Laura Bisgaard Krogh

"For me, the camera is a key to open up doors into other people's lives," says Danish photojournalist and Canon Ambassador Laura Bisgaard Krogh. "That's what's important to me: to connect with and to relate to people in a personal way."

Working in both photography and video, Laura has produced a series of long-term solo and collaborative projects. Her subjects have included the 'Hidden People' of Icelandic folklore and the residents of an apartment block that's due for demolition. However, the main focus of her work is youth and identity, and recently she has particularly concentrated on at-risk children and teenagers.

"My time in news photography has really broadened my skills," says Laura. "Due to the short deadlines and the speed and quantity of assignments, you have to know your technique and be very quick at making your images a certain quality. Working with that many assignments every day really makes you a better photographer."

Although Laura has learned important skills from her news experience, her preferred way of working is to concentrate on long-term documentary stories in which she explores a subject in detail.

She says the project that means the most to her is A Question of Honour, which is about girls who have fled their families because they are at risk, in the worst-case scenario, of honour killing. "It means a lot to me simply because it's such an important story and I think the young women are so incredibly brave to be willing to tell their story," she says.

Laura's ultimate aim is for her work to have a positive effect, both on those she photographs and those who view it. "Most of all, I want the people I photograph to feel seen and to recognise themselves and maybe a certain state of mind in the pictures," she says.

"Of course, it would be good if our work brought about some political change. But if other people can see themselves in the images and recognise some sort of emotional state of mind they have within themselves, that's also really positive. That one thing can be both personal and universal at the same time."

Many of your projects are about young people. What draws you to photograph them?
"I feel that when they're growing and in the period of time where they are creating their own identity, both as a child and as a young adult, there's just a lot of energy in that process. And that fascinates me."

Which of your projects has been the most challenging?
"The most recent one, about a home for at-risk girls, has been very challenging in every aspect. The girls have had a very tough childhood and gaining their trust has been the main assignment for me. It's also been difficult due to the bureaucracy of getting consent from the girls, their parents, the home they live in and the municipality – all the many layers that are in place to protect them. But even though it's been very challenging it also makes me very happy."

What's the most important thing you've learned about documentary photography?
"Through my first teacher in photography at the Danish folk high school I learned the concept that you have to use yourself in order to really meet your sources. That idea was very much deepened when I went to art school, where I realised that in order for the people you photograph to open up to you, you have to be open and vulnerable yourself. And I think there's a lot of strength in that. A lot of great photography comes from vulnerability."

What's been the highlight of your career so far?
"I made A Question of Honour in collaboration with two dear friends, Andreas Haubjerg and Mikkel Thuesen, and we were very grateful to win first prize in the Portrait category of the Danish Picture of the Year 2019. That was certainly a highlight, because it created a lot of focus on the story itself and that's really what we wanted."

"To do a long-term documentary project, it's important to know why you are telling the story you are telling. You don't always know from the get-go, but I think it brings a great quality in your work when you know why you personally engage with, or work within, a particular theme. You have to really think what you can bring to the story, and protect your sources as you do it, especially if you work with at-risk people."

Instagram: @_laurakrogh

Website: www.laurakrogh.com