Hallvard Kolltveit – Celebrating the magnitude of nature

Hallvard Kolltveit fell in love with photography in Hawaii while doing his BA. The combination of action sports, mountains rising straight up from the ocean and the vibrant colours simply took his breath away.

The passion was further intensified in 2014 during a surf trip in Iceland. After a week of rain and miserable conditions, they finally got an amazing surf session going during sunrise on a black-sand beach in the middle of nowhere. The photos shot there at 3 in the morning Hallvard still considers some of his best.

As an action sports photographer you get to take part in the action. To experience the power of the ocean and share the special moments with friends. This is what made Hallvard decide to make it his profession. “When you do what you love, you end up spending so much time doing it that you eventually become very good at it. Then people will start paying you,” Hallvard explains. “That has been my mantra since day one.”

The most important tip Hallvard has for aspiring action sports photographers is to view it as a lifestyle. Chasing extreme experiences often means you have to sacrifice a lot for it, and maybe move to a place where they are more easily available. You also have to invest as much in outdoor gear as you do on camera gear, but once you are set, all you need to do is let nature and the weather carry you to places where it’s impossible to get a bad shot.

Of course, it is not only about getting your stuff together and going out there; photographers also need to do their homework creatively and technically. Learn the ABCs of their camera gear, so that they are ready to shoot when the moment is perfect.

“If you climb up to a 1000-metre summit, looking down at the ocean in the winter sunrise on the Lofoten Islands and you are shooting for a brand or a magazine, you can’t screw it up,” Hallvard concludes.