The desert was closed

 

“I was working for the Danish newspaper Politiken. Thomas Borberg [Politiken Photo Editor-in-Chief] had invited me to do an internship there and I was thrilled. I had taken a BA in Geography and Communications, but when I finished, I wasn't sure what to do. So I took a course in photography, as I realised that I could photograph what I was writing about to help visualise it differently. This inspired me, and I applied for the School of Media and Journalism. I love to research things and build an understanding of people. This is what lead me to my internship at Politiken, which I loved. Thomas sent me to great places and trusted me with different assignments.

 

One of my last assignments as an intern was to take portraits of Puk Damsgård, a Danish Middle-East correspondent based in Cairo. She had already done the interview, and I had one day with her to capture the images. I asked her what her favourite place was, and she replied ‘the desert’. When we arrived, two men approached us and said: "Sorry, it's not going to happen. The desert is closed. Come back tomorrow". You can imagine the surprise on our faces. What did they mean, how can the desert be closed? I was flying back in the morning and we only had this day to take the picture that would bind the whole feature together. There were no fences and the was desert right in front of us, stretching as far as our eyes could see. 

It turned out that there was a very important person at that entry point, and they didn't want someone else there at the same time. So we went further down the road and entered from a different point – determined to take pictures at Puk's favourite place. This is where she went to find calm from the hectic life in Cairo, so it was a key part of her story. The desert was amazing. Puk was wearing a striking red dress and I love how she is so small against the vast landscape in this image. I still can't comprehend how big the desert was. No other people there than the two of us. The landscape was so huge and felt neverending. 

 

I usually have to divide my time with a journalist, so it was lovely to be able to have all this time with Puk and really connect. She is great at what she does and was so sweet. Usually, when I photograph people, they are very aware of themselves and how they will look in images, but she was so confident and carefree and simply let me take pictures and trusted my vision. ‘I am who I am’, was her attitude. I loved that and it makes this portrait even more special for me. I admire and took in how confident she was in herself. At one point, the wind took hold of her hair and I asked if she wanted to fix it, and she gently said, ‘It's okay, it's a mess anyway’. She truly understood herself and was so relaxed and easy to work with. The whole experience made a big impression on me.

I'm drawn to how people are feeling, so I naturally enjoy doing portraits. Being close to people and spending time with them enables great stories. You can never know 100% what it's like to be another person, but if I can make a connection in some way and capture this in an image, and this awakens a human emotion in the viewer, that's what makes a good portrait to me. I photograph a lot of social issues and mental health issues, as I'm drawn to telling those stories. This can be tough sometimes when it's a hard subject, but it is also beautiful to be able to create something together. It's always a collaboration. I want to help people to understand what it's like to be the people I photograph.”