I have been looking forward to showing you the brilliant pictures that photographer Eivind Røhne took of the gorgeous model Ammal Ahmed Haj Mohamed, with make-up & hair by Hina Suleman and silver earrings by Kaja Gjedebo Design, wearing Maimi designed for Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk, at Galleri Wûrth back in June. Continue reading
Tag Archives: photoshoot
Behind the Scenes: Photoshoot at Gallery Würth 2024
On Tuesday we had another brilliant photoshoot – for 7 new and 1 old design – back at Galleri Würth, just outside of Oslo. Continue reading
Photoshoot at Bøler Church 2023: Kibo
The next set of pictures I will share from the photoshoot at Bøler Church, back in December, is of Kibo made for Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk. I loved this casual style on jazz singer Anette Løvtangen with make-up & hair by Hina Suleman, brilliantly captured by Eivind Røhne. I decided to style the vest with my wide Japanese trousers – that look more like Culottes – and to have the church organ in the background. Anette is wearing size 2 with 24.5 cm/9.75″ positive ease, but it will be available in sizes 1 to 9, as yarn kits directly from Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk and as an individual pattern in English and Norwegian on Ravelry after the test knit set to begin on the 15th of April.Photoshoot at Galleri Würth: Genki and Boann
The next set of photos I will show you from our photoshoot at Galleri Würth back in June is of the tunic Genki and the scarf Boann, both knitted in the divine Neighborhood Fiber Co. Capital Luxury Sport. Continue reading
Behind the Scenes: Photoshoot at Sentralen 2021
Last Friday I had another photoshoot, this time at Sentralen – the former Christiania Bank HQ, now a meeting place for culture and innovation – in Oslo city centre. The oldest of the two buildings date from 1901 and is by architect Henrik Nissen. A fascinating fact about it is that railway tracks were stacked into the walls to keep the robbers from digging their way into the building. But I digress. I was there for the photoshoot of six new designs and four old ones, that needed new photos for different reasons. My initial plan was to rent the Marble Hall, but that proved way too expensive. In the end I rented a meeting room the team could use a base camp and received a permission to photograph in the public spaces at Sentralen. The team booked was photographer Wenche Hoel-Knai, make-up & hair stylist Nina Hjertaas Bull, model Olivia Lindtein and hobby photographer & technician Michael Marveng-Puckett. Above you see us preparing to photograph the first garment the Adeline’s Cardigan, first published in Interweave Knits Winter 2021.
PhotographerEivind Røhne cancelled the day before due to a cold which meant he had to be tested for Covid-19 to be certain. His test was negative, we heard later. First I contacted a photographer Eivind recommended but she was not available, then I rang Wenche Hoel-Knai, who was recommended by former editor Mary-Ann Astrup. Wenche could step in on a short notice, I am pleased to say. Above you see the new jacket & trouser set I have designed in Bendigo Woollen Mills Classic 5 Ply. If you are wondering what I am wearing, I can tell that it is Helka. Below you see me hanging up the clothes in the meeting room I had booked.
I had pre-ordered pizzas for lunch at 1 PM, giving us time to photograph a number of garments before hand, as we started at 9 AM. On my previous visit to Sentralen I had identified three possible backdrops I wanted us to use: The Marble Hallway & Stairs, the concrete staircase with orange railings and The Golden Bar.
Our first venue was The Golden Bar – that did not have a bar, just seating – named after the monumental sculpture called “Growing Gold” made in textiles by Hanne Friis. Inspired by the history of the building and the future cultural building containing values of a different kind. In short not all that glitters is gold. Olivia is wearing the Cable Round Sweater in the photo above. We photographed five of the designs in the bar, using every minute until our lunch break at 1 PM. A delicious lunch later we started again, this time in another room.
The second backdrop was the Marble Hallway and in the end we photographed the remaining five designs in this room choosing different angles. All the four Hillesvåg designs made in the yarn Ask were photographed here, above you see the oversized pullover called Jari.
