Thomas Tepstad Berge is a photographer based in Stavanger, Norway, where he lives with his wife and 4 kids on the west coast of Southern Norway.
While he was given a disposable camera every summer when he was young to document his summer holidays, it was not until Thomas was 18 that he started filling his spare-time with capturing moments. Thomas started out making films, then gradually moved into timelapse photography before he settled down within still photography. He is a self-taught photographer who’s learned techniques and approaches to framing both the hard way and by reading books and articles, watching YouTube videos, etc. Thomas’ portfolio mainly consists of the landscape that you find along the west coast of Norway with deep fjords and steep mountains, long beaches and farmland, and surfing action in the waves. The common denominator for all his images is that he tries to capture the right light, whether it be the soft sunset light in a cloudscape, the powerful Northern lights on the night-sky, or the strong daylight illuminating the actions taking place on a surfboard. Every image brings Thomas back to that moment when he captured them, and if some of those feelings can be transferred to others who view them then he considers the image to be successful.
How would you describe your photography style?
I would describe my landscape and cloudscape photography as “dreamy”, as both the smooth style and the locations themselves are typically not your everyday view, but rather somewhere you would day-dream about visiting.
What are your typical photography subjects?
My typical photography objects would be landscapes, night sky, and surfers. What makes this interesting is the big span from well planned landscape shots to the very in-the-moment action photos in surfing, where both the equipment and approach is completely different.
Do you have a dream project that you would like to work on?
Landscape photography in Iceland or the Azores would be amazing. I would then sleep during the day so that I could capture the light during sunsets, night, and sunrise.
What’s your favorite way of generating ideas and inspiration?
While I do use planning tools to some extent, I actually prefer to go to a site and find the inspiration there and then through the camera lens. I find that the best angles and views are usually not the ones you think prior to being at the location, and often foreground elements like flowers, trees, and animals provide you with that missing ingredient for the perfect shot.
How has your photography evolved over time?
When starting out with photography, I was more centered around the classical sunset shots without many other elements playing together with the light to fulfill the image. Today I always have “something more” than a pretty sunset. I also very much enjoy the more difficult conditions (snow, rain, fog, etc.) as they often create more interesting images.
What do you like most about your work?
What I like most about my work is the joy that it gives me. I love to be outside with my camera, I love to process my images on the desktop, and I love to see the final images and share them with others.
What is your favorite time of day to shoot?
My favorite time is the sunset period (afternoon in the winter, almost midnight in the summer) as the light itself can make a dull scene become the most interesting of all.
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