Rise & Shine - Behind the Scenes

Here is a look behind the scenes of my photo project Rise & Shine. Photographed in Sweden the summer of 2024, edited and finalized in September 2024. I traced the shadow of the man on a thick styrofoam board, cut out the shadow shape and painted it and covered it in dirt and rocks to create the feeling of the cutout shadow. See the process in the video below:

I wanted to capture the moment of transformation, the journey of leaving behind the shadows of the past, but acknowledging that those experiences have shaped who we are. The quiet power of rising from within, shining through the challenges that once held us down.

Disclaimer: Photographed with Hasselblad X2D-100c with the XCD 2,5/25V lens. No Ai- or CGI generated elements were used in the creation of this image.

Play Outside - Behind the Scenes

A look behind the scenes of the the brand new work “Play Outside“ that I photographed last summer in Sweden and have been working on since then from now and then.

This project captures the essence of children's play, evoking the feeling of being right there with them. Often, we are encouraged to "play outside," but this phrase usually means leaving the home to play. What if the game itself is to "play outside," blending indoor and outdoor experiences? Captured in a single scene questioning what is real or not.

Creating this photo involved three key steps:

1. Photographing the Kids: I captured the children with a large fabric to shade them from the sun but still provide the light from the rays through the window cutouts in the fabric.

2. Capturing the Background: The background scene was photographed again during cloudy conditions later in the day.

3. Printing and Photographing the Fabric: The background was printed and used as fabric, which I then photographed to achieve realistic creases and textures and create the perfect blend between the two worlds.

Photographed on Hasselblad X2D-100c with the HCD 38mm V lens. All combined in Photoshop, no Ai or CGI generated elements were used.

Make Purpose - Behind the Scenes

A look behind the scenes of my latest project “Make Believe“ and how it was made. Book photographed in my studio in Prague, background/surrounding photographed in Sweden and model and the grass photographed in a park in Prague, Czech Republic. Model: Inga Sitas

Work Together - Behind the Scenes

A behind the scenes video of my project "Work Together" Photographed in July 2020. In order to make the structure look as realistic as possible I build a 1:8 scale model out of concrete, additional textures where also applied in post to make it look larger. I also dragged a heavy concrete object through the tall grass to create a realistic trace behind the structure. The models where photographed at 4 different heights to match the perspective of where they would be placed on the structure. Behind the scenes video coming tomorrow of how it was made! You may see a larger version of it on my website, link in profile!

Big thanks to the models: Maria, Joakim, Mattias, Jonas
Music licenced by Epidemic Sounds: The Girl from Summer Camp - pär

Comfort Zone - Behind the Scenes

I wanted to create a place that gives the feeling of both a safe and comfortable place but at the same time a prison and the feeling of being trapped. Much like what a comfort zone can be like. Photographed this summer outside of Prague with a custom built green house to fit the model perfectly. Hasselblad H6D-50c @ 50mm, 2x Profoto B10.

Office Escape - Behind the Scenes

For my latest project I wanted to create a place where a person has decided to escape his old habits and obligations to take a step out into the unknown. Blocking the door with his office chair and creating a paper plane made of old office papers. (in fact made out of my old failed exams from my university time). I wanted to create a symmetric composition representing the old and new world to make it look as if it's a crossroad between the old and new path, with the man posissioned slightly to the right as if he already made up his mind, this is his escape.

I had a large silver umbrella outside the window on the right side with a flash with a warm filter that would give this soft big light from the right side on the model and environment (profoto b1x). From the left side I had a smaller flash where the window of the door is with a blue filter (profoto A1) aimed towards the model. I also had a third flash with a slight greenish filter aimed towards the ceiling giving on overall soft fill light, making the ceiling act like a giant softbox (profoto b10). That's basically it. The paper plane was a real size 2 meter prop I built and all the props in the background i either rented or bought. I wanted to give it a feeling of being a snapshot somehow so did a high res scan of a plain negative shot on a analog Hasselblad camera that I applied on top of the image to create realistic analog feeling noise / grain. The model was a friend of mine. Colors were tweaked in photoshop but that's pretty much it. Door shot separately and placed there in post in the same perspective and light. See the video below how it was made.

Give me Time - Behind the Scenes

The struggle of going though life with more and more obligations weighing you down. People want to borrow your time, but time is not borrowed, it’s taken and never returned.

Model and environment photographed in Sweden last year, clocks bought in a vintage shop and photographed in my studio in Prague. See the behind the scenes video below:

Daybreaker - Behind the Scenes

Here you can see the process behind my latest project “Daybreaker”. Photographed in the early fall of 2018 out in a field with model and props. I wanted to capture the light hitting the model in a realistic way so I used one flash as the sun (Profoto Pro7b 1200ws with Telezoom Reflector, ¼ CTO) and another light as the moon hitting the model and prop from behind with a colder light (Profoto B1X with a white umbrella, ½ CTB). I used a large black fabric to flag “the sun“ so it would only hit the legs of the model and parts of the lever. Photographed with a Hasselblad H6D-50c @ 50mm, 1/60s, f8, iso200. The cat and various parts of the background was photographed seperatly and added into the scene in post.

Below you can see the Behind the Scenes video showing the process behind creating the project from sketch and planning to shooting and post production. Photographed in Holmestad, Sweden, August 2018.

Music: “yglo - saturday” on klangwelt records, a side project by Ryan Davis, listen more of his music under: www.ryandavis.de