In the large room next door to this, a film was being made. Hence all the extra plants and furniture were moved around. Michael took most of these photos, above is one of the few I captured of the paparazzi Michael, planning to capture model Olivia in action. For the last two designs we moved down to the bottom staircase. As always it was a day filled with laughter and fun, while working hard to make it all work. Olivia had to stretch her neck, pretending to be a puppet, while keeping her chin low. My team did a wonderful job and I had an amazing day!
Behind the Scenes: Photoshoot at Hvalstrand Bad 2021
What a difference a day makes; we went from what felt like a green winter to a hot summer over night. Hence I did not dress for a party at the Polar Base Camp, instead I should really have brought my bikini to cool down in the summer heat or worn a cocktail dress to fit in with the wedding that took place on the beach while we where at Hvalstrand Bad in Asker (about 20 minutes west of Oslo) on last Friday (28th of May). But since I was there for our photoshoot I needed to wear something a bit more practical and opted for a pair of summer trouser with my Maith shrug on top in addition to two more jackets (making sure I would not freeze – fat chance!).
At the top you see Hair and Make up Stylist Nina Hjertaas Bull is covering for the sun on Aksa’s hair and you can spot her standing high up in the diving tower. You can barely spot model Aksa Mortensen standing at the bottom of the stairs. Photographer Eivind Røhne is adjusting the reflector, while Michael had to hold it in place as soon as we started. Above you see us trying out different spots at the diving tower. Michael has taken a number of these photos, but not all of them, as I was able to capture a few too.
This is the second time we are photographing at Hvalstrand Bad, as we were there back in 2014 with the then editor Mary Ann Astrup of the magazine Made by Me in charge. This time I wanted us to photograph the diving tower – as it was pouring down the last time. It was not a lot easier this time with a blue sky without any clouds for a bit of shadow. Hence we only photographed one garment outside and went inside instead. Above you can see Aksa wearing another of the four new designs for Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk.
Just as last time we wanted to use the Art Deco wall painting inside. Photographer Eivind Røhne remembered it well. Above you see us preparing to photograph the last three garments after a lovely lunch. Aksa is wearing one of my new designs, an a-line pullover called Varun. I had also booked modell Olivia Lindtein, but unfortunately she had to go into a waiting quarantine (a friend of hers had been exposed to an infected person, hence she had to wait for the result – it was negative).
We had a total of nine garments to photograph this time; 7 new ones and 2 old ones. Above is the old Mistale worn by Aksa and I am holding onto the cowl plus a silk scarf for hear to wear on her head.
Above you see both Nina and me in action. Aksa is wearing another of my old designs, this time the Syrin Shrug from my book. As always we had a lot of fun and also had to help the ice cream delivery man to find the delivery entrance downstairs. Eivind did tell him that we would be happy to eat some of it, if he wanted just to deliver it to us. He chose to deliver it downstairs instead. We also spotted a wedding outside on the beach in addition to several school classes coming to relax.
It was a treat in these Corona days to have lunch together at the restaurant – we had it all to ourselves – as we had rented the space for the day. Just before lunch we had two visitors: designer Tove Fevang and photographer Geir Arnesen, who recommended Aksa to me. Michael and I were lucky to stay with them after the photoshoot so we did not have to drive the long way back to Ørje. It was a great way to end the perfect photoshoot day!
Behind the Scenes: Photoshoot at Mortensrud Church November 2020
It was a dark and grey morning when we set off from Ørje to Mortensrud Church in Oslo on Friday 13th of November for our photoshoot. I had planned and booked Vardåsen Church in Asker, but due to stricter Corona restrictions they cancelled all arrangements including our photoshoot. Mortensrud Church, on the other hand, still have a few small events taking place and allowed us to have a photoshoot there. Model Olivia Lindtein was at the church, when we arrived. She had planned extra time this time as she was late last year, but so were we due to traffic chaos as a result of the extremely heavy snow. Photographer Eivind Røhne arrived next before Make-up and Hair Stylist Sissel Fylling turned up. Straight to work and it did not take long until Sissel asked Olivia if she could cut off about 7 cm/2.75″ of her hair at the back and shorten it around her face. Thankfully, Olivia agreed.
