Meet The Locals: Måns Berg

Meet Måns Berg. When he’s not capturing Stockholm he’s exploring it. Måns is the go-to for beautiful shots of Stockholm’s diverse architecture. He tells us his favourite spots around his home town.

What does your job in Stockholm involve?
Hi, my name is Måns Berg and I’m a photographer. I photograph architecture, both exteriors and interiors, with a focus on all things industrial. I also photograph the occasional portrait for my clients. I obviously travel a lot in my line of work, both in Sweden and the rest of Europe, but a lot of my work is in or around Stockholm. On a regular day, I will cycle from my apartment to my studio close to St Eriksplan, which is about five miles north but still in town. When I get in, I usually grab a coffee and pack my stuff up, jump in a cab and go to some newly developed office. Once there I meet the architect that’s responsible for the layout and design and we talk through what kind of shots they need. Then I'm left cruising around for a few hours getting all the angles and positioning stuff to make it look at its best. If the office has already been opened, it’s a whole other story. I have to be very diplomatic and carefully ask them to remove horrible office plants and get rid of all of those family portraits that everyone immediately puts up. After that, it's time to head back to work and start retouching pictures. I usually spend about 1-3 hours on each picture to get everything looking just right. Then, I'm back on my bike, cursing at people and drivers for getting in my way. I go home for a quick dinner, then take my car to the climbing gym where I work out and hang with friends for a few hours before it's time to go back home to get some much-needed sleep.

Why is Stockholm a great place to do what you do?
Stockholm is a great place for me to work, because all the best architects work here and the largest Swedish industrial companies have their headquarters here. The proximity to an international airport with lots of departures is also essential. The long dark winters also give me the patience to sit down and work on pictures to develop my style.

Have you lived in Stockholm your entire life?
I was born and raised in Stockholm. I really love the constant proximity to nature. I do a lot of rock climbing and in Stockholm you're always quite close to a crag. In the summer it´s really easy to get out to a lake or some kind of nature – and I have most of my family and friends here. People tend to stick around in Stockholm. 

What’s your favourite thing about living in Stockholm?
Stockholm has lots of good restaurants, good coffee and a bunch of really good record stores with great second hand vinyl shops. 

What’s your favourite place or neighbourhood to hang out in the winter months in Stockholm?
 The winter months are great for buying vinyls. Hanging out in a warm basement in Södermalm somewhere, flicking through albums, is a great thing to do in winter. Between shops I would head for a coffee. If I was in Sofo I´d probably go to Il Café for a coffee, but an even better cardamom bun. It's the best in town for sure.

If you had a tourist friend visiting the city for one weekend, what would you recommend?
If they visited in summer I'd tell them to wait until late at night and head up to Fjällgatan in Söder to watch the sun set over the city. That´s a special experience and a nice way to see Stockholm at its best. Before that they should have a drink outside at Mosebacke, which is just around the corner.