I need more Sweden in my life right now

Let me take you to Sweden. I’m heading back after eight years—and revisiting some old frames I’ve captured along the way.

Nani Annette

Jun 09, 2025

People taking a night swim, Lomma camping, Sweden

Moi 👋🏻

Can I take you back to Sweden?

Do you believe certain people, things, or moments show up just when you need them?

I do, kind of.

When I discovered Sweden, I needed to discover Sweden. When Finnlines docked to Kapellskär in the summer of 2012, I knew I was home.

It sounds naive and sappy, I know. But the feeling was so strong.

sunset in öninge skåne — Sunset on my evening walk in Öninge, Sweden.

Why take you to Sweden today?

Because we’re returning this summer, and I’m already mentally charging my camera batteries. It’s been a while since our last visit, 8 years to be exact. A lot has happened since 2017. (Like a whole kid!)

I haven’t taken my best photos in Sweden, but I’ve enjoyed photographing there the most—and that has to count, right?

Smygehuk old couple basking — Smygehuk, Sweden’s southmost tip

öresund bridge in evening light — Öresund bridge that takes you from Malmö to Copenhagen

More than a small talk

I wrote this in a post 18 months ago, and it still rings true:

My good friend Sweden turned into a lover on the first leg from Kapellskär to Vättern and the tiny town of Gränna. Before this trip I had only visited Stockholm and Uppsala quite quickly. It’s safe to say that I’d only seen what was shown to me. This time I was able to search and find for myself.

It can’t be just the scenery, but what is it that makes it so special? Did it enter my life at just the right moment? Was I a Swede in a past life? I’d love to know, but I can’t quite grasp it.

I’m sure it has something to do with the mix of familiarity and foreignness. Sweden is like an old friend (those cruises from Helsinki!), but also a distant relative. We run on small talk.

Sweden, what kind of mystic are you?

Cloudy summer sky in Sweden — Cloudy summer sky in Svalöv

vadstena castle in sweden — Kids playing on the courtyard at Vadstena Castle, Sweden

Jack Wolfsking Tundra III camping in Sweden with a dog — She was the best companion I could ever hope for – dogwise 😁 Somewhere in Sweden.

Transformative experience for a photographer

Shortly after our first road trip in Skåne, I began to look at my photography more closely. I guess it’s fair to say I kind of invented myself as a photographer in Sweden.

The photos I’ve taken in Sweden aren’t my best—but the time I’ve spent photographing there has been the most transformative of my career.

Perhaps that’s why I keep going back. Always longing for another Swedish road trip.

That exploration also shaped me as a portrait photographer. I integrated many of the elements I fell in love with in Sweden into my portraiture. But it also made me realize something: I’m not a portrait photographer. I can do it. It’s nice. But it’s not my identity.

Field mustards close to Svalöv, Sweden. This was taken in 2015, and it was my first time shooting with Fuji. Fujifilm let me test an XT1 during my time in Sweden. I didn’t fell for it but the experience stayed with me.

old woman in smygehuk — In Smygehuk, again

The elements of photography

Have you explored the elements you try to echo from one photo to the next?

I’ve worked as a professional photographer for almost 15 years, and honestly, things haven’t changed that much. Thankfully, they, and I, have improved. 😀

Here’s the core of my photography, thanks to Sweden:

My approach is minimal
- I wasn’t familiar with minimalism until I found photography in my twenties. And it took years before I could pinpoint what exactly intrigued me.
- I’m not a minimalist in the traditional sense. I used to take more images like the 3rd (old couple) and 4th (Öresund bridge) photo in this post. These days, I want to add more layers.

Abundance comes from structure
- Not every frame needs to be minimalistic. I love abundance, too. A little boho never killed anyone.
- For me, abundance emerges from structure. I’m a perfectionist about lines—streets, windows, horizons. Everything aligned just right.

Capturing things as they appear
- I love to include the ugly, the pretty, the everything, in the same picture. There has to be contrast. For example, a messy trash can and a neat garden entrance can exist side by side.
- This kind of photography isn’t exactly instagrammable, I know. But it’s so thoroughly me. It’s how I commemorate life as I saw it. Lived to see it.
- This approach is present in everything I photograph.

Empty street in Ystad — Empty streets in Ystad, Sweden

The feeling I’m after

There’s a certain feeling that hits me when I travel in Sweden (preferably by car).

It’s a mixture of everything.

The sea. The sun (never too hot, in my memories). The tiny towns. People who care about their neighborhoods and show it. The familiarity. The foreignness.

So when we booked the trip, on a whim, I slipped straight into longing.

The past 8 years feel like 16.