Filmhuset, 2025-05-19
“I find inspiration in the old art of portraiture”
INTERVIEW WITH EVA EDSJÖ, MEMBER OF A HOUSE FILMHUSET
Eva Edsjö is a photographer, a member of A house Filmhuset and has photographed several of our other members for various interviews. She knew already in high school that she wanted to be a photographer. At home, her family had a darkroom where she spent hours developing pictures of her friends – a passion that quickly developed into something more. After high school, a close friend got a job at the music magazine Pop, and at 19 she got her first real assignment: to photograph the then world-famous artist Beck in a dressing room at the Circus.
Shortly afterwards, she moved to London, where she stayed for twelve years and had the opportunity to work with a number of international names – people who rarely or never visit Sweden. Since moving back to Sweden, she has continued to balance her own creative projects with assignments for record companies, magazines, theaters and advertising.
Hi Eva! You’ve photographed musicians, car fanatics, travelers and Nobel laureates. Can you tell us about a memorable project?
– My years in London gave me insight into so many incredible worlds. One of them was a Traveller village located under the Westway, a highway that cuts through West London. For the past 30 years, it has been a permanent home for Irish Travellers, living in caravans and small shack-like houses – like a little hidden village under the bridges. After a few years of peeping, my friend and I dared to approach them and finally made contact with the head of the village. After that, we were allowed to come there and photograph every Sunday during an autumn, which resulted in a project that lasted for many years. I went several times to their Gypsy Horse Fair in Appleby, in the north of England. I exhibited the pictures from there at Taverna Brillo a few years ago.
Where do you find your inspiration?
– Right now in old portrait paintings from the 18th and 19th centuries – poses, colors and light.
What exciting projects are you working on now?
– I’m currently working on a project with portraits of female indie artists, inspired by the old portrait art Imagine a classic portrait gallery at the National Museum – but with these incredible contemporary artists. It’s hard to finish, though, because someone new keeps popping up that I want to include…
Finally, what are your top three tips for a hobbyist photographer?
- Learn how to use the manual settings on your camera.
- Learn to expose manually, only then will you have control over how the image will look.
- And finally: check the light – how it falls and what it does to what you are photographing. The light creates the image.
Want to contact Eva or find out more?
Take a look at her Instagram
Visit her website
Visit her agent’s website