Burberry SS26 Backstage
BACKSTAGE WITH ODA EIDE
Backstage - an interview series bringing you backstage with the creative people. In this edit, I spoke to Fashion Photographer Oda Eide.
Oda is a Norwegian Fashion photographer based in London. She has a strong eye for shapes, composition and lighting, and her photographic style is strongly influenced by architecture, nature and by her Scandinavian heritage. She photographs both digitally and on film.
Connecting with and working closely with brands and designers is her main focus, and gaining an understanding of each clients' vision and image to help tell their story.
How did you get into photography, and how did you end up in the fashion sphere?
Funnily enough my path was pretty linear, and according to my parents I already knew I wanted to 'be a photographer at fashion week' at quite a young age. Both the photography and the lifestyle in itself really appealed to me, as I have always been a very extroverted person that loves being around people, traveling and thrives in a bit of chaos. The urge to travel I have inherited from my dad and my granddad, the latter was an avid photographer in his spare time and he even had his own darkroom at home, but never worked as a photographer professionally.
Is there a thing you always bring on set?
I always bring what I like to refer to as 'the little yellow camera' - most of my clients and creatives I regularly work with would know exactly what I'm referring to and how much I love it! I bought this small digital underwater camera on eBay for a shoot in Sardinia a couple of years ago, as we wanted to capture some imagery in the sea. Later on I started bringing it with me on set and realized how amazing it was for capturing close-up beauty images and detail shots. It shoots only small JPEG files, however I've captured some of my favorite images on this camera, including a Vogue Portugal beauty story and a printed Marlè Magazine cover, I also always shoot with it on my jobs for self-portrait. One more thing I use on most of my shoots is a ladder, as I love to shoot from above. However when this isn't logistically possible I just find something else to climb up on (which is sometimes even more fun).
What's your favourite thing to wear on set?
My go-to piece of clothing on set are my amazing wool suit trousers from Heliot Emil, they are such a good elevated basic and make me feel a bit more put together! I pair these with comfortable trainers or ballet flats and a tank top + additional layers I can take off when I'm rushing around feeling hot from carrying kit or from all the adrenalin, and put back on later when I'm cooling down.
How has “doing it afraid but doing it anyways” shaped your journey?
Throughout my career I've had to get used to throwing myself into new situations, where I have to just dive in head first and trust myself and my abilities. I've always believed that discomfort and friction is very healthy and the only way to really learn and grow. And I try to always channel any anxiety that arises into excitement. Feeling nervous about something shows that you care about it strongly!
Was there a moment where you almost gave up, or doubted this path?
There's definitely been some moments, especially when work is less busy and there aren't as many projects on the horizon. Having such an unpredictable job can be stressful as it's often harder to make plans ahead of time as I don't know what my schedule will look like, however having such a fun job and the freedom of being my own boss and managing my own schedule massively outweighs that for me.
Marlé Magazine
TANK Magazine VOGUE Portugal
Describe being a Fashion Photographer in three words:
What has been your biggest pinch-me moment so far?
I'd say this happens quite a lot! I'm so grateful for the life I am able to live, creating with so many amazing and talented people and having so much fun. I've definitely had a few moments during the bigger shows at fashion week, especially when I'm able to be a fly on the wall backstage. Being around so many talented creatives is such a privilege, and these moments always leave me feeling really inspired and motivated.
What would you say to someone who wants to get into fashion photography?
I think one of the most important and helpful aspects for me was how much I wanted this. I think a bit of obsession is needed to stay motivated, not just on the good days but also when everything feels difficult and overwhelming. To me it was key to be constantly creating and evolving, shaping my own identity as a photographer and finding out what inspires me. Starting out I said yes to pretty much every single project that came my way - be that a food photography job, corporate headshots or someone's kids birthday party. I learned something from every single job, and slowly but surely narrowed my focus more and more. Building relationships with other creatives and self-initiating projects is crucial, and it was through shooting creative stories and editorials that I started to really find my artistic direction. Alongside this, assisting other photographers was a great way to grow technical skills and learn how everything works on set!
As told to Intern Magazine