Creative collaborations: an open invitation

I'll be honest about something. I love the work I do. Portraits, events, corporate sessions, it's good work and I'm proud of it. But after 500+ sessions, I've never stopped feeling a pull toward something I don't get to do enough in commissioned work.

I want to make images that don't have a brief.

The kind where we spend an hour chasing a feeling instead of a deliverable. Where the editing can go somewhere unexpected: darker, dreamier, stranger; because nobody needs it to fit a LinkedIn grid. Where the pose isn't "look professional and approachable" but "what happens if you close your eyes and tilt your head back and we see what the light does."

What I want to create

I want to collaborate with people who are interested in making images that exist purely because they're beautiful, strange, or emotionally true. Not because someone needs a new profile picture.

Images that feel like something. I want to experiment with light in ways I don't get to in a standard session. Shadows that swallow half a face. Colour gels that turn a plain wall into something cinematic. The kind of natural light at 22:00 in June that makes Stockholm look like it belongs in a film nobody made yet.

Editing that goes somewhere. My commercial work has a clean, consistent style because that's what clients need. But I also want to push into territory that's more atmospheric. Grain, mood, contrast, colour grading that tells a story before you even look at the subject. The kind of editing where you're not correcting reality, you're building a world.

Poses and movement that surprise both of us. The best frame is almost never the one you planned. It's the one that happens between poses, when someone forgets they're being photographed and does something instinctive. I want to create space for those accidents. Dance, stillness, motion blur, something we've never tried before and might not work, but then it might.

Something whimsical. I don't use that word often because photography culture tends to take itself seriously. But some of the images I'm most drawn to have a quality that's hard to name: a playfulness, a strangeness, a sense that the person in the frame knows something you don't. I want to chase that feeling.

Who I'm looking for

I'm interested in collaborating with people who have something visually compelling to bring to a session. That's deliberately broad, because the best collaborations come from people you wouldn't have thought to approach.

Models. Experienced or not. If you have a strong presence in front of a camera, or even just a face that tells a story, I'd like to hear from you. I'm not looking for a specific look. I'm looking for someone who's willing to try things and see what happens.

Performers and artists. Dancers, musicians, actors, circus artists, anyone whose work involves their body or their expression. Movement in front of a camera creates images that a static portrait never can, and I want to explore that more.

Stylists, makeup artists, and designers. If you're building your own portfolio and want editorial-quality images, let's create something together. I work regularly with fashion designer Peter Englund and PEEP Stockholm, so fashion and editorial work is territory I know.

Anyone with a visual idea they haven't been able to execute. If you've had a concept stuck in your head (a mood, a scene, a character, a feeling) and you need a photographer to make it real, send it to me. Rough ideas with genuine energy behind them are more interesting to me than polished briefs with none.

How this works

These are collaborative projects. Nobody pays anybody. We both invest time, we both walk away with images we can use.

What you get: Professionally shot and edited images from a photographer with 13 years of experience. High-resolution files delivered through a private gallery, same technical quality as my paid work but with creative freedom that commissioned work rarely allows. Use them for your portfolio, social media, exhibitions, comp cards, whatever you want.

What I get: Images that push my work in directions it doesn't normally go. The chance to experiment with ideas I can't try in a client session. And honestly, the feeling of making something for no reason other than wanting to make it.

Pro bono work for causes that matter

Creative collaborations aren't the only work I do outside of paid sessions. I also cover charity and humanitarian events at no cost when the cause is one I believe in.

In April 2026, I photographed the 5th Repower Charity Gala at Nordiska Museet in Stockholm, raising funds for the psychological recovery of Ukrainian combat medics and doctors. That's the kind of event where the images serve a purpose bigger than anyone's portfolio, they help an organisation tell its story, attract donors, and document an evening where people came together for something that actually matters.

If you're organising a charity gala, a fundraising dinner, a benefit concert, or any event tied to a cause you're passionate about, get in touch. I can't say yes to everything, but I'm always willing to listen. For the right cause, I'll show up with the same equipment, the same professionalism, and the same delivery standards as any paid booking. The only difference is the invoice.

Nonprofits and NGOs operating on limited budgets are also welcome to reach out for regular event work at reduced rates. We'll figure out something that works.

What this isn't

I want to be clear so nobody wastes their time.

This isn't a backdoor to a free portrait session. If you need headshots for LinkedIn or photos for your company website, that's a paid service and I'm happy to help. Different conversation.

What I'm offering is a creative partnership where we make images that exist for their own sake. In a paid session, the client's needs come first. In a collaboration, we follow the idea wherever it goes.

Get in touch

Send me a message through the contact form or email me at hello@danielahlberg.me. Include:

• Who you are and what you do
• A few images that represent your work or your look (a link to your portfolio or Instagram is fine)
• Any ideas you have, even rough ones

I don't need a polished pitch. I need to see that you care about making something good. I'll respond to everyone who writes, and if the fit is right, we'll grab a coffee and figure out what to create.