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My camera is my travel companion

For me, my work as a photographer is about more than capturing photos. It's about telling a story. Regardless if I'm creating photos for an outdoor brand or a tourist destination I want my work to say something, for the images to work together and be connected through storytelling.

I did not intentionally choose to become a nature photographer, nature chose me to capture her. I was a fashion and interior photographer that started to explore the outdoors in my spare time. And I brought my camera along just to capture memories. I fell in love with it and many years later I find myself working as an outdoor lifestyle photographer.

My camera is a travel companion as much as a tool of the trade. Which is why I need my gear to be light and small. When I am out working to capture images and tell a story, me and the client or my models are outside actually hiking, paddling, biking or foraging for berries and mushrooms. Enjoying what nature has to offer, as a part of our work.

I want to have my camera at hand and ready at all times. Not just tucked away safely in my backpack. It's often hanging on my shoulder or slung across my body. I need a camera that allows me to partake in outdoor activities without weighing me down. That's how I am ready to capture all the small moments in between that help make a series a story.

This is what led me to sell off my bigger 35 mm system gear in exchange for lighter and smaller camera gear from Olympus and now OM SYSTEM. Since then my main camera has been the Olympus E-M5 Mark III but that might soon change. This fall I have been fortunate enough to have the opportunity to use its younger sibling and successor, the OM SYSTEM OM-5.

Coffee, a fire steel, notebook, hat and compass: some of the outdoor essentials that join me alongside my OM-5, usually paired with the 12mm F2.0 or 20mm F1.4 PRO lenses.

Living slow and staying wild

I start my day by slipping into knitted socks and making a pot of coffee. The warmth of the cup warm my hands and helps me wake up. I might journal or draw for a bit, then I light some candles in my home office and get to work. I spend the morning editing photos, emailing clients and planning for upcoming trips, lessons or photo shoots. Then I make some lunch and after being re-fuelled I don my foraging gear and head to the forest.

As a photographer I am constantly scanning my surroundings, seeing images everywhere, something that has helped me in my hunt for mushrooms as well!

This forest is my backyard. It's a short walk from where I live in the north of Sweden, and this is where I come to get a screen break, recharge my batteries and get inspired. It's also where I do a lot of foraging for food. I love that I have nature on my doorstep and that I get to experience it through all the seasons. Right now it's fall and it is my absolute favourite.

The warm, earthy colors are so in tune with me and my visual style, the air is cooler and easier to breathe and there's also so much free food out there right now! My work-life balance is at it's best when autumn rolls around.

OM-5 • M.Zuiko 20mm F1.4 PRO • 20 mm • 1/500 s • F2.0 • ISO250

In my bag I also carry a macro lens out to get closer to the textures, small mushrooms and bugs I come across as well as a 12mm to capture the wider views my forest has to offer.

Basket in hand, mushroom knife on my belt and a small pack with an extra layer, more coffee, some snacks, water, a first aid kit, my notebook and a compass is all I need to be out for a few hours. Oh and my camera gear of course. It's so compact that I barely notice it, something that's so important to me as I move through the forest, off the beaten path through moss and ferns, scrambling over rocks and ducking under trees. That's where the mushrooms grow!

OM-5 • M.Zuiko 20mm F1.4 PRO • 20 mm • 1/320 s • F2.5 • ISO250

The weather can be a bit unpredictable during fall, and I am often dealing with rain or heavy, wet fog. I love being out taking photos in that since it adds such a moody, mystical atmosphere to the forest. Plants and mushrooms really come alive with an extra glow when they're wet as well!

Since the OM-5 is weathersealed I don't have to worry about the gear and as long as I dress properly I can head out no matter what the forecast says. When I am able to head outside with my camera and bushwhack through my forest I feel free and alive and my small gear makes sure I don't have to sacrifice my creativity.

OM-5 • M.Zuiko 20mm F1.4 PRO • 20 mm • 1/60 s • F2.5 • ISO200

The warm colors of autumn paired with natures beautiful textures is so inspiring to me!

This camera is incredibly small and lightweight, but on the inside it has everything I require to capture the magic around me. The built-in focus stacking is great to use when capturing small mushrooms. It ensures that everything is sharp, but I still get the soft, blurry background I love to really help the mushrooms pop. And since it's all stitched together in camera I have less work in front of the screen, which means I get more time in the forest!

OM-5 • M.Zuiko 60mm F2.8 Macro • 60 mm • 1/60 s • F2.8 • ISO200

This image was captured using the Focus Stacking feature in-camera. Without it I would've needed a tripod and to manually take multiple photos. And finally spend a lot of time back home at the computer to stitch them together.

As I come back home I have new photos I love and renewed energy for a few more hours of office work, as well as enough mushrooms for dinner or berries that I use to make jam, ferment or flavour my kombucha with. What more could one ask for?