Eivind prepared his equipment, while I hang the new designs on the clothes rail, while Michael was making a Patreon Behind the Scenes Video. When I was done, Eivind and I had a walk around the church to decide which backdrops to use. We chose a couple of the same ones we used last November. Eivind suggested a small change to an old location and I went for three different backdrops. Three and not four since there was little good daylight due to the weather. Michael and Eivind moved the chairs so that we would have enough space to move around at the first backdrop.
I had eight new designs to be photographed, that I had finished a few days earlier, with a lot of help from sample knitters Grete Jenssen and Airin Hansen. In addition I chose two of my old designs, made for my Norwegian knitting book, “Fletteskjørt“/Cabled Skirt and “Japansk Vest“/Japanese Vest that I wanted new photos of. Four of those new designs are made for Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk and I decided to have those photographed first. Above you can see both Eivind and Michael (read: photographer number two) in action, photographing Olivia wearing Kyi; a skirt made for Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk. If you wonder, yes, I have taken the top three photos with my mobile phone.
I was wearing my Gyda, knitted in Ask, a pure wool from Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk. When we left home, I was also wearing the lace cowl and the tweed belt that is part of the Gyda Cowl pattern, but since the heating was on in the church I had taken those accessories off. Above you see both Sissel and me adjusting Rym the ballet top that goes with Kyi the skirt on Olivia. Both are knitted in the new yarn called Vidde a mix of 50% Pelt wool and 50% Lambswool with 200 meters/220 yards on each 100 gram skeins using a 4.5 mm/US 7 needle.
I know I look very sceptical in this photo, but I did not feel it. My mascara is already under my eyes due to all the laughing. Sissel is quicker than me to adjust the clothing as well as the hair & make-up. So often her head ended up in one of Eivind’s photos, that we all had to laugh, you get the idea from the previous photo.
I love this photo of Olivia eating cake, she admitted that she always have extra space for cake. Just as last time I had ordered a delicious lunch with juices and smoothies from Eckers Café at Frogner in Oslo city center.
My mum lives at Mortensrud, only 5 minutes away from the church and she wanted to pop in to see us all in action. Sissel took this photo of us, standing in the staircase ready for the fifth design to be photographed just after our lunch. On the hanger is the Seneka skirt and a matching silk scarf I had brought.
Here is exactly what my mum and I could see of Olivia wearing the Cabled Skirt, taken at the very spot. We photographed the Seneka skirt next. I had not figured out how to use the silk scarf, but Sissel instantly knew that it should be in her hair. We both agreed that it softened the outfit and made it absolutely perfect.
Michael had a similar view to me, behind me in the staircase, so above you can see Olivia wearing Senna – cardigan – and Seneka – skirt here worn as a poncho – putting on those high healed shoes. Both are knitted in the divine hand dyed Neighborhood Fiber Co. Organic Studio Worsted yarn.
The last photo I will share is the view Sissel and I had of Olivia wearing Kaibara being photographed by Eivind upstairs on the narrow gantry. We were told off by Eivind for not standing straight enough. That meant that we were both in the photo. So we straightened up even further after we had stopped laughing. I had a wonderful day, which I am reliving as I select photos from the pdf that Eivind has sent me. Thank you to my magnificent team!
More photos of all the new designs are available for those of you with a Patreon membership, while some of them will be shown here later on. Michael is doing the last finishes on a Patreon only; Behind the Scenes Video.
