Creating Timeless Stories With Morten Nordstrøm
Morten Nordstrøm is a Danish photographer who views himself as a storyteller, influenced by cinematic films and the look and feel of analogue film. Studying old techniques from old masters helps Morten achieve a timeless quality to his work. Here you can read more about Morten and be inspired by his pictures – and don't forget to join our live webinar with Morten on September 9th!
Autumn leaves are not a sign of decay, but a message that nature is in transition and what follows is a time for self reflection, turning inwards and preserving energy for the winter.
Morten Nordstrøm is a Danish commercial and fashion photographer who loves to tell timeless stories that evoke emotions. When he was a child Morten remembers watching his grandfather documenting their lives with his camcorder, with an excitement that was infectious and really spoke to Morten. Filming the family on a summery beach during sunset is when Morten first became aware of framing; the fact that we are free to decide what to include in the frame – and what to leave out.
The popularity of Instagram and smartphones made Morten aware of always having a camera on him. This ignited a need to constantly create something and share his images with other people. He also wanted to develop his skills, which made him invest in a real camera and learn how to use it properly. After a few years of shooting as a hobby and going some freelance work, he found himself in his dream job working with social media.
While he loved the job, he discovered that his personal ambitions were higher than the time allotted to carry out the projects. After a while he felt that he had to follow his dream and the spark that ignited within him every time he was on a set, pushing that shutter button. In 2016 he quit his job and jumped out into the deep end, without any certainty of the future.
“To realise your dream, all you can do is take one step at a time and do your best,” says Morten. “There’s a certain energy connected to being in that mode, which has helped me get where I am today. I always try my best and find solutions even if they’re not apparent.”
Morten Nordstrøm’s self portrait illustrates the timelessness he strives for in his work. Simplicity of form, harmony of composition and a tranquillity cast by a golden light.
One of photographers Morten admires is Vivian Maier, who lived her entire life capturing photos of life as she saw it, without ever showing a single photo to anyone. “A lifetime of documenting in such a stunning way, just for her own sake. That’s really unique and shows that her love for photography was real and came from within,” Morten explains. To him it seems almost surreal in todays photographic society that someone would work for decades, developing and evolving their skills, without getting any acknowledgement from others. While Morten too finds a lot of energy in the things that matter to him on a personal level, sharing those stories with others is a big part of the satisfaction.
Morten likes to keep his gear simple in order to focus more on storytelling and less on the technicalities. “That helps me be more present and focused,” he explains. “The key is to figure out what it is you want to do and then go for it, without thinking too much about the how.” As a practical tip to aspiring photographers, Morten advises sticking to classics rather than following trends: “Invest in high quality equipment that could potentially last a lifetime. Cute, new things can be fun for a while, but it is good to have solid pieces that you trust and always come back to.”
While Morten dreams about shooting magazine covers and creating commercial films for the biggest brands in the world, there is also one specific person he would love to photograph: Her Majesty the Queen Margrethe II of Denmark. “She seems like such a wonderful person! It would be an honour to take her photo”, Morten concludes.
Learn more about videography
See our webinar with Morten fron 2021-09-09 where he talks more about videography and gives tips on what gear you need and hear Morten's story about how he got where he is today.
Morten's Canon Gear
More of Morten
Portfolio: www.mortenordstrom.com
Instagram: @mortenordstrom
Vimeo: Morten Nordstrøm
Author of the article: Kristina Lindfors
Scandinavian photo
2021-08-27
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