An interview with London based architectural & interiors photographer & filmmaker Ståle Eriksen

“ Growing up in Norway was great. The seasons are very intense weather wise, so it’s never boring! My family always spent a lot of time in nature, which is something I feel very grateful for. As children we would go on week-long fishing trips in the mountains in the summer, equipped with tents and on long cross-country skiing trips in winter.”

Ståle Eriksen is a London based photographer specialising in architecture and interiors.

Originally from Norway, he trained at London College of Printing (now LCC) and he works with both UK based and international architectural studios. His photographs are frequently featured in the architectural and design press, they are often commended for their strong composition and serenity.

He also directs films of architecture, and with inspiration from a lifelong passion for cinema he sets out to create his own style of cinematic interpretation of buildings and spaces, very much in the spirit of his stills photography work.

Hi Ståle, I hope all is safe and well with you and many thanks for taking the time to share with our community. 

Can I congratulate you on a superb portfolio, I love the calm and smoothness you achieve in your work.

Let's start with the here and now. Can you tell us what has been keeping you occupied recently throughout 2020 and what your plans for 2021?

Thank you for your kind words Pete. I do hope you and the rest have enjoyed my posts on the account, it has been fun to share a little more than usual. I’m trying to get better at posting more regularly, and this takeover has certainly provided some good training.

I’ve been lucky that I still had some work throughout the pandemic, although it did slow down a bit, and I’ve been working mainly with recurring clients, all projects have been 6-8 weeks delayed because of the difficulty experienced by the construction industry.

The slightly slowed down flow of work continued into 2021, I’m currently looking forward to a nice little trip to the Lofoten islands in the North of Norway, when travel to is opened up, for what could easily be the most exciting shoot of 2021, not least because I will travel somewhere abroad again for a change. I cannot wait!

I have recently also started directing a few short films on specific architectural projects, and I hope they will have some of the quality of my stills work, even if it’s a different beast in terms of lighting. I’m going for a highly cinematic feel, so this is a whole new challenge that will keep me on my toes for the rest of this year. I’ve made some short art films before, but nothing specifically on architecture until now, I’ll keep you posted!

Great news you have continued to keep busy throughout the year and your trip sounds incredible. The Norwegian fjords have been on my bucket list for sometime!

Could you tell us a bit more about your past, your ethos and how you approach your work currently?

I started on a career path with a Master of Science degree in the field of Applied Geology. I soon realised this wasn’t for me and I broke it off to come to England and attend the BA Photography course at London College of Printing.

It took me a little while to imagine a place for me within the photographic industry, but as I was tinkering with stories for my final year project at LCP (now LLC), I started creating scenes out of cardboard and playing with the standard small architectural ‘model people’ you would normally see scattered around in scale models. I shot these scenes on 5x4” negative film, and it struck me then that I was falling in love with the act of composing ‘in space’, particularly the placement of empty space in the frame.

From that moment on I felt confident in making strong compositions. I knew I had found my calling and I started devouring every bit of great architectural photography I could find in books and magazines.

Ah, a fellow London Institute graduate, I attended Camberwell Art College way back when!

As I’ve already mentioned I love your clean style and compositions but also your video work. Where do you see the future of photography heading with the addition of film making becoming more popular within the genre?

I think this is difficult to predict, as taking pictures with a camera is now part of everyone’s lives. Being exposed to so many images every day can get a bit too much, even for us photographers who love studying photographs!

Recently people working from home talk of ‘Zoom fatigue’, I think we have been suffering from ‘Instagram fatigue’ long before this.

Nevertheless, I’ve always seen this new reality, the constant stream of images, as a positive, I think it has really sharpened up the making of photographs overall.

I hear that in regards to Instagram, hopefully we’re adding something a little different here at M.mode, balancing time between our takeovers & interviews.

I see you moved from Norway to London, is this where you do most of your work? And what was is like growing up in Norway...as I mentioned it is definitely on the bucket list!

I’ve lived in the UK for many years now and consider myself a Londoner, it’s really like a small ‘world village’ here, I love the fact that within a normal week I speak to or meet and collaborate with people from all over the world. It’s a real privilege.

