How Sweden’s Light and Nature Help Build a Strong Employer Brand

💡 For over 10 years, I’ve helped companies share honest stories about their people through employer branding films. On this page, I’ve gathered a few of my favorites:
https://www.anderssonmattias.com/employer-branding

🌍If you live in Sweden and work with film or photography, you have a big advantage, especially when creating employer branding content.

➡️ If you find these insights helpful, subscribe to my  LinkedIn newsletter - and if you're a freelancer, don't miss my top advice on running a freelance business at onemancrew.

1. Sweden’s Right of Public Access (Allemansrätten)

In Sweden, we have a special rule called allemansrätten, or the "right of public access." This means you can use most of the natural environment for filming, even if it’s not your land, as long as you respect nature and other people.

This gives you a huge range of beautiful, free outdoor locations, perfect for employer branding videos.

2. Slow Sunsets Near the Arctic Circle

Because Sweden is close to the Arctic Circle, we get long sunsets and soft evening light. This is gold for strong visuals.

Let’s compare:

  • Stockholm (June 30, 2025):
    Sunset at 22:06, dusk ends at 23:33 – that’s 1 hour and 27 minutes of sunset light.

  • Ecuador (same date):
    Sunset at 18:21, dusk ends at 18:43 – only 22 minutes of sunset light.

☀️ That extra hour of golden light in Sweden makes a big difference. It gives you more time to shoot, more flexibility, and better-looking results.

3. Why Natural Light Helps Employer Branding Videos

If you’ve filmed employer branding content before, you know the challenge: real employees don’t have all day. They’re usually pulled away from their actual jobs, still checking emails or jumping into quick calls between scenes.

Unlike paid actors, employees aren’t used to long shoot days. So you need to work fast, with a small team and a simple setup—and still get amazing results.

Most modern jobs involve sitting at a computer. That’s hard to make visually interesting. But if you add just one scene outside when the light is nice—like a jog through nature—you bring life and personality to the story.

4. How I Plan a Shoot Day

Good light makes everything look better and gives the story depth. The voice-over hits differently, and the overall impression is enhanced when the image and light look good. Here’s how I simply plan my shoot days to get the best light:

  • Go outside when the sun is low.

  • Shoot indoors when the sun is high. Midday light is harsh outside but works well indoors.

The theory is simple, but the recipe can be hard to follow. In the summer months, when the sun sets really late or rises really early, it’s hard to convince everyone to go the extra mile to get that nice light.

5. Real Examples

Let’s look at some frames from different employer branding films, all shot in natural Swedish light.

☀️ Just before sunset:
Light pushing through the trees - You can add some fake fog to make the sunrays pop!

☀️ Just before sunset:
Light pushing through the trees - You can add some fake fog to make the sunrays pop!

💜 Early twilight in the forest:
The sun has set, so you get a cooler color because the sun is still shining light from behind the horizon into the sky, bouncing light. Find a spot in the forest where the light can come through, and have the subject looking upwards.

💜 Twilight: The sun has set, and the last light is only hitting the atmosphere now. You can see a little pink color at the very edge of the horizon.

💜 Twilight close-ups: 
This is what a close-up can look like when you still have that little pink in the atmosphere. It reflects in the eyes, and the warm pink color looks good on the face.

Need Help Planning a Shoot?

For over 10 years, I’ve helped companies share honest stories about their people through employer branding films. On this page, I’ve gathered a few of my favorites:
https://www.anderssonmattias.com/employer-branding

Want help planning a shoot that uses real people, real light, and real stories? I’ve helped many teams do just that—and I’d be happy to help you too.


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