?It depends on the project. If I would get assigned by a magazine, for example, I presume that I would do a thorough research to know where I have to go rather than wander and waste my time.
What are you working on right now? A lot of different things. Shooting at a palace hotel in NY, shooting a wedding, shooting fashion/lifestyle portraiture for my portfolio. Diversity is good, you never get bored.
Window or Aisle? Window for a flight during the day with nice views, aisle for a flight at night
I am very excited to be featured for the second time around on one of my favorite Travel sites, Let’s Travel Somewhere, curated and founded by the travel photographer Nisa Mayer. My first story was on Vietnam, and this time it is all aboutNew York.
“As someone who travels for work, I write mostly about places I visit and less about the place where I have been living for the last 11 years; New York. Sometimes, it is hard to look at a place you know so well with different eyes. But New York is so dynamic and surprising that every borough, neighborhood, street or even a door, can be a great opportunity for an interesting shot. Not only does New York never sleep, it barely reclines. (which suits well my personality). That doesn’t mean you can’t kick back and relax; there are plenty places for that. But if you visit New York, here’s a word to the wise: Beside packing your camera gear, pack also your most comfortable shoes; Because Manhattanites may not nap much, but they sure do walk a lot.
As a photographer based in New York, the streets of this city have always been a great inspiration for my photography: whether it’s the architecture, the city reflections on windows, the stream of energy in the streets, the people walking in it, the titanic billboards and advertising ads, the colorful murals and the graffiti on the walls. It all inspires me.”
To see more of my New York images and read more about it, please click on this link.
And as I said in a previous post about ‘Let’s Travel Somewhere’… the size (of the images) DOES matter.
I’ve been writing aboutParis quite a lot in the last couple of months since I visited the city three times in one year. I think that in one of my posts I even mentioned that I have this day – dream of living in Paris for few months, indulging in some French boulangeries, pâtisseries, fromageries.
While I continue to day dream about it, Carin Olsson, originally from Stockholm, Sweden, is actually DOING IT.
Carin is the persona behind the visually beautiful blog ‘Paris in Four Months’. She moved to Paris January 2012 for four months, mostly to learn French and to eat all the great food that Paris has to offer. She fell in love with the city, and came back to live there again a year later, January 2013. She is still not sure if she will be staying in Paris forever. ‘I’ve said to myself that I should stay as long as want to, but there are so many cities and exciting places to explore in this world before settling down. So perhaps I’ll go away for a while and then come back to Paris again, who knows?’
She shares with her readers bits and pieces of her Parisian life. If you follow her long enough (also on facebook and instagram) you will learn that she loves Fashion, Sweets (my favorite category) Store Windows and much more. Especially I am looking forward to her Weekend Reading category. She always finds these gorgeous flowers that she pictures for her Weekend Reading finds. I love looking at her big-sized images that sometimes fill up my computer screen and make me feel as I am right there, with her, in Paris.
If you are planning a trip to Paris soon, I encourage you to check Paris in Four Months. If you want to know more about Carin and how she approaches new projects and what is next for her, read below.
Thanks Carin! Can’t wait to walk with you one day in Paris.
Merci!
Where are you originally from? I’m originally from Sweden. I grew up in a smaller city outside of Stockholm but during my teens I moved back into the city.
Where did you study photography? I’ve actually never studied anything in this category I’m afraid, although I would absolutely love to study photography and design in the future. Everything I’ve learnt about photography so far I have my dad and my ex-boyfriend to thank for. During many years I just watched them with a camera, in front of editing programs etc. and when I finally picked up my own camera I already had a bit of knowledge and tricks in the back of my head. I also think I taught myself a lot. I’m almost never happy with my photography which pushes me to find new ways and reach better results.
What made you want to learn it? I always had an interest for photography but it wasn’t until I made my first move to Paris that I realized how much I actually loved it. I would often spend my days walking around, exploring the city with the camera in my hand. After staring my blog and finding a way that I could share these photos I just wanted to get better and better.
If you weren’t a photographer what would you do?I unfortunately don’t think I can call myself a full-time photographer just yet but someday I hope to be able to do so. But if I couldn’t be a photographer in the future I would have loved to be an event planner. I looove organizing and planning! Or work at a magazine.
Where do you get your inspiration from? During the last year it’s been Paris. When I walk around the city I get the most inspiration. I love that I never seem to get tired of these beige, white and grey Parisian streets. Although I’m hardly the only one… Paris is extremely photogenic and very beautiful.
How would you describe ‘Your Paris’? Paris has a lot of different sides and they’re not all picture perfect and stunningly gorgeous, I’m aware of that. But I think I choose to see the prettier sides of this city. I love the history, the architecture and the romance of Paris.
What do you mostly love shooting? When I first started taking photos I focused a lot on the city itself but lately, during the last couple of months or so, I’ve really enjoyed shooting people too. I love capturing emotions and different moments, preferably when the person in front of the lens doesn’t notice the camera. Hopefully I’ll get some chance to practice this more in the future as well.
How do you usually approach a new project? It depends on the project but since I love to organize and plan and usually sit down with a pen and a pad and try to sort everything through. Time frames, places, people – everything that is a part of the project needs to be written down. I need to see things in front of me to really be able to grasp them and to organize my thoughts.
What are you working on right now? At the moment I’m working on two different articles for a Swedish magazine, both with Paris as the main subject. Hopefully I can share more once these are in print but right now all I can say is that they both involve two of my biggest passions; Paris and food.
What do you see and want next for yourself? I would love to focus more on the photography part. I feel happy and excited every time I pick up my camera and that’s how I would like to feel every minute of every day. I would also love to go a little bit more towards the fashion side of photography. Right now, that’s the most exciting for me!
Window or Aisle? Aisle for sure. I get kind of claustrophobic if I’m forced to sit in the window seat.
Resource Magazine Summer 2013 edition is out! and my second article in the series ‘Productions of the World’ is now focusing on Lisbon, Portugal. (My first one was on Tel Aviv). If you are a photographer who is interested to shoot in Lisbon, than this article will definitely help you plan it. And if you are not a photographer but still, visiting the Portuguese capital, you will find some great tips and recommendations.
Some people might refer to Portugal as the ‘foster kid of Europe’, not necessarily for its southwestern location in the continent, but mostly for its comfortable Mediterranean climate throughout the year and the warm temper of its people. These two make Portugal as a popular destination to visit, explore and travel.
The Portuguese people love to travel. Therefore it is no surprise that Lisbon, their capital, is a sophisticated, global city with endless opportunities to offer visitors and its native residents. Recently the city has started to wake up to tourism and become more alive, more tourist-friendly and a desired destination among the younger crowds.
A new generation of venues has popped up in the last couple of years, upgrading the night-life and dining scene. More chef-oriented restaurants are being opened, more bars and clubs pay attention to the design scene and more trendy fashion boutiques are spreading around. Combine this with the history, the architecture, the beaches, and the fact it is a compact city and relatively easy to navigate, and you have a great destination to visit and a diverse city to shoot in.
