Photographing at Lærdalsøyri and the fjord About Ann

I’m Ann Parrott, an Australian photographer, graphic designer and creative educator based in Melbourne. I’ve spent the past several years embracing a semi-nomadic lifestyle, travelling, housesitting and photographing the places and people I encounter along the way.

Photography for me is about more than capturing a beautiful view. I’m interested in the character of a place - its people, stories, textures, architecture, changing light and the small details that can easily be overlooked. I particularly enjoy experimenting with intentional camera movement (ICM), creating images that are less about simply recording a place and more about expressing how it feels.

I travelled through Norway for a month in October and November 2025, travelling from Bergen north to Kirkenes and back. That experience left me wanting to return, but with the opportunity to stay longer, slow down and experience everyday life within one community.

That’s what draws me to Geirangerfjord and the Arctic Digital Nomads Grant: the chance to temporarily become part of a community rather than simply pass through it, and to create a photographic story that gives something back in return.
 

My proposed project, briefly

I’d love to bring a photography project to the community as part of my stay.

A working theme could be:
Beyond the Fjord - Everyday Life in Geirangerfjord

I’d love to use my time in Geirangerfjord to create a photographic story that looks beyond the spectacular scenery and explores what makes the community itself special.

I’m interested in photographing the people, places, work, architecture, weather, changing light, everyday routines and small details that reveal what it is really like to live in this part of Norway. I’d like to create a body of work that combines documentary and landscape photography with my more experimental approach, including intentional camera movement (ICM), to capture not only how Geirangerfjord looks, but how it feels.

This idea has a personal connection for me. I spent a month travelling through Norway in October and November 2025, travelling with my son by road, best rod trip ever!  and also taking the Hurtigruten from Bergen north to Kirkenes and back. Experiencing Norway as it moved into winter, its landscapes, changing light, weather and sense of place, stayed with me long after I returned to Australia.

That trip made me want to return, but this time I’d like to do something very different: stay in one community long enough to get to know it rather than simply travelling through it.

Giving something back

What particularly appeals to me about the Arctic Digital Nomads Grant is that the contribution doesn’t have to follow a set format. I’d like mine to grow naturally from my skills and from the community I find myself living in.

I could share photography skills with local residents or other participants through an informal photography walk, creative session or presentation. I could also contribute photographs to a local project, community event or organisation, or share selected images that may be useful for local storytelling, social media or promotional purposes.

I’d be very happy to work with the local hosts to identify where photography could be genuinely useful rather than arriving with a predetermined project that doesn’t fit the community.

I also see value in simply bringing a fresh perspective. As someone arriving from Australia who has never lived in Geirangerfjord, I’ll naturally notice things that may have become ordinary to the people who live there. I’d love to turn that outsider's perspective into something positive, photographs and stories that celebrate the community through fresh eyes.

My intention wouldn’t be to simply produce photographs for myself. I’d like to leave behind something that the community can enjoy, use or build upon, while also creating a personal body of work that tells a thoughtful story about everyday life in Geirangerfjord.

Photography, creativity and connecting with people are the things I naturally bring with me. I’d love the opportunity to put those skills to use in a way that feels genuine, useful and connected to the community.

That is ultimately what attracts me to the Arctic Digital Nomads Grant: not simply the opportunity to experience an extraordinary place, but the chance to temporarily become part of it, contribute what I can, and see Geirangerfjord from a perspective that goes beyond being a visitor.

I would love the opportunity to return to Norway, this time with the time and freedom to slow down, observe, create and connect with the people and place around me.

Thank you for creating such an interesting opportunity. I’d love the chance to bring my camera, curiosity and willingness to get involved to Geirangerfjord, and hopefully leave the community with something useful as well as taking away some extraordinary memories and photographs.

Kind regards,

Ann Parrott
Openroad Footprint
Photographer | Creative Educator | Traveller
Australia
Hidden GemThe great outdoors in Norway Autumn in LærdalsøyriNorway Out For A WalkØye, Innlandet, Norway
Geilo, Norway As The Fog LiftsMisty morning, Norway Ustaoset, Norway