Jo Bentdal’s strong interest in photography roots back to his childhood, where he grew up having his uncle’s darkroom at his disposal and learning the fundamentals at an early age.

He earned a degree as a civil engineer in applied physics at the Norwegian Institute of Technology, and has worked successfully within management consulting, brand strategy and design management before turning to photography, his true passion, as an occupation. Since 2010 Jo Bentdal has worked full-time as an art photographer.

In his work the relationship between cultural influences and individual identity is a central theme. He explains: ”I am both interested in and concerned about how we shape our own identity based on how we relate to cultural constraints of our surroundings, but also based on how we personally contribute to it or the cultures we are a part of. In a way, I think my work, seen as a whole, is as much a self-portrait as anything else. Of course; I also hope others find that the pictures resonates with something in themselves, but I have no intention of imposing a particular reaction or telling an explicit story without room for individual interpretation.”

When he was asked in an interview what he would like to convey in his pictures, he replied: ”The answer to that question is evolving. The most current version is: I hope to be able to make people reflect on the issue that the world is a complex array of different systems, institutions, cultures and individuals. All of which is directly or indirectly linked. All the elements are there for a reason. No single person, system or ideology holds all the answers. What you do with it, and how you define yourself into that matrix is (or should be) a matter of defining your own identity.”

Jo prefers to use natural light and not staging his photographs to achieve a “keeping-it-real” feel to his pictures.