From October 18 to November 14 2025, I exhibited a selection of photographs from my book Bergen – Architecture and Stories at Fana Cultural Centre, as part of the Fana Cultural Days.

The photographs are in black and white, in a Fine Art style — not as documentary records, but rather as interpretations or visions of reality. For many viewers, this approach is somewhat unfamiliar. Some people came up to tell me they live near the places depicted, yet had never seen them quite like that before. Those moments often led to conversations not only about the image itself but also about the personal stories associated with the place.

Others drifted quietly through the gallery, pausing at particular works, discussing them briefly with those nearby before moving on to the following photograph that caught their attention. For me, as a photographer, these moments were both interesting and insightful. Specific images drew people in almost universally, while others were passed by. What is it that sparks that curiosity? Unsurprisingly, the more recognisable subjects tend to attract the most attention. Because the images are interpretive rather than documentary, the viewer must engage more actively — decoding the photograph and reconnecting it with their own sense of reality.

One of the works that received the most attention was Cascades of Water. A couple who purchased this photograph told me they had been looking at it for a long time, and that it gave them a sense of inner calm. Interestingly, it is the least detailed image in the exhibition — most of it shrouded in darkness, with only a single luminous ribbon of flowing water.

This touches on the psychology of images: what draws our attention and holds it? I won’t attempt any elaborate analysis, but I do believe it’s essential to understand how others, more or less randomly, react to our work. That’s how we can move forward in our own development as photographers.