Born in 1964, is a Swedish freelance photographer whose work focuses on border regions and societies shaped by political and historical rupture, particularly in Eastern and Southeastern Europe. He grew up in Denmark and, after extensive travel in Asia and Eastern Europe, studied photography at Nordens Fotoskola (Nordic Photo School) in Stockholm from 1989 to 1992.

Since 1992, he has lived in Stockholm and worked both on editorial assignments and long-term personal projects. A central early project, Moments in Between (1994–1999), brings together photographs made before, during, and after the wars in the former Yugoslavia and reflects on everyday life in proximity to conflict. His subsequent long-term project White Sea, Black Sea (2001–2007) documents a journey along the eastern border of the European Union, from Arkhangelsk to Odessa, examining the cultural and existential conditions of Europe’s borderlands.

Both projects were widely exhibited and published as photobooks, underscoring the book as a key form in his practice. His photographs are typically made with a panoramic camera, producing wide, cinematic images that allow multiple narratives to coexist within a single frame. This approach is integral to his exploration of space, environment, and the experience of living between East and West.

Reference:
Biography text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA), English edition. Retrieved January 19, 2026.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jens_Olof_Lasthein