“So why do you live in Copenhagen?” is a question I am asked very often. It’s a strange answer, but I think if we trace it back, it comes from a dislike for Milan. In 2011 or 2012 I went to Italy for my first time for my good friends Josh + Kat’s wedding on an island in Lake Como. Prior to taking the train to Como, I spent a night or two in Milan and just didn’t enjoy myself at all. So, when I started travelling for Fashion Week I made the choice to skip Milan (and only Milan). I wasn’t making much money so I couldn’t afford to fly back to NYC after London Fashion Week concluded only to then jump back onto a flight to Paris a few days later. I needed a place in Europe to layover in.

In November of 2010 I took a trip with two friends to Reykjavik, London, Paris, Copenhagen, and Stockholm. This is when I fell in love with Copenhagen, and when I met my very first Danes. I met Louise and Thomas, two people whom I asked to photograph on the street in the snow. In my search of where to go in lieu of Milan, I reached out to Louise and asked if she knew anyone who had a room I could rent cheaply. Louise was an actual stranger I had interacted with for less than a minute. But Louise told me I could stay with her…for free. I was broke, so that’s exactly what I did.

Louise now had a frequent guest. I was in Copenhagen every time Milan Fashion Week was on the calendar, and in August, 2013 I was in Copenhagen for my very first Copenhagen Fashion Week.

Wow, that was a long lead-up! Ok, so looking at the metadata I took my first photo of Julie at 12:01:23 on 7 August, 2013 at Rådhuspladsen. She was wearing a Kenzo jacket and looked very cool. I later found out that she was only there to meet her cousin and was totally not expecting to be photographed by some guy who was newly totally obsessed with the Danish aesthetic. The photo isn’t much to look at really, but I do think it’s strange that a photo of a stranger can lead to a friendship which would lead to this essay which describes the photos your scrolling through right now.

Julie is my friend. We have had some periods in our friendship where we have not gotten along. We have very different ways of communicating. I’m very direct. She’s not (at least with me). But I thought it would be important to photograph her in different aspects of her life. I used this to follow Julie on her run. To invite myself to her office. And then prior to a shoot she hired me for, I (very unprofessionally) asked her to sit on her sofa before we departed to take a portrait in her home.

All of these little parts which transpired in life have come together and I now live in Nørrebro. All because I just didn’t like Milan that much. I met Louise. I met Julie. I went to Julie’s apartment. I went to Julie’s office. I stalked her on her run. If I had loved Milan I’d probably be living in another place right now. I’d likely not have gone to CPHFW that season at all. Who knows. But here are photos of a person I met randomly over a decade ago and now consider to be my friend.