Christian Nørgaard

I always plan roughly – I know what I want – but always keep a back door open for opportunities. Basically, I make sure all my equipment is checked and making sure everything works as it should. Then I follow my plan and improvise along the way – thus I achieve the best results with e.g. portraits.

I take all my pictures with the utmost respect for the people who are involved. I do not sneak up on them, I do not try to hide my camera or myself. What I try to do is to be invisible like a fly on the wall. I'm never noisy but want to be as anonymous as possible – but most of all, I respect the people I photograph.

I try as best as I can to find the mysterious, unexpected, and beautiful regardless if it is people or landscapes that I am shooting. That's why I take as much time as possible when I am shooting – I am not a fast shooter, but rather a slow one.

Bent K. Rasmussen was a self-taught sports photographer with a great passion for boxing. I meet him when I was a student at Berlingsketidne. Together we spend many nights at the ringside, shooting boxers who got beaten up. He taught me how to work with two cameras – a camera with a 35mm and a camera with a 90mm. In my left hand, I would hold the 35mm and in the right hand the 90mm.

Always shoot on 1000 and stay away from the corners between the rounds – you will get blood and snot on yourself. And sometimes they piss in their pants.
I still smell Bent's sweet scent of whiskey and hear his hoarse voice – a true mentor who sadly passed away.

What was your best and your worst experience as a photographer?
The worst one is easy to remember. I was traveling in Java, Indonesia, together with a friend and we wanted to climb a mountain. By no means a dangerous mountain, it was just a long and tough trek uphill. Along the way, I was bitten by a furious insect and got a minor malaise. But stubborn as I was, I continued towards the top. Along the way, we met screaming monkeys and at one point, just below the top, we climbed the last meters through a rainy thunder cloud. Wet, freezing, exhausted, with altitude sickness and fever due to my insect bite, we stood on top. At this moment all the clouds lightened, and the beautiful exotic landscape flared up under us in the last rays of the day. It truly was a great moment for these two – at that time –  very young adventurers. I picked up my camera from the backpack to capture a selfie and the amazing landscape beneath us.

The worst one is easy to remember. I was traveling in Java, Indonesia, together with a friend and we wanted to climb a mountain. By no means a dangerous mountain, it was just a long and tough trek uphill. Along the way, I was bitten by a furious insect and got a minor malaise. But stubborn as I was, I continued towards the top. Along the way, we met screaming monkeys and at one point, just below the top, we climbed the last meters through a rainy thunder cloud. Wet, freezing, exhausted, with altitude sickness and fever due to my insect bite, we stood on top. At this moment all the clouds lightened, and the beautiful exotic landscape flared up under us in the last rays of the day. It truly was a great moment for these two – at that time –  very young adventurers. I picked up my camera from the backpack to capture a selfie and the amazing landscape beneath us.

So why is this my worst experience with a camera? The answer is short. I had forgotten to load my camera with a battery which I had left in the hotel room. Ever since I always check my batteries twice.

My best experience – well, fortunately, there have been many. My first visit to Angor Wat in Cambodia was about 25 years ago. At that time there were almost no tourists. I spent several days together with local monks who took me to the many ruins and temples – a wonderful experience, and today an important memory.