Hei eller bonjour nebo dobrý den,

My name is Pierre Yngve.

I was born in a country that no longer exists, and in a place whose name is no longer used today – although it still remains in my passport.

Today, I live, work and dream in Oslo.

Throughout my life, two worlds have fascinated me: the one inside us and the one we can see around us. The first one is difficult to photograph. The second is a little easier.

Painting and drawing were always an interest, but unfortunately I never learned how to draw or paint properly. Most of my own pictures looked more like collections of nervous lines than anything else. Photography turned out to be a much better choice – at least for everyone who had to look at my paintings.

I work mainly with analogue photography, both black and white and colour. In my Art Edition, I offer some of my photographs as traditional black-and-white prints, made by hand from my original film negatives.

For me, photography is not only about the final image. I enjoy everything that comes before it: carrying a camera, waiting for the right moment, watching carefully and finally making a physical print. Over time, the cameras I use have become trusted companions, each with its own character and way of seeing.

I mainly work with medium format, panoramic and older film cameras. I like the slower pace they require and the way they make me look a little more carefully.

I make my black-and-white prints by hand using traditional darkroom techniques at CYAN in Oslo, a community for photographers and analogue photography. The darkroom has a special place in my life. Working with light, chemistry and paper has a rhythm of its own, and watching an image slowly appear in the developer tray still feels a little bit magical.

Photography entered my life as a child, when I was sometimes allowed to hold my father's old Praktica camera. I knew nothing about cameras, lenses or exposure. But there was something about this strange little machine that made me curious.

My first photographic project was documenting everyday life in the neighbourhood where I grew up. I was born there when the area was still part of the German Democratic Republic, but when I started photographing the place, that country had already become history. The streets, buildings and people were still there. The world around them had simply changed.

Later, I studied photography at the Oslo School of Photography, where I met inspiring teachers and discovered new ways of looking at photography.

My photographs can begin almost anywhere and with almost anything. Some are personal and touch upon themes such as belonging, transience, anxiety and curiosity. Others come from landscapes, nature, people, city life, rural life, still life – or simply from the strange and wonderful things that surround us.

A little wandering has always been part of my photographic life. When I travel, I usually bring a camera, some rolls of film and enough time to get a little lost. I like walking without too much planning, looking around and seeing what appears along the way.

Old cameras continue to fascinate me. From time to time, you may find me walking through Oslo with a Kodak camera that is more than a hundred years old. It still works, and I still enjoy using it.

Some of these interests have turned into projects of their own. One is a photobook about the three months I spent in Prague during the spring of 2018. I plan to publish the book in 2027 or 2028.

Another ongoing project is „Landscape Without Witnesses", where I photograph Oslo with analogue panoramic cameras.

I also have a slightly unusual fascination: photographing piles. Piles of snow, wood, leaves, stones or forgotten objects. It may sound a little strange – and perhaps it is – but the longer I look at them, the more interesting they become. They often tell small stories about people, time and the traces we leave behind.

Besides making photographs, I also enjoy sharing the analogue process with others. Occasionally, I open the door to the darkroom for people who would like to discover the world of analogue black-and-white photography.

In my short introductory workshops, participants get to try the process themselves – from the first steps with film to the quiet moment when an image slowly appears on photographic paper.

Thank you for visiting my work.

I hope some of these photographs speak to you

Pierre Yngve