Three Cities Photography consists of Christer Björkman from Uppsala in Sweden, Jane Dee from Glasgow in Scotland, and Kitty de Jong from Amsterdam in the Netherlands. They first met in September 2021 in Paris at a street photography workshop. After seeing similarities in their images, Christer was the one who came up with the idea to create a collective and make a book together. ‘I was overjoyed when Jane and Kitty agreed with my suggestion of making a book,’ says Christer.
And so a book was made. But the road to producing it, which would become a template for future collaborative publications, was far from straight. The three photographers deliberated first over how to select the images that would be included. In the end, they agreed that they would each choose 30 of their own photographs and the other two would then score them. They would then include in the book the top 15 scoring images from each photographer. Finally, they jointly sequenced and then re-sequenced the images. The book was named PARIS PARIS PARIS (2021).
‘I learned a lot from the process of making the book’, says Jane. ‘I had to think hard about why certain photographs should be included or excluded and how to sequence them.’
The intensive collaboration resulted in close friendships and led them to go on a photography trip together the next year. The three have since met each year to photograph in a different place. On these trips, they usually go their separate ways when photographing during the day but meet in the evenings to discuss their experiences and how to proceed.
‘I really like this way of working together’, says Kitty. ‘We have a lot of time to explore and photograph on our own, but we also have a great time together discussing photography and our experiences. We have a few days to think only about photography, and Jane and Christer give me a lot of inspiration and make me want to photograph more.’
A less important aspect of their collaborative work is gear. Still, they often spend some time trying to agree whether they should use the same type of camera, the same focal length or if it should be a completely free choice. They also spend time discussing whether they should shoot in black-and-white, colour or a mix of both.
A challenge for all three is accepting when the other two dismiss one or several of that person’s own favourite images. It forces each one to try and understand what makes you like an image. Perhaps there are emotional reasons that stem from the situation in which the photo was taken, rather than more objective evaluations of content and composition.
The trio’s second trip was to Lisbon, where they all found it a challenge to avoid photographing only tourists and tourist sites. It still ended up being a book (LI3BON, 2023). ‘I think,’ says Jane, ‘that working together during the trip and on the book helped us overcome doubts that we might have had and push through to make something worthwhile.’
They also explored working on a project together but separately—in the smaller communities close to their homes of Dumbarton, Enköping and Weesp. For this work, titled ‘Portrait of a Place’, they began by agreeing on a number of keywords and then tried to find images from each location that fit with those words. But after several failed attempts at making a cohesive project, they gave up, though the project was still published in DarkroomsMagazine-4-2024. It seems that it works better for them to photograph all in the same place.
The three photographers’ trip to Margate, a small seaside town in Southeast England, was a departure from their previous trips to large capital cities, and they marked it with a change in final publication by putting together the group’s first Zine (Mar3ate, 2024).
‘It was my suggestion that we go to Margate,’ says Kitty, though even she doesn’t really understand why the three of them ended up there.
The collective most recently met in Berlin. They are still pondering what will come out of that trip.
For various reasons, all three of them have become less focused on street photography and have discovered other genres and approaches. Christer devotes a lot of time to taking portraits, preferably of ordinary people. Jane is concentrating more on documentary photography, currently through a project involving Chinese communities in Glasgow. Kitty photographs for charities that organize various activities and is working on her own projects.
The photographers that inspire them overlap to some extent, but they also have their personal favourites. Christer, for instance, finds Lartigue, Diane Arbus, August Sander, Sage Sohier, Raul Canibano, Vivian Maier, Gerry Johansson, Kenneth Gustavsson and Cindy Sherman most inspiring. Jane’s current favourites include Dorothea Lange, Chris Killip and Matt Black, but also Dawoud Bey, Mary Ellen Mark, Christina de Middel and Sabiha Çimen. Kitty is inspired by photographers of different genres, including Vivian Maier, Brian Schutmaat, Robin de Puy, Ruben Rosa, and Elliot Erwitt.
The group has discussed many different projects, many of which have been ditched. But they are all amazed about how many ideas have produced concrete end-results. The fact that they continue to meet regularly on Zoom speaks for itself: they all find it rewarding to meet and discuss shared interests, which aren’t always solely about photography.
‘Although it was the similarities that brought us together, I think it is the differences that make us still choose to meet quite regularly,’ Christer muses. ‘We constantly learn from and inspire each other.’
About the Authors
Christer Björkman started photographing in his early teens and dreamed of pursuing it as a career. Although he chose a different professional path, more than 45 years later he has started photographing again. He works in many genres like portrait, street and documentary photography, as well as in more abstract forms. While recognition through publications, exhibitions and contests is rewarding, his primary motivation remains personal: making photographs brings him a sense of fulfillment. His work consistently gravitates toward the ordinary, regardless of subject matter.
Kitty de Jong lives in Amsterdam. She began her photographic journey while traveling, later expanding her practice across different genres. Drawn to simplicity and guided by a fascination with light, her work focuses on capturing quiet, meaningful moments. In recent years, she has taken her photography more seriously, with a growing focus on street photography. Through it, she explores the beauty of the city and its people, continually challenging herself to step beyond her comfort zone. Alongside her street work, Kitty develops personal projects across various photographic genres. She also works as a photographer for a volunteer organization in Amsterdam, where she documents and portrays volunteers in their many roles—work she finds deeply rewarding. Kitty enjoys collaborating with other photographers, valuing the exchange of ideas and the creative energy that comes from working together. Beyond photography, she loves spending time with her family, traveling, and walks by the sea.
Jane Dee (Glasgow, Scotland) has long documented life on the streets while travelling across Asia, Africa and Europe. Most recently, this has taken her to Paris, Lisbon, Margate and Berlin with Kitty de Jong and Christer Björkman, the other members of Three Cities Photography. Jane also works on social documentary projects that explore themes of history and memory, inequality and exclusion, migration and community. These include the project ‘Memory and Change: Female Victims of The Berlin Wall,’ which remembers the women who died trying to escape across the Wall between 1961 and 1989 and explores change in the places across city where they perished. Jane’s other recent work has included the project ‘Against the Odds,’ a study of the grit, tenacity and friendships of players in an under-resourced local women’s football team. Her portrait project ‘Different Lives’ showed the diversity of experiences, hopes and dreams among students from China living in Glasgow. Jane is currently working on several long-term projects, including one on people still living with World War Two buildings on Orkney, and another documenting Asian Scots’ communities from Glasgow to the Highlands.
Learn more at the Three Cities Photography Website.