Eirik Halvorsen

Wedding | Last Updated: April 4, 2024

Hello friends! My name is Eirik Halvorsen and I live in the south of Norway. I am one of very few dedicated full time wedding photographers in this country. The typical photographer here is a jack of all trades – which I used to be before I got married myself.

You see, photography had been my hobby for many years. I started out photographing concerts and bands before I moved into glamour shots and models, like many other photographers. But I’m really happy I did because that’s how I came across David Hobby and his Strobist.com in 2007. His blog taught me everything about lighting. This fed my technical skills and I built a solid understanding of photography.

I started my photography business in 2009 beside my day job. I was also “the guy with the flashes” for a year in a local newspaper, doing multiple flash setups no matter who I shot, from the mayor to someone’s neighbor complaining about a sign post in the street.

When I got married we were lucky to have Jeff Newsom over to photograph us. I had shot several weddings before that but seeing how he worked I realized that one can actually travel around the world, meet awesome people (yes, me and my wife are awesome, I know) and photograph for a living – that’s when I started to think.

Since 2013 I have gone full force towards wedding photography, spending all my time and money to learn more about business, sales, marketing, finances. Heck, my wife an I even ended up on the top of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania on a business development program!

I have walked the miles and every wedding is a new chance to grow more, make new friends and create art for my clients.

My gear:

Nikon D810
I previously shot with Nikon D3s and zoom lenses but I wanted to switch to smaller bodies. My prayers were answered when the Nikon D810 was announced. I pre-ordered it and it changed my life. The files are awesome and the body fits perfect in my hand. The shutter by itself is very silent but on quiet mode it’s astonishing! Perfect for ceremonies and places where I don’t want to disturb what’s going on.

Nikon D750
My second camera, which I actually use more than the Nikon D810 because of the smaller files. The flip screen is a neat feature that keeps my clothes a little bit cleaner for a little bit longer. I often end up flat on the ground anyway but the flip screen helps a little. I’m also not the tallest person so it makes it easier to aim on a “hail Mary”-shot.

Nikon 24mm f/1.4
One of my favorites. Both up close and far away. It has some barrel distortion but nothing I can’t correct in post.

Nikon 45mm f/2.8 PC-E
Something just fell into place when I got this one. Prior to owning one I used to freelens with an old Nikon 50mm f/1.8 and my sensor was always dusty. I love using the tilt/shift to create more focus points in a photo. Meaning that people can stand in different distances from my camera and I can have them both (or all) in focus. A bit tricky but practice makes perfect. I also love the flaring when shooting this against the sun or a light source. It also doubles up as a semi-macro and with a convex lens held in front of it you can get really close when shooting rings etc.

Nikon 50mm f/1.4
My first 50mm was a 1.8 and I hated it. Suffered from severe back focus so I never used it. When I got a 1.4 I finally understood what that “nifty-fifty” was all about. I love it for portraits.

Nikon 85mm f/1.4
My longest lens since I stopped dragging the Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 around and I don’t complain. This one is tack sharp and stays on my Nikon D750 almost all day. It’s perfect for everything from getting ready to ceremony to speeches. It’s also my go-to lens for group shots to compress the background as much as possible.

2x Nikon SB-800
Since I “grew up” with Mr. Strobist I have a ton of speedlights laying around. The old Nikons like the Nikon SB-26 are neat because you can switch to slave mode with a physical button on the front, compared to Nikon SB-800 where you need to go into the menu. Not so good for dancing though when all the guests point and shoot’s pre flashes burn up my recycle time before I even press my own shutter. That’s why I use my trustworthy PocketWizards.

3x PocketWizard Plus II Trancievers
They just work. I have had a few misfires but that’s mainly bad connection with the PC-sync cables, nothing that a good ‘ole teeth action can’t fix (bite the plug so it connects better). They have been with me through everything for 10 years. Thrown around, smashed and rained on. The test button on one of them is jammed from a light stand falling over. The flash didn’t make it.

SLIK PRO 340DX Tripod
From a band promo shoot in 2007. One of the members brought it for me to borrow. I forgot to give it back and he forgot to ask for it back. I guess I can call it mine after 9 years?

LED lights
Fun to play with on different occasions. I love doing light painting shots in the dark or experimenting with some colors on detail shots or creative portraits.

Color gels
Full CTO’s for color balancing the flashes with orange indoor light when I need to and a variety of different colors to gel my flashes.

Glass prisms and lenses
Any fun shiny object to put in front of the lens can make a dull photo more interesting. It can even be used to “remove” any unwanted objects in your frame like a TV in a hotel room or something. Just hold something over it and it will blur it out or make a color cast.

Custom molded earplugs
I’m a drummer so I’m very aware of protecting my hearing. These guys turn down the volume by 15db and is good to have on hand when the party starts. I can also hold a conversation without taking them out so they are a lot better than those yellow foam ones.

Hit me up on social media, I love to make new friends :)

www.eirikhalvorsen.com