Growing up in Norway was great. The seasons are very intense weather wise, so it’s never boring! My family always spent a lot of time in nature, which is something I feel very grateful for. As children we would go on week-long fishing trips in the mountains in the summer, equipped with tents and on long cross-country skiing trips in winter.

Preparing for bad weather and respecting the weather forecast is quite ingrained in most Norwegians, it’s simply a matter of survival as things can turn dangerous very quickly. This just adds to the already dramatic landscape, I always carry this awesomeness with me. You should definitely plan a visit!

We moved around quite a lot when I was young, mainly due to my father’s work, including a stint in the Netherlands, which was a real eye opener to a young boy of 5 or 6.

At the age of 10, by the time my family settled for good in Trondheim we had already moved 7 times! I perceived this as difficult at the time, but I distinctly remember that even back then I saw the opportunity in this renewal, when you ‘start again’ in a new place with new surroundings, and I think this gave me some early lessons in tackling adversity and always landing on my feet.

Wow, what an incredible childhood….

As a photography community we love a bit of gear talk, could you tell us what equipment you have in your bag and enlighten those who aren't familiar a little bit more about your process.

I’m going to be a bit boring here and avoid talking about exactly what lives in my Peli case.

You often hear photographers say: the best camera is the one you have with you. This is true, but of course, like all architectural photographers I’m also a gear geek. I just don’t find it too interesting to talk about so much.

Each photographer will find their own way of doing things and, although there are some things we all have in common, it’s also nice to see how people push their equipment in different directions by doing something a bit experimental. The camera is after all just a recording device, and I think the most important ‘equipment’ for a photographer is their eyes.

The way they see or ‘picture’ something will ultimately affect the result much more than which camera is used. This also comes with experience, it’s is a cliché, but it’s true.

For me, the best attitude is to use whatever you have to its fullest potential, and to not be afraid to experiment a little. If you always do your best, then there will be no guesswork and you would have reached the highest potential possible of the work in question. It’s the same with using equipment, I usually use everything at their highest possible setting and try to squeeze out as much quality of each piece of kit as I can. I don’t see the point of compromising on anything at the shooting stage, as one can always go towards less detail at a later state if that’s what’s desirable.

I used to be very much up to date in regards to the latest equipment, lenses, bags, gadgets etc….however over the past few years, as I’m defining my own style, I find myself more driven to taking the images than the equipment itself.

I like it when you say that the way we see or ‘picture’ something will ultimately affect the result much more than which camera is used

Do you feel that you're happy with the work you produce or do you suffer from 'Imposter Syndrome'? This is something I've been discussing with others recently and I'm not alone...

That’s a great question.

I’m never entirely happy with my work at the time of delivery, it’s only a little later that I realise that it’s actually quite good. I usually have quite an intense session just before I send off a batch of final photographs to a client, to take one last good look at them, and I often feel the need to go out for a walk as soon the photos go out the door! I’m sure this is something others will be only too familiar with. When I return to my desk a little later, I look at the images again and that’s when I see them in a ‘better light’, or perhaps I’m in a better mental state.

The ‘Imposter syndrome’, I don’t really suffer from this, at least not anymore, but I used to at the beginning of my career. It was back then that I felt on shaky ground, with skills not so developed yet. I still watch my own progression with some horror, when I sometimes have to dig out shoots from the archive that I did 4, 7 or 13 years ago.

It happens occasionally and I’m sure other photographers have the same experience; the sinking feeling in seeing work from a lesser photographer and the scary realisation that these are MY OWN photographs! It can be quite difficult to look back sometimes, as you’re constantly reminded of the not-quite-there-ness of past work as seen with today’s glasses. But there is hope in this despair, for it means that I’m getting better every day.

