A decade of life “In The Alley” by Lars Andersen

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Photographer Lars Andersen has captured photos of an alleyway in Norway over the course of a decade. The shots have been turned into a street photography series that documents the life “In The Alley”.

Norway is one of the top attractions for landscape photographers. It has majestic lakes, mountains, fjords, and photographers can even capture the Aurora Borealis during some parts of the year. However, a local artist has decided to show a different face of his country. The urban side of Norway has been depicted through a small, narrow alleyway in Tromso by Lars Andersen, who has photographed the Lehne alley for 10 years in a row.

The project started back in 2004 and it was completed in the fall of 2014. It shows the diversity of the people rather than focusing on the small path, which has remained virtually unchanged during the past decade.

Photographer documented life in a narrow alley in Norway for a decade

Lars Andersen has not deliberately started this project. In fact, he was going through his photos and he has noticed that he has captured lots of images of the Lehne alley in Tromso, a small town in Norway.

The dark passage was revamped in the 1980s, but graffiti immediately showed up on the walls. Beside these urban paintings, the narrow path is filled with posters for events that take place during the weekend.

Beside the people who hang up posters and those who take a quick shortcut through the passageway, there are also people who choose to relieve themselves after partying until late on the weekends.

No matter how you look at it, it is not an easy task to capture photos within the Lehne alley. There is not enough room to properly set your camera and then there are the people, who are not exactly fond of having their picture taken, albeit they find themselves in a public place.

Nevertheless, the “In The Alley” project is not about the tiny street, it is about documenting the people who come across this path and it is a tribute to one of the oldest forms of photography.

Lars Andersen’s “In The Alley” series came to an abrupt end in fall 2014

As stated above, it is not easy to be a photographer in a dark, narrow alley. Lars Andersen says that he used to take photos in a shy manner, keeping as much distance as possible from the subjects. However, in time, he has managed to overcome his emotions and to capture more courageous shots.

Tromso is a small community, so Lars would sometimes encounter familiar faces. During those times he pretended to simply examine the posters. Overall, the artist says that “In The Alley” has been “a difficult task”.

As for the reason why he stopped taking photos in the Lehne alley, Lars says that an adult woman has noticed him capturing photos. She over-reacted and started to scream at the photographer, while threatening to call the cops as well as to take his gear.

The incident happened during fall 2014 and it was the last time the photographer took photos in that area. More images and details are available at the artist’s official website.

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