Photojournalism asks something different of me. It’s not a mood—it’s a mission. The pictures need to clarify, not mystify. They must stand on a foundation of context and accuracy: the who, what, when, where, and why. If street photography is my voice, photojournalism is my responsibility. The Danish news photographers have a historically strong voice and very high standards. All of this leans into how I work as a street photographer.

The Street: A License to Interpret

On the street, I’m not assigned to a narrative. I’m free from captions, headlines, and editorial constraints. My raw material isn’t just “what happened,” but how it felt to stand there.

Photo: Stefan Lalkovski, Rome workshop.

• Ambiguity is allowed. The photograph can provoke rather than explain.
• Aesthetics are expressive. Shadow, colour temperature, motion blur—these are storytelling devices, not errors.
• Sequencing is poetry. I can arrange images to suggest parallels rather than document events.

I often build scenes around the absence of light or negative space—inviting the viewer to complete the image with their own imagination. The street lets me speak in metaphors.

The Newsroom: A Duty to Verify

When the goal is to inform, every choice is accountable.

• Clarity over mood. If it misleads, it doesn’t belong—even if it’s beautiful.
• Context is part of the frame. What I exclude matters as much as what I include.
• Ethics guide the edit. Cropping can be okay; altering content isn’t. Captions must be accurate. Sequencing shouldn’t distort cause and effect.

Street work can be subjective and personal. Photojournalism/videojournalism must be reliable for the public. In one, I can interpret reality; in the other, I must protect it.

Two scenes. two stories.
Left, I am waiting for a scene to happen in a train station in Berlin for a street moment.
Right, I am on a videojournalist assignment, following people for a news story.

Same Streets, Different Questions

• Street question: What makes this ordinary moment feel extraordinary?
• Journalism question: What is happening here, and what does the audience need to understand?

Photojournalistic work I have done, which isn’t far from street photography, but with an obligation to show real life and be honest to the story.
In street photography, I don’t have to be as correct, but still honest. In the street, I can make the scene as I wish, and let the viewer interpret it as they want, without the need for documentation.

Both rely on timing, empathy, and access. But they diverge in intent.
Intent determines my distance, whether eye contact matters, whether I wait for clean geometry, or step closer to reveal a crucial detail. Intent even shapes the post-processing: in street work, I might embrace a warmer palette or deeper shadows; in journalism, I keep tones neutral and the scene faithful.

A street scene from a local town close to where I live. Odense, Denmark.

WORKSHOPS FOR YOU

All of this knowledge I have gained over the years, I put into the workshops. Does that mean you have to be very ambitious or have a big experience to take part? Absolutely not. My workshops are for everyone. Beginners or experienced. But my belief is that you get the best outcome when learning from a pro.
Join me at a workshop. There are several workshops available, both this spring and later.

All levels and all camera models are welcome. It’s about you and your enthusiasm for photography.

See the full list on the WORKSHOP PAGE.