We love giving talks and sharing our knowledge with live audiences — or at online events. If you have a specific focus in mind, we’re happy to tailor a talk for you.
“In connection with a photography course at Askov Folk High School, we had Helga Theilgaard give one of her excellent talks. The fact that Helga trained both in classical photography with Rigmor Mydtskov and in the more alternative environment at Fatamorgana makes her a highly knowledgeable and compelling speaker. Helga’s engagement and inspiring speaking style gave our participants a loving kick forward into the diversity of photography.”
Henrik Wichmann, photographer and course leader, Askov Folk High School
What does it take to be remembered and stand out online? How do you create a compelling story — and how can you use simple techniques to boost your visual impact with customers?
In this talk you’ll get concrete tips and methods for positioning yourself and your business effectively. You’ll leave with practical tools you can use right away — ready to get better results the next time you film or take a photo.
This talk is about seeing photographically — and how we can work consciously to develop a personal visual language that creates resonance and echo.
Visual artist and photographer Helga Theilgaard draws on many years of work portraying people and creating major bodies of work, using the camera as a tool for dialogue. She explores how the world shapes us — and how the way we look at the world can shape it in return.
Personal branding matters more than ever. For freelancers and small businesses, it’s your personality and your softer values that make the difference. Today, branding is about the people behind the facade — not the products.
In a world of gig-economy and online hiring, you have to dare to step forward and tell your story. Video is the most effective tool for doing that.
Maybe you think it’s hard to cut through, technically overwhelming, or that the result won’t be good enough. With the right tools, you can learn to show up with authenticity and professionalism.
This talk gives you insight into how to use video for personal branding — and how to build strong relationships and customer loyalty by stepping into the spotlight and telling your unique story.
An honest talk that gives insight into what it really takes to secure funding to realise your own project — relevant for anyone working in the creative and artistic industries.
Helga Theilgaard shares concrete experience from more than 15 years of fundraising and project development across photography, film, and visual art. You’ll be guided through the process and get an overview of relevant foundations, potential partners, and ways to develop your project so it’s more likely to receive support.
In this talk, Helga Theilgaard presents more than 20 years of experience portraying people living on the margins of society. She shares her approach as a visual artist and photographer to creating dialogue and understanding through her work.
We dive into how photography can influence how we perceive others — and give us insight into lives that often remain in the shadows. Helga shares methods and experiences that open the door to the complex, hidden lives her work brings into the light.
A talk for photographers and visual artists who work with — or dream of realising — their own projects. It’s about photography as art: the journey from idea to finished work.
Drawing on Helga Theilgaard’s extensive experience creating major photographic works — Øen i havet, Body of Desire, De Rodløse – vi der er tilbage, and most recently I’m here now — she takes you into a story about her own passion for photography, the people involved (often a mirror of herself), and the artistic considerations that shape the creative process.
I’m a visual artist and photographer, and over the past 20 years I’ve created a number of significant nationwide exhibitions and book publications — most recently the exhibitions I’m Here Now and The Rootless – We Who Remain.
I also work with communicating and teaching art and photography through workshops and talks, and I’ve helped hundreds of professional, independent and emerging photographers define their photographic language and make their images truly stand out.
I trained under Rigmor Mydtskov, Photographer to Her Majesty the Queen of Denmark, as well as at Fatamorgana – The Danish School of Art Photography, and the European Film College.
If you have any questions, you’re welcome to contact me at
or by phone on +45 26 84 40 43.
I’m a photographer and image retoucher, and an Adobe Certified Expert in Photoshop. I trained as a photojournalist and have worked as a photographer for more than 20 years for magazines, publishers and companies.
Alongside this, I have specialised in post-production and portrait retouching, as well as finishing fine art prints for museums and exhibitions. I also work on my own artistic projects.
Over the years, I’ve taught at institutions including Fatamorgana – The Danish School of Art Photography, and the Photography Programme under KTS/Next.
If you have any questions, you’re welcome to contact me at michael@theilgaardacademy.com or by phone on +45 31 79 94 79.
