Hedvig Jenning's dreamy fashion photography creates and captures individual characters

Soft, pastel hues permeate Swedish photographer Hedvig Jenning’s work, whether it’s a fashion shoot for The Guardian or a body positivity series for Odda magazine. Her images are romantic and dreamy, but maintain a lighthearted tone due to subtle, humorous details. Hedvig grew up in a small village in rural Sweden where she spent her days watching films, reading magazines and listening to music. Popular culture played a pivotal role in getting her interested in photography and pursuing a creative career.

“I have always looked to capture a moment or a feeling rather than tell some sort of epic story with a beginning, a middle and an end. When I started my studies I got really into analogue photography. I found the craft very interesting; tiny changes in colour or contrast can make a huge difference in the resulting image. I was too restless to stay in college, however, so I left during the second year and started freelancing,” Hedvig tells It’s Nice That. Since entering the working world, Hedvig has cemented her place in the creative industry. She has worked for publications like Punkt magazine, T Le Temps and Numero Russia and travelled everywhere from the Swiss Alps to Marrakesh to capture her desired outcome.

Her refined series for clothing brand Nand is exemplar of Hedvig’s dreamy aesthetic. The photographer’s stylised series is made up of snapshots and momentary impressions of different impeccably dressed characters. Rather than building a teleological narrative with a developed plot, Hedvig constructs and documents intriguing personalities. “I wanted to create a character-based story as I find individual quirks the most interesting part of a person. I especially wanted to create characters that spoke to me. Me and Nette – Nand’s designer – were not satisfied with the initial casting so we went out on the street and asked strangers if they wanted to be involved,” Hedvig explains. Shot inside an immaculate open space with little furniture, the Nand photographs hone in on the individuals as the series’ centrepiece and reveal the nuances of their personalities.

“I end up looking for the same things in all of my shoots. Aesthetically I want my photographs to be raw yet elegant, seeped in a playful and provocative femininity,” Hedvig says. “I’m very much about gently encouraging my subjects and to try something new. I like the emotional and psychological aspect of directing the models I work with. A successful shoot is a team effort and I really feed off different people’s energies. That’s what I’ve tried to capture in this series; the body language is kind of low key. It’s all about portraying these fictive characters rather than presenting the predictable poses you often find in fashion campaigns.”