Using the OM-5 in my own forest, it quickly became a new best friend for my local, close-by adventures. But earlier this year I also put it to the test in a very different environment.

From the rivers...

This summer I went on an amazing trip with friends which allowed me to test the new camera in an environment it really shines in. We headed to the most northern parts of Scandinavia to enjoy everything the northern nature had to offer: breathtaking views, rewarding hikes, never-ending summer nights and reindeer sightings.

One evening we headed to a small mountain lake. It was a short hike and with us we had food, fishing gear, clothes for layering with and of course photo gear to capture some memories. In the never-ending summer night that Scandinavia has to offer we headed out onto the still waters and paddled a bit, enjoying the silence of the mountains.

OM-5 • M.Zuiko 20mm F1.4 PRO • 20 mm • 1/4000 s • F2.8 • ISO400

I love being in nature with friends who share my passion for photography.

The small body and light weight of the OM-5 makes it easy to flip around to take a selfie or get close to details.

Later in the evening Daniel and Pablo went fishing. The sun briefly lowered itself behind the mountains before starting to rise again. Summer nights in the north are quite extraordinary, something that you really can't imagine without experiencing firsthand.

A fresh catch doesn't need much to taste delicious, so we made a fire and I simply prepped our fish with salt and fresh juniper. We let it slowly cook over the fire while enjoying the smell and the fact that smoke keeps the bugs at bay. Mosquitos are also a part of northern summer, unless you get here early in June.

OM-5 • M.Zuiko 12mm F2.0 • 12 mm • 1/3200 s • F2.2 • ISO250

In order to tell a good story I find it's key to capture the big views...

OM-5 • M.Zuiko 12mm F2.0 • 12 mm • 1/3200 s • F2.2 • ISO250

...as well as hone in on the details.

OM-5 • M.Zuiko 12-45mm F4.0 PRO • 16 mm • 1/160 s • F4.0 • ISO200

Small gear means I don't need a big bag. This enables me to move freely while I work (photo by Daniel Villadsen).

I've photographed two books on outdoor cooking now and it's a favourite subject of mine.

OM-5 • M.Zuiko 20mm F1.4 PRO • 20 mm • 1/60 s • F1.8 • ISO64 (Live ND)

...to the mountains

The following day it was time for a new adventure. We travelled across the border to Norway, and in the afternoon we started hiking up a mountain. The plan was to enjoy the sunset from the top. It was really hot as the sun beat down on us. The beginning of the hike was steep, the path narrow and the rocks loose. It was a hard climb for me.

A hard, steep hike but I still managed to take photos since my small camera was always on my shoulder, ready to be used.

It's in situations like these I am especially grateful that my gear is so light. I knew it would be colder on the top, so I had made sure to pack layers of clothes as well as with food, water, a first aid kit, knife and compass. There’s no room for loads of camera equipment, but I had everything I needed to capture our experience and tell our story.

Snacks in the form of dried reindeer meat, my compass and good company = key essentials for a hike!

Now, as we all know, nature does not care about our intentions. She doesn't wait and she does not always deliver what we want. This time we did not get a sunset from the top. It was windy, foggy and moody.

But in the fog and silence reindeer walked, wind whipped my hair and the force of nature felt strong. In the end that's still such an awesome thing to experience, and we did of course have a lot of fun together. The views were amazing and it's always such a good feeling to realise what your body can accomplish!

OM-5 • M.Zuiko 75mm F1.8 • 75 mm • 1/125 s • F6.3 • ISO320

Surrounded by fog, my body aching and my mind tiredly realising that I also have to hike back down. But I also feel alive. I am here creating new memories with friends in a beautiful place. Pushing hard to earn the experiences as well as the images captured along the way. This is when I am the happiest.

OM-5 • M.Zuiko 12mm F2.0 • 12 mm • 1/200 s • F2.0 • ISO100

My best photos happen when I'm having fun and enjoying life. Either during a trip with friends, or alone in my forest, with just nature and my own thoughts.

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About the author

Rania Maria R

I live in a small, northern town in Sweden called Sundsvall. It's located in a valley surrounded by forests. Here I work as an outdoor & lifestyle photographer. I try to lead a slow, mindful life rich with experiences, not things - enjoying the small things in life and going on close by adventures. Nature is what heals and inspires me and you can really feel the colors and textures of nature in my pictures. They're moody, warm and down to earth, kind of like autumn - which happens to be my favourite season.

My hope is to use my photography and online presence to tell stories that inspire others to spend time in the wonderful nature that we in Sweden are lucky enough to have very close at hand. As I've found my calling and my niche I've also curated clients who share my interests and love for nature, like Lundhags, High Coast Whisky, Naturkompaniet & Elles Utemat. 

Besides photography I love foraging and cooking with wild food, bouldering, having good conversations by a fire, exploring craft beer and playing boardgames.

Live slow and stay wild! / Rania

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