Kleivstua, Kongens utsikt, and a mother who knew better

Sara and Knut Håkon hadn't actually planned to have a photographer. They just wanted to get married, without the bit of infrastructure that often comes with a wedding day.

It was Knut Håkon's mother who wouldn't let it go. She thought it was too important a day to not have pictures from, so she found and hired me on her own. It happened three weeks before the ceremony. It was my first wedding of 2025, and it's the kind of way to start the season that you don't forget, because it reminds you that sometimes it's the next of kin who understands the value of a picture, not the couple themselves.

The ceremony was outdoors at Kleivstua in Krokkleiva. It was hot, the fjord lay blue below, and the preparations took place in a timber lodge with blue walls and art on them. One of the images I appreciated most that day is of Sara's maid of honor, who suddenly poured down a shot in the middle of the preparations to calm her nerves. That's the kind of moment you don't look for. It happens and you press the shutter.

After the ceremony we drove to Kongens utsikt for portraits. Sara and Knut Håkon in light clothes, the fjord below, and the warm light that belongs over Ringerike at that time of year.

Back at Kleivstua I stayed on into the evening. As sunset approached, I suggested we could take a few more pictures while the light was at its finest. They said they felt we had more than enough pictures, and that they'd rather just be in each other's company now. A little later they asked if I wouldn't like to sit down and join the party instead of continuing to work.

That's not something you get every time. And it's one of the reasons I remember this wedding so well.