Next Photoshoot Venue: Oslofjord Museum
My next photoshoot will be on Monday 27th of May at the Oslofjord Museum in Asker, on the west side of Oslo. I got the idea last year after seeing designer Nina Granlund Sæther post a lovely photo from the beach in Vollen. If you follow my blog, you know that I was holding a talk for the Norwegian Knitting Association back in March in Asker and since we were staying with Tove and Geir, I suggested to them that I would like to go there on Sunday to have a look around. They took Michael and me around the whole area. Above you see the entrance area with Tove’s reflection in the glass. The wall has the same rusty cor-ten wall panel as at Bøler Church in Oslo, where we had a photoshoot in October in 2017.
I had initially planned to have the nearby marina as a base but that is a rather long walk from the beach and the museum. Hence the museum will be our base. Yes, we will have to pay a fee for photographing at the museum, both inside and outside. Hopefully the weather will be good enough for us to photograph outside. Photographer Eivind Røhne gave me a couple of Mondays, when the museum is closed, as options before I sent a message to model Emma Ross. Em could do the first date, so then I booked hair & make up stylist Sissel Fylling.
The coffee shop at the museum is also closed on Mondays, so I checked with Eckers, who I used last time, if they could deliver and I was relieved to hear that they could. So now, I am working on finishing the new designs. Luckily I have had help from my fantastic sample knitters Grete Jenssen and Kristin Nygård. I could not have managed to knit all the new designs myself. I am planning to have seven new designs ready and to add three that has been returned back to me from Interweave in the US. You will know when I post the behind the scenes blogpost after the shoot.
Behind the Scenes: Photoshoot at Bøler Church
Our photoshoot day, last Wednesday, had a grey start but it cleared and the sun came out in the afternoon. Michael and I picked up the gorgeous model Emma Ross – Em for short – at her hotel in Oslo, before we drove to Bøler suburb and the church. Em flew in from Manchester in the United Kingdom the day before and we were excited to meet her. Bøler Kirke is a community church by HBA Arkitekter completed in 2011. See more photos here: www.bygg.no. Photographer Eivind Røhne came as we were unpacking the car and meet the parish priest Dag Auli. We were given not only one room for lunch and our luggage but also a separate one for makeup with even larger windows towards the forest. We were given access to every part of the church, except for the Church Hall during the funeral at midday and given a tour of the church. Eivind and I did go all 121 steps to the top of the Bell Tower and had a lovely view of the nearby lake Østensjøvannet, but the platform at the top was tiny and the long drop to the ground made us both dizzy. The makeup & hair artist Sissel Fylling with her assistant Nora arrived and were introduced to Em. Yes, she needed a haircut (read: as we have come to expect) and we did not need to convince Em to accept. While Sissel and Nora set to work on Em’s hair and then makeup, I prepared the rail with the clothes and went on another tour with Eivind & Michael to locate locations. There were 3 backdrops we immediately wanted: The entrance area to the Church hall with its light concrete walls, the rusty cor-ten wall panel and the chapel courtyard. Michael has taken all these wonderful photos. Above is the entrance area and you see Sissel and me at work, while Em is checking out the biblical text written about the entrance to the Church Hall. She is wearing 1 of the 7 new designs, a long cardigan made in the lovely Di Gilpin’s Lalland Lambswool yarn with a unique twist.
Jewellery designer Kaja Gjedebo who lives at Bøler, came on her bicycle with a large selection for me to choose from. Yes, I did pick some of her new statement pieces and some old favourites. Kaja knows this community church well and could tell us about some of the events that take place here. It is one of the few churches with a licence to serve alcohol in connection with the concerts and other events organised at the church. Above you see Em covered in a felted wooly blanket (see Røros Tweed) to keep warm, as Eivind is checking the light and his flash. Yes, we have several of those blankets. Under she is wearing 1 of 3 designs that needed new photos: Autumn Symphony knitted in Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk, Ask-Hifa 2. On our agenda was to photograph a total of 10 garments during the day.
