Helge Skodvin

Helge Skodvin is a photographer based in Norway, working for magazines and on his own personal projects. He has been nominated for a Leica Oskar Barnack Award and the Magnum Photography Award. Much of his work is concentrated on simplistic subjects and compositions rather than crowded settings; however, this emptiness allows the viewer to investigate the importance of the subject or location that are highlighted in the images. 

In these particular images of Sigrid, his use of depth of field encourages a central focus on the subject. This work was shot for a magazine, this photo shoot focusing on Sigrid's hometown. I feel as though the shallow depth of field of most of the images in this collection allow for the context of the article to be more easily portrayed through these images, as it appears as if Sigrid is in the present and her hometown and past is in the distant background and out of focus but is still an important part that is involved in her life; which is why it is subtly included in the images. I would usually concentrate on photographers of portraiture that base their images on using harsh lighting in studio setting such as using colour gels. However, this natural lighting can be appreciated more in certain aspects as it creates a sense of realism and authenticity to the collection.