Canon Ambassador Nanna Navntoft is a Danish documentary photographer whose personal work highlights and explores contemporary social issues. Through her sensitive portraits, she gives intimate insights into marginalised groups and mental health conditions that are often ignored or misunderstood.

Nanna was born in Copenhagen in 1988 and is still based in the city. At university, she studied for a BA in Geography and Communications, before taking a photography course at one of Denmark's folk high schools (institutes for adult education). Photography had been a part of her life from a young age, but now she appreciated its wider potential.

"I realised I could photograph the same things I was studying in geography, but I could now visualise something instead of writing about it," Nanna says. "I really liked that way of communication and found I could reach more people that way."

Nanna graduated from DMJX in January 2020 and currently combines working on her personal projects with teaching photography and shooting portraits for editorial publications on a freelance basis.

Her editorial work has included portraits of Danish authors, racing drivers, actors, dancers and musicians. Meanwhile, her personal projects have focused on issues such as Binge Eating Disorder (BED), the plight of refugees in Denmark and prostitution in Senegal.

Nanna says her choice of subjects follows naturally from her personal interests. "Sometimes there are projects that I just can't stop thinking about and usually it's because I think something is wrong, or something is not fair," she says. "I feel like maybe I can have a small say about it and I can't help but start to work on it.

"For example, I hadn't seen anything on BED either at home or abroad, and I could really feel people with this condition were very frustrated that they couldn't get any help or recognition. I thought maybe I could work with them, do something together and get some focus on it."

Nanna's work has had widespread editorial coverage, been featured in exhibitions and received recognition through prizes such as the Danish Picture of the Year awards. However, she says the real reward is when those she works with share in her success.

"The best part is when the people I photograph share on their social media channels the news that the photos have been shown or have won a prize, then I get really proud and think, yes, this collaboration is really working," she says. "And they feel it too. They are proud to be part of it. Then it really makes sense for me to do this kind of work."

What's been the most challenging situation you've worked in?

"When I'm photographing people with problems such as BED, it's really being in this situation that's the difficult part – but it's also the part I really like a lot, because that is when things are happening. When I've photographed refugees in Denmark that are dealing in narcotics, I have seen people who have overdosed, which is really challenging in a different way."


Do you approach your editorial and personal work differently?

"I work in much the same way. When I meet people I'm going to photograph, I try to understand them, to see who they are and what they do, how they move, and so on. I almost never talk when I'm photographing, just at the beginning and at the end. I never tell people what to do. If I'm photographing an actor, for instance, I watch things like the way they move their hands, the way they stand, and try to use those things in the images. I do the same on my personal projects."


How much do you arrange the images in your personal projects?

"It depends on the project. In my binge eating project, for example, I start off with a long interview with someone, then discuss how we're going to visualise what we've been talking about. I always work in people's homes and I don't bring anything other than my camera. I will tell them where to sit, so we get the best light and things like that, but otherwise I don't stage photos."


When you decide on an issue you want to explore, how do you find the people to photograph?

"In the beginning I mostly use social media. I join groups and start asking people if they are interested in me coming by, initially for interviews and later for making portraits. When I have done some portraits, I show them to other people so they can see what I want to do. The longer I work on a project, the easier it gets."

Nanna Navntoft