Photo Exhibition

We are proud to present an exclusive photo exhibition with photographer / videographer Otto Norin in The Nest this spring. Eleven fascinating photos depicting breath-taking landscapes and the astonishing achievements of adventure seekers around the world. This is his first ever exhibition, and it happens at Downtown Camper. Visit from March to end of June, in the cocktail lounge on floor nine.

Born and raised in Vikarbyn, Dalarna, Otto grew up as an active kid who never could sit still – riding his skateboard, BMX, or snowboard, he full-throttled his way through life. It’s there, in the ski slopes of Dalarna, his career was decided for him, as he started capturing his snowboarding friends on camera. Educated at Hyper Island, he went on to work on several kinds of commercial projects, yet remaining true to his real passion - the outdoors.

Otto works as a photographer and videographer for some of the world’s most exciting and demanding adventure races. In order to keep up with the contestants and get the best pictures, he needs to secure the right backdrop. This means moving around the track searching for the perfect position - whether that’s 2 km away, or three thirds into the race. It calls for a certain physical form, as he usually gets around on his bike or by running. With him, he takes a handheld camera, a drone, and a mobile phone.

“These challenges can be everything from 24 hours to 7 days long, so I cover large areas. As an example, when I was shooting for Raid in France in the French Alps, I had to run for five hours to get to where I was going. But it’s part of the job: I have to be creative with what I have, and the backdrop is one of the things I can control. When I’m out at work, my motto is “hurry up, and wait” - I go to my position, pick an angle, set up the camera, and wait for the teams to arrive.”

Of course, he can never influence, disturb, or direct the people he is there to capture. The very essence of his work is catching the moment. Working under these conditions requires patience, time, and a large memory card. And it doesn’t hurt with a little luck:

”Suddenly it’s there, that one moment you are waiting for. Like when I was following athlete Johan Hasselmark on his bicycle in Norrland. All of a sudden, a reindeer shows up out of nowhere, and runs next to Johan’s bike. It’s just for a short minute or so, but I managed to get my camera out just as the reindeer stopped and turned to look at us. A second later it’s off into the forrest again.”

This is the first time Otto’s photography has been printed for an independent exhibition. Each picture has been chosen with great care - what started with a first selection of 120 pictures, has been boiled down to just 11. Prepare to be blown away by natural landscapes of astonishing beauty, truly inspirational achievements, and mind-boggling stories.

“With these photos, I hope to inspire people to seek out an adventure, whether it’s in the mountains or the archipelago, or somewhere else: There are so many beautiful and amazing places to explore, even in your close vicinity. If you learn to love nature, you will be rich – you will want to take care of it, and spend time in it. But this is also a story about incredible achievements – to finish a 4 day race on 5 hours of sleep only. That feeling of happiness, victory, determination is what I want to capture. That’s inspiring, and proves that anything is possible.”