You Are Here by Eivind Natvig

Eivind Natvig began his career by abandoning his homeland, Norway, for more exotic locales. Believing the cost of living in Oslo was too high, he boarded a plane and transplanted himself to Nepal, where the economy of living allowed him to explore as much as he wanted to. He pursued stories and projects throughout the country as well as in neighboring India and Bangladesh.

But for a variety of reasons, including several bouts with illness, Natvig found himself back at home. During his time abroad, he suffered dengue fever twice in Bangladesh and once in India. His second bout of the fever left him more than thirty pounds lighter and his third bout left him with short-term memory loss. The illness proved to be both a physical and financial burden.

So in 2010, Eivind made his way back to Oslo, where he began to recuperate, slowly gaining back his strength and replenishing his finances. He signed on as as a staff photographer for a small paper—a job that allowed him to travel Norway, gaining a new perspective on his home country.

“Pandora’s box was open…I had 8 assignments throughout the country where there was 100% creative control. It was wonderful. I discovered that my countrymen are more welcom[ing] than expected. This country which seemed so remote and so closed to me through all [my] years abroad was not that way at all.”

Natvig plans on returning to Asia to continue working on the stories he began there, but for now he says, “I’m pushing myself to do 12 months to shoot this story. You Are Here. To be present. To be here.”

More of Eivind’s work can be seen here and through Agence Vu.