Jesper Grønnemark is one of Denmark's best sports photographers, shooting for commercial clients and major sporting events around the world.
"It all started when I was 16 years old. That's when I was hired for my first jobs in the Alps, as a photographer for ski events. It was the start of my career, but also the start of finding the right equipment to get me through a day outdoors in the best possible way," Jesper says. "Working in the Alps can be relentless when the weather is bad. Here I gained a lot of experience in equipment that I have taken with me. This includes trying to keep your body warm and dry."
Jesper later took an education as a commercial photographer, after which he went self-employed and began to refine his passion and specification in sports photography for commercial use. A niche in photography where a lot of time is spent outdoors in all kinds of weather.
Soon after some of the biggest sports brands noticed Jesper and he was sent on jobs all around the world.
"The right equipment is crucial for good pictures - both camera equipment and clothing. If I don't have to worry about being cold or sweaty, I have the energy to go the extra mile and get those unique shots. That's something I make a virtue of - always going the extra mile"
Jesper works in extreme environments, but also in extreme situations. It can be in Hawaii where the humidity can be around 90%, in the mountains where the temperature can get down to -30 degrees or even Denmark with days that can be very wet. In all scenarios Jesper is happy to use products from LOOW.
"I have been using LOOW since 2019. It is my to-go clothing both on jobs and in my free time".
If you ask Jesper which image is his favourite, he replies: "It's a bit like Kill Your Darlings, but I'm extra fond of my skydiving picture. It's a culmination of an idea to push myself (I'd skydived once before and really thought that was enough), taking a studio flash into freefall, and a fantastic team performance." An image that has won Jesper several photography awards and an execution that has been featured in some of the biggest photography publications.
Link to behind the scenes video: https://youtu.be/_W5_1yT9H5w
Besides his many jobs Jesper is working on his passion project that he calls Winners And Living Legends, where he photographs some of Denmark's best athletes. A project that stems from the skydive image, where Jesper has a creative freedom to make the photographs as he wants. The project will end up in a photo book when Jesper has a collection of about 50 athletes.
"One of my goals is, of course, to keep photographing for the amazing clients I have - but also to publish the Winners And Living Legend photo book, among other things. Also, to take on some more expedition-inspired photography with overnight stays in nature and a focus on the full story."
You can see more of Jesper's work here: www.gronne.dk
