Johan Jehlbo

Fairs & markets. Every summer in rural southern Sweden, the traveling marketplaces goes from small town to small town and stops for a couple of days. This draws thousands of people and in some places like Kivik, hundreds of thousands. In these small towns this becomes the happening of the year.
I’ve been interested in the markets and the fairs in southern Sweden because of the myths that surrounded them when I grew up. They used to be places of ”sin” with burlesque shows and striptease dancers. Raggare (greasers) met there and a lot of teenage drinking. Nowadays it’s different and it’s more of a rural happening but it still draws some original characters.
I’ve been shooting at these markets since 2014 and this set includes photos from several different places from over the years. Like in most of my work, this project has never really been about document the markets, it’s more about my view on the people that attends, or my own preconceptions about them.

Photographer: Johan Jehlbo

Country: Sweden

Bio: I am a photographer from southern Sweden, originally from the Malmö area but now living with my family in the middle of rural Scania. I’m a street photographer at heart and even though not everything I do would be categorized as such, I bring the eastetich of the genre in all my work.
My use of flash in street photography defines my personal style of shooting. I love how it separates the subject from the background and the strong colors it creates.
I do not document in my street photography (or even in my documentary work), it’s more about me and how I see and interpret my surroundings in relation to reality and my own preconceptions. A Gonzo approach I guess.
One of the founding members of the international Full Frontal Flash collective.