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Gaute Lorentsen
@gautelorentsen
Photographer based in Norway
Sometimes you feel like you’re on top of the mountain. Other times you are at the bottom and can’t find the way up. Life has ups and downs and the past months haven’t been the greatest in my photography career. I dealt with some personal matters, a lack of motivation, and a lot of work, which eventually made me take a break. Apart from my freelance work and a couple of northern lights sessions I have barely taken any photos for probably the longest period of time in years.
However, during this break, I’ve had the time to connect with people, both like-minded photographers, and artists, as well as clients wanting to work together. In just a couple of weeks, I will leave for a new adventure with my good friend @fernando._.thor whom I met through Instagram. Taking a break has made me want more and be able to focus on my next steps with my photography.
At this moment I’m looking forward to shooting for a couple of bigger brands. It’s been months in the making, and it’s finally happening soon. The brands also correlate with the type of shooting I’m most passionate about, landscapes and traveling, so I’m really excited about these projects. I’m looking into doing more videos in the future, as it’s how my passion for photography started. I have been missing doing it for a while.
I used to watch a lot of movies, over a couple of years at least one movie a day. The ones that have the biggest impression on me are where there is a fine balance between interesting characters with an arc, and a story that hasn’t been told before, or is told in a new way. We are very saturated with media, and to really be successful with a great story it has to be something new. I’m also a big fan of movies based on true stories, these not only entertain, but also teach. As a photographer, the visuals are also a big part of the experience for me. A few films/tv-series that come to mind that I loved are ‘’Band of Brothers’’, ‘’Her’’, ‘’Another Round’’ and the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
I live in Norway, a vast country incredibly rich in nature, but I only began to see and explore and capture it during the pandemic and I have to say, I’ve been blown away by my homeland. So, when deciding to participate in the ColorPro video contest, I didn’t have to think long about which theme to choose for my video. I hadn’t shot any of the clips I took during the pandemic with a specific story in mind, so for this short and themed video for ColorPro, I had to come up with something all my clips had in common.
"Raw Beauty. A beauty I finally had biome aware of."
The story was clear to me, and then I just needed to stitch a few selected clips together and write the voiceover. Everyone interprets visuals and stories differently based on their personal experiences and preferences, but if someone gets inspired to go on a weekend road trip in their home country instead of reminiscing about traveling or feeling limited as going to some country on the other side of the world is not (yet) possible, I’m happy.
My videos as well as my photography are highly influenced by the landscapes within Norway and the mood you often find in these nordic, rather remote places. With everything I do, creating photographs or videos, the weather is the most important factor to consider. I constantly keep an eye on the forecast. Living where I live means I can wake up to fresh snow, and go to bed with 18 degrees and a fiery red sunset. The weather can change in a moment, and it is important to be prepared to catch that second of perfect condition. When I plan a shoot I also like to go to Google maps first and check in which direction the sun will rise and set, this gives me an idea of when the light probably will be at its best. A lot of shooting landscapes is just trial, error, and a little bit of luck and patience.
"It’s impossible to control the elements, which also gives every picture a unique look."
I’m a fan of moody, dark, contrasty pictures, which is also what I try to achieve with my edits. One example that comes to mind is a photo of a bridge in Lofoten going over a fjord. First of all, I love how massive the cliffs of the mountains are, plummeting straight into the ocean. The circular formation of the mountain range reminds me of a crown encapsulating the fjord. I remember the first time flying my drone out revealing this epic landscape, feeling ecstatic about the sight I was seeing. This has turned into one of my favorite spots in Lofoten, and I’m constantly going back under different conditions.
Another moody photograph showing “my style” is of the mountain Otertinden in Northern Norway. This is a very distinctive-looking mountain with three sharp peaks. After doing a midnight hike in Lyngen and coming back to our cars at 4 o’clock in the morning, my travel group and I decided to take advantage of the light. We drove for nearly two hours while spotting a lot of wildlife to get to this spot. After shooting what we wanted, we went to sleep for a couple of hours before driving toward Tromsø.
The last photograph I would like to share with you is from my hometown, Trondheim. This isn’t the typical blue color moody picture, but I think it has a special feeling to it. This is maybe the second most photographed place in my city, so I knew I wanted to shoot it from a different angle. After looking at Google maps, I spotted some trees that I could use as a foreground with my drone. Then all I had to do was to wait for the right conditions. I live close by so I can get to this spot in 5 minutes easily. I looked out the window from time to time to see how the sunsets were. One night, after getting in bed around midnight, I had the feeling that this was a sunset I couldn’t miss. I looked out the window and I was right. So I jumped on my bike and went on my mission to take the photo. It took maybe a couple of months and a couple of failed shoots the get the conditions I was looking for.
I think my editing is a good blend between realism and more moody colors. I like to take advantage of interesting light to make my pictures have more feeling in them. What has been interesting to me the most lately is the use of more unique perspectives and elements in my photography. I have a few photos in mind for my upcoming trip, that I think will give my style just that extra uniqueness, making my photos stand out a bit more. Hopefully, I’ll be able to pull it off! But whatever happens, I am happy I’m back on track, feeling energized and motivated again. Sometimes taking a break is all you need to get back stronger!
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