Here you see Eivind in action photographing 1 of the 4 new designs for Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk in the courtyard next to the chapel. Yes, it was a cold day so Em did want that blanket. We started by photographing here as the funeral was going ahead in the Church Hall. After photographing the 4 garments made for Hillesvåg, we needed to get warm and decided to have lunch. I had checked catering but since we were only 7, we bought lunch from a coffee shop in the city center and brought a selections of drinks & fruit with us. As always we had plenty of fun and discussed postures for Em to test out. Both Sissel and I popped into a number of Eivind’s shoots to correct or adjust her hair, makeup or outfit. 
I love this shoot of Eivind explaining. Em is wearing the Bowery Tunic, one of the designs returned from Interweave, I had to photograph again before I can release it with new photos after the rights have reverted to me. The design was made for knit.wear Spring/Summer 2017. The high ceiling, the light concrete and the full height windows gave this entrance area a sacral light. The impressive lighting is even found in the corridor at the side of the Church Hall as well as inside the Hall itself.
I also wanted to show you half of the church seen from the car park towards the chapel and the courtyard behind it. The tower is the Light Tower and not the Bell Tower which is at the opposite end. We are standing in front of the opposite rusty cor-ten wall panel with the name carved into it. This is also were we ended our photoshoot. The priest came in and asked how it was going on all our locations. We had a brilliant day! Thank you! Now, I am trying to choose photos from Eivind’s selection and trying to finish those patterns…
Photoshoot at Architecture Museum: Gaylia
@Eivind Røhne
Finally, I can show you the professional photos Eivind Røhne took of the gorgeous model Silje Andresen/Team Models, with hair & makeup by Sissel Fylling at the National Museum – Architecture in Oslo at the end of November. First out is Gaylia the aline sweater with a v-neck. I decided to style it with a pair of black pencil trousers and black boots. You can not see them in these photos but they are designed by Monica Stålvang, so no surprise there. The Norwegian pattern will be published in Familien Kreativ in March, while the English pattern will be test knitted in my Ravelry group in May.
@Eivind Røhne
A textural cross cable adorns this a-line sweater with vents. The cable ends in two smaller cables that continue along each side of the v-neck. A check pattern that resembles playful cables adds texture to the sleeves. Gaylia is Norse for jovial, and perfect for this everyday sweater knitted in Dale, Pure Eco Wool.
@Eivind Røhne
The yarn Dale Pure Eco Wool was kindly sponsored by House of Yarn. It is made of 70% wool, 30% alpaca with a 112 meters/122 yards on each 50 gram ball and takes a 4 mm/US 6 needle with a gauge of 21 stitches and 30 rows to 10 cm/4″ square. I choose the dark brown melange colour named Espresso 1207.
@Eivind Røhne
The stark concrete walls in the Klostergang/Cloister Walk around the Fehn Pavilion, makes the knitted texture stand out. For Sissel it reminded her of Marrakech in Morocco despite the freezing temperature in Oslo in late November.
@Eivind Røhne
As you can see I had a difficulty choosing photos and ended up with 4 photos of the sweater without the scarf plus another 4 photos with the scarf. I did not fold the scarf properly under the sweater, but it can lie a lot flatter than this, I promise.
@Eivind Røhne
The pullover is graded in sizes XS to 2XL with bust circumferences from 84 to 126 cm/33 to 49.5″, while the scarf is one size but can easily be adjusted to a larger or smaller size by adding or removing pattern repeats.
@Eivind Røhne
The hip circumference is 14 cm/5.5″ wider than the bust and gives the pullover a soft a-line look. The vents also emphasise this as well as making it appear slimmer.
@Eivind Røhne
The scarf is made in two parts so that the Check pattern leans to one side each just as on the sleeves. Instead of having what appeared as a loose rib facing each other on the scarf, I choose to use garter stitch. The scarf parts are bound off using a 3-needle bind-off, so it has a number of garter stitch rows in the center. The check pattern is reversible so it looks equally nice on both sides. I am so happy with all these photos and think that the team did an amazing job! Thank you!