Photographer + Writer
[Natural Light Portraits]
Copenhagen, Denmark
I photograph people, mostly. And senses — of place, of home, of belonging. Of joy and of dreams. Special moments and the special in the everyday.
Evocative and pensive is how I would describe what I (try to) do, which probably explains my penchant for low-fi, hushed, (often) unsharp, murky, misty, grainy imagery. Imperfections, small(er) moments, and the everyday are what interests me the most. Ultimately, I seek the ‘humble sublime’, a term I picked up in an essay on the work of my favorite writer and painter Tove Jansson. She was a bold, yet quiet artist who created the world of Moomins — my happy place of adventure and my source of inspiration.
If you're a kindred spirit, an art director with a commission brief, or a fellow artist looking to do something cool together, drop me a line to alkelu@pm.me or use this contact form.
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My photographic work is strongly informed by my biography of relocation and by my academic background in Anthropology and Cultural Geography. I am what they might call a third-culture kid: born in Central Asia, grew up in the Baltics, East Germany, and Russia (St. Petersburg). Before settling in Denmark, I lived in the US, England, Norway, and Greece.
I am curious about where people feel they belong, about where they place themselves, and about the narratives they carry. That's why I'm always so thrilled to photograph new people -- each time I learn a new story, a new perspective.
Aside from that, I am fascinated by languages. Not just as a means of communication but as cultural, cognitive, and phonetic phenomena, which is why I like to learn about languages just as much as I like learning them! I am bilingual in English and Russian, and speak Greek, Danish, Norwegian, and German with varying degrees of fluency.
I have strong opinions but am open to ideas. People have become too polarized and often can’t look at themselves in a critical light. I believe in free speech even if it offends me. I also believe in uncomfortable, honest conversations — it’s the only way to move past differences and achieve any tangible results. In others, I respect the ability to disagree with someone while still being interested in what they have to say.
[Quiet & Natural over Loud & Synthetic]
