My story

It all started with my father being a really good amateur photographer and working at the zoo Borås Djurpark. He sure had some nice models.

My father being a really good amateur photographer and working at the zoo.

It all started with my father being a really good amateur photographer and working at the zoo Borås Djurpark. He sure had some nice models. I loved being with him at the zoo hanging out with my two friends,  a goat and a pig. Anyway, I think this was some kind of start for me liking animals, nature and photography.

In 2004 I won a camera in a contest and started taking photos. Before that I had worked with film and television, as an editor at a journalist magazine and running my own marketing company for many years. So I had a pretty good idea about how communication works and tried to translate that visually in to photography. I had no clue what I was doing the first years but practise makes perfect and slowly after gazillions of photos I got to where I am today.

Life is rarely glamorous for me, but it is adventurous and filled with great experiences. And some not-so-nice experiences.

Portrait of commercial photographer Jesper Anhede - Mahe, Seychelles

Me chillaxing in the Seychelles. A fantastic place! Go there if you can. Photo by Emma Ivarsson.

It’s a good thing that I am the most calm person I know, no matter if I am standing eye to eye with a lioness and her cubs, almost dying from a double pneumonia and sepsis, breaking my tailbone while sailing of the Pacific Ocean, swimming with aggressive sharks, being in the middle of a armed riot, climbing on a shaky mountain when a volcano erupts, get stung by jellyfish so I can’t move my left side of the body, get put into custody in a country where I can’t speak a word of their language, breaking my back when falling while climbing or have a crazy doberman biting on my leg. Oh and yeah, the worst experience of all was being food poisoned while traveling from Africa to Sweden for lovely 22 hours of flight. I did however get to go directly through customs and security check when I told them that I might crap myself or do a projectile vomiting a la The Exorcist.

But these bad experiences are still experiences and I would not want to change a thing. The good totally outrun the bad and if you live life you will bang yourself every now and then.

Today I work as a commercial, adventure and travel photographer based in the small city of Hjo in Sweden but working worldwide. I spend about half the year in Sweden and half the year abroad visiting around 15 different countries a year. Sometimes short gigs for a few days and sometimes for as long as 2 months in one place.

Here you can find articles about me as a commercial, adventure and travel photographer.

My USP (unique selling point)

There are gazillions of photographers and videographers out there. The market is harder than ever before. Taking kickass photos alone is not enough to stand out. So for the last years I have been developing my skills in photography and video on land, from the air, in the water and under the water. Instead of working with four different professionals (photographer, videographer, aerial photographer and underwater photographer) you work with one person. What you get out of it is a much easier workflow and the best possible photo and video. No matter if it is from the air, on ground or in the water.

Personality

  • Myers-Briggs personality type: INFJ
  • Highly Sensitive Person: HSP
  • Chemistry: Negotiator 28%, Explorer 27%, Director 24%, Builder 21%

Why on earth do I tell you about this? Well if you read about it you will see that this is a great personality combination for a photographer. I can both see the whole picture and details faster than most other people, and it gives me the chance to know what’s going to happen before anyone else react.

I love

  • Adventure
  • Nature
  • Animals (except aggressive sharks, poisonous jellyfish and tsetse flies)
  • Kitesurfing
  • StandUp Paddle
  • Climbing
  • Hiking
  • Snorkeling
  • Scuba diving
  • Milkshake

Quotations (that I totally agree with)

  • I feel more lonely in a crowed room with boring people than I feel on my own. Don’t do anything by half. If you love someone, love them with all your soul. When you go to work, work your ass off. When you hate someone, hate them until it hurts. Keep your blood clean, your body lean, and your mind sharp. Scar tissue is stronger than regular tissue. Realize the strength, move on. /Henry Rolins
  • Omne individuum ineffabile. /Arthur Schopenhauer
  • A man’s ethical behaviour should be based effectually on sympathy, education, and social ties and needs; no religious basis is necessary. Man would indeed be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death. /Albert Einstein