After a life spent surrounded by horses and photography, Stockholm-based Anna Jarlhäll has found her calling in uniting her passions
Anna Jarlhäll is a 52-year-old photographer, specialising in horse photography, from Stockholm, Sweden. An administrator by day, Jarlhäll realised five years ago that her true passion was photography. “It wasn’t a ‘blixt från klar himmel’ (which translates to a ‘lightning bolt from a clear sky’, meaning a total surprise), instead it was obvious it was something I really wanted to do”, Jarlhäll tells me, as we finally connect via Zoom. It’s a tale as old as time, or at least as old as 2020, as we’ve had to reschedule our call multiple times due to Covid. “I absolutely love photography,'' she continues. “It’s my passion”.
Although photography had been there her whole life – “my dad photographed a lot” – it wasn’t something she had thought to pursue earlier in her life. “I realise that being a photographer is very competitive, particularly horse photography, but I really enjoy photographing both horses and people – and I absolutely love photographing horses and people together”. However, Jarhäll is no stranger to competition; “I used to compete in horseback riding, both in dressage and horse jumping”, she tells me. It’s obvious that the Jarlhäll loves horses and that having them be the subject in front of the lens was something that came naturally to her.
Anna Jarlhäll incorporated the blue and yellow shades of these images in support of Ukraine . Photo: Anna Jarlhäll
The 52 year old realises that some may say that pursuing a new career in your fifties is ‘too late’, but she firmly disagrees. “I don’t regret not having begun a career within photography earlier”, she explains. “I mean, how was I supposed to know? Sure, I wish I’d started earlier, but I’m using that drive to push myself harder. I don’t have as much time as I would’ve if I was 20”. Jarhäll’s tone is breezy and her smile is soft, but make no mistake, it’s clear that she really loves what she does and that she believes in herself. “I don’t think age matters, I love photography and I’ve realised that this is my thing”.
While taking photos of people isn’t always a piece of cake, entertaining horses long enough to get the ‘perfect shot’ is by far more difficult. “They get tired quickly”, the photographer explains. “And each horse is different, they all have unique personalities”. Jarhäll approaches each shoot without having a set image in mind, instead she “create(s) the image right there and then depending on the horse’s personality and the surroundings”. She explains that she always listens to her intuition and that she lets her feelings decide the direction.
Anna Jarlhäll incorporated the blue and yellow shades of these images in support of Ukraine . Photo: Anna Jarlhäll
Photo: Anna Jarlhäll.
Jarhäll further takes into account how she’s feeling while she edits her images after a shoot. To her, the job isn’t done until she’s spent proper time retouching the images to create the mood she’s looking for. When scrolling through her Instagram, one gets the sense of mystery and fairytale. Her images seem to be telling a story. “Editing is my form of therapy”, she says. “I follow my feelings. I want to look at my images and have that feeling, like, ‘wow’”.
Finding a new career path in your fifties isn’t always easy, but Jarlhäll clearly loves photography too much to doubt herself. She continues to evolve her skills through various workshops and through practice, and we are bound to see more of her. “If you really, really want something, then you just learn, you make it work”.