From a balcony in cool Stockholm to the sizzling hot South of France. The right mix of hot and cold will get you a ticket to ride the White Lotus wave.

I am standing on a balcony on Östermalm in Stockholm, pointing my camera at actor Pekka Strang, who is leaning against the wall dressed in a casual cosy sweater. The picture below is him in my cosy fake fur coat in my studio.

We’re talking in between clicks. A lot. I really like talking to Pekka. Actually, I really like Pekka.

Usually I have my subjects emit some degree or more of a flirty feeling, but in order for that to work there has to be some contrast. You know, a little like when you add sugar in order for the salty to pop. So I start digging deeper and we get into discussions about bad boys and how to portrait them as an actor.

Suddenly the balcony feels awfully small. And I am getting the chills. The nice Pekka is gone. Even if his sweater seems soft and cuddly, that is not the feeling I have. With mostly silence and piercing looks, Pekka is giving scary vibes now. Just to show me how it’s done, right? But I do feel it and I am considering leaving the balcony any way possible.

And just like that, he switches back to sweet.

Cannot wait to see season 4 of The White Lotus. Pekka is in good company filming in Cannes during the festival with other stars like Laura Dern, Ben Kingsley, Frida Gustavsson, Nadia Tereszkiewicz, Max Minghella and some other A-level actors.

Will he be a mister nice guy or will he turn on the icy chill machine again? Remains to be seen.

So, when it comes to photographing people, I believe that if I can feel it, my feeling will magically transfer through the screen to the viewer. That’s how it should be if the feeling is real. Or as close to real as it can be.