I wrote in one of my takeover posts that I would speak more about the importance of mentorship and I think it is relevant to discuss this with ‘Imposter syndrome’ in mind. I was fortunate enough to meet photographer Richard Davies and started assisting him whenever he needed help. Richard has a long successful career within the architecture and design world and, apart from photographing completed buildings, one of his specialities is photographing architectural models really rather well, and he has done so for the likes of Foster+Partners, Future Systems (Jan Kaplický’s wonderfully futuristic practice) and David Chipperfield just to mention a few.



Throughout the years I worked with Richard, I picked up countless valuable tips and tricks required for the art of model photography and also building photography for that matter.

I found myself with a mentor by my side, and a very generous one, he would lend me bits of equipment when I needed it for my own shoots (before I managed to grow my own kit little by little) and I also had someone very experienced to discuss our profession with. This was the first time I felt guided in the right way and I was also introduced to the world of architecture at the deep end which was very exciting. All of this helped me overcome any feeling of ‘Imposter syndrome’ I may have been carrying, it grew my confidence in my own work. If I could show my photographs to someone like Richard and get encouraging nods and affirmation, then they couldn’t be half bad!

I think there is a lot we can all agree on, especially when it comes to reviewing your own work and previous portfolio. It can be quite an embarrassment looking at old photos, however also a positive one reflecting on how far you have come.

As my own personal work progresses, I look around and see so much incredible work! Do you have any advice for keeping motivated and pushing yourself forward?

The best advice I can give is to figure out what you like and then devote yourself towards achieving just that. I do have a few photographers I hold in high esteem and I follow more intently than others, the ones I feel resonate with me on many levels.

For me framing is super important, and some photographers just make things ‘sit right’ in the frame, it’s the way you look at things that you should cultivate. It’s hard to explain what this means in practical terms for someone else, but I always examine photographs with questions like: Why does this work so well? What is it specifically that makes this a great image? How can I distil this thing and keep it in my mind for my next shoot? Seeing yourself getting closer to your ideal feeling and mood in your work can be hugely motivating, but it’s a slow process and you need lots of patience and resilience on the way.

Great advice.

Where do you draw your inspiration from and how do you go about creating your stylised look?

Because inspiration is such an internal experience, it’s difficult to say where it comes from, but for me it’s about a calm mood that I have in my mind. I suppose I always try to conjure up the feeling of awe I have when faced with great confident architecture, architecture that doesn’t need bells and whistles, where the planes and surfaces come together beautifully in their simplicity. Then I might notice some details, like a nice handrail, nice simple fittings etc, but I always start by deconstructing the space in my mind, and I try to imagine the space without its contents, just pure space framed by walls, ceilings, floors and with openings for windows and doorways. This helps me realise where the drama and flow of the space lies and how to harness it, just enough.

I think it’s also important to not spend every waking hour only looking inwards at our profession and at the world/business of architecture, interiors and design for inspiration. The world is a lot larger than that and there is inspiration to be had everywhere, in art, music, literature and in nature. A little bit of all these influences might seep into your work in some small way.

What would say the highlight of your career would be to this point?

The highlight for me is always the next thing on the horizon, but if I have to answer this more specifically it would have to be the fact that am doing what I love, and that’s very fulfilling!

How do you recognise emerging photographers who inspire you?

I have watched many photographers over the years that have started out promising and with a willingness to be ambitious, and many of them have really honed their craft and have grown alongside increasingly intriguing tasks and blossomed into really great photographers. It’s inspiring to me to watch the leaps some photographers make from job to job, after all us photographers never stop learning new tricks!

Lastly, what has been your favourite takeaway in all the lockdowns?

I think the lockdowns gave us an opportunity to lead a very different life, out of pure necessity, and for long enough to free us from some old habits. My hope would be that things got disrupted enough, to the point where we do not just go back to normal afterwards, but reassess our situation, how we live our lives and try to find a better balance. Alongside the global fears of climate change, I’ve personally felt for a long time that the way society was going was reaching a breaking point, I don’t know but maybe the pandemic can also provide something really positive, a different way forward. I think we humans are good at recognising opportunity and here’s a huge one!

A huge thanks to Ståle this week for giving up his time to share some of his work and have a little chat.

To see more of Ståle’s portfolio click on the following links - Website - Instagram