New technique, new attempts

I have recently taken up experimenting with HDR images as a new hobby of mine. A couple of panorama views over the city last Sunday can pass for a decent attempt.

A slight turn to the left and the camera can capture more of the city centre. The white yacht in the foreground is Barbara Hutton’s old yacht. It is hard to believe that her yacht should end up here, but it’s true. What the construction works are for? They are building a new railway line for commuter trains and they are currently building an underwater tunnel. The works are said to be completed in 2017.

An old brewery is now home of many different companies and schools. The politicians wanted to tear the building down in the 70′s but the public opinion managed to stop this. The demolition of the city centre in the 50′s and 60′s was enough.

It was late afternoon when I took the picture, but I have already decided to go back another day and explore the premises further.

 

The spring is on its way

Last Sunday was warm – well at least above the freezing point – and sunny so deciding what to do wasn’t difficult. A walk with the camera and get a hint of the season to come was the choice. As usual I left the path the majority use when I found a smaller one to see what I could spot there.

It didn’t take long for me to find some interesting spots. Unfortunately, one doesn’t get much of silence in the woods when the city is waiting around the corner and maybe I’m spoiled after a number of walks in Kopparberg.

This is probably not the last we will see of snow this winter, but the spring was definitely in the air and I enjoyed every minute of my walk. Yesterday was also sunny, warm and full of puddles created by water from the melting snow. All this together put a smile on my face on my way home from work. A wonderful season is to come soon.

A quite different assignment

I have two collegues who are members of an 18th society and they got the idea to make a calendar with photos of 18th century paintings as source of inspiration. The members had selected a number of original paintings with an erotic tone and they wanted to create similar photos with themselves as models. This was a rather unusual idea and I accepted the assignment.

It goes without saying that “erotic contents” was not the same back then. A stolen kiss or a woman’s leg were daring things to show in a painting. They also had loads of symbols which the 18th century people understood and by using these symbols, much could be said without actually showing it. Seen with our modern eyes they all seem very innocent.

Being a painter must have certain advantages for they can take liberties with light. I can’t and have to accept that the light goes where I aim the flashguns and that’s it. The atmosphere was also important, so they were all shot in an 18th century house where we recreated the scenes from the paintings with what we had at hand. In all, we spent three afternoons shooting 13 pictures – one for each month and a cover picture – and it all went smooth and I’m happy that I accepted this assignment.

 

Lazy days?

I had two days annual leave left and decided to take two days off between Christmas and New Year’s holidays to get a “mini vacation”. Things seldom work out as planned and this was no exception to the rule. The period September-November was a busy one with loads of images to post process and smart as I am, I also made that pile grow. Still, I’m not complaining because it was fun and I learned a lot from it as a bonus.

The only thing about it was that I spent every minute off behind the computer and paid no attention to the apartment and now was the time to something about it. I have thrown loads of rubbish, wiped the dust off things and surfaces, hoovered the floors and carpets and when that what done it was only too obvious that the floors needed cleaning as well. All that remains now is to get a few things in their places which is easier said than done. I have probably mentioned it before, so please forgive me if I repeat myself, but the early post war houses were usually well planned with loads of daylight coming in from the windows – the only thing the architects forgot was the storage.

I have lived in the same apartment for 19 years and I like it here, but I guess it is about time I try to find some furniture for smart storage or move to another apartment. Something tells me it is not the first time I come to this conclusion and it is obvious that this must be a bad habit of mine; I find a problem and know how to solve it or what the options are – but that is where it all stops.

Anyhow, I have decided that next year will be the year when I pay more attention to myself and what I need. Luckily, I don’t give New Year’s Resolutions but my goal is to move at least a few steps ahead in the right direction.

 

What to do when colours are missing

The disadvantage with winter is that all colours are gone; we seem to live in a greyscale world so what can we do about it? Not much, apart from accepting facts and go for lines, curves and shapes instead. I spotted these concrete skateboard ramps this summer but they looked just like concrete skateboard ramps to me. Nothing more, nothing less, so I decided to save them as some kind of plan B for the winter.

Snow and ice has a tendency to “kill” most subjects around us, but in this case I thought it would bring some life to them and today was the day I decided to prove whether my theory was right or not.

The reason for this is that I wanted an occasion when I could work without being disturbed by too many people passing by wondering what I was up to (or where I had escaped from). The park is a popular place but the day before Christmas would probably keep most people busy shopping or preparing for the holidays.

My theory proved right and I think I got what I wanted. Another decision was made when postprocessing the images. They should be in black and white and with a greyscale showing snow in the city and cloudy skies because I don’t like when images “yell at me”.

Low contrast would probably be the best choice, but I wanted them to look a bit harsh and rough and used a rather high contrast insted. I know not liking winter is controversial, but there are times when I think I should skip the summer vacation and take my annual leave during the winter and go abroad instead of lazing around here.

And now it’s about time I wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.

 

Lighthouses

Last week I took a trip in the archipelago with SS STORSKÄR. We had nice weather for a change so I took the opportunity to take some pictures while out and about. Lighthouses are not among my common subjects, so I took the opportunity to capture a couple of them. These may not belong to the impressive ones, but better a tiny lighthouse than no lighthouse  at all.

I have been told that modern navigation equipment has made the lighthouses lose their function; modern ships find their safe route without their guidance, but I would still like to think the small boats many use in their sparetime still find them useful. Besides, the thought of dark waters without any flashing light with different characters is boring.

Another experience made on that trip was that taking pictures from a boat at sea is something one has to get used to because of the sea and the fact that the boat is moving. The composition may have looked ok in the viewfinder a second before I snapped the trigger, but the sea changed that slightly so cropping and/or straightening up has been a must during postprocessing.

 

A quiet Saturday afternoon

I went to a park near the University last Saturday and sat down by a pond for a while. The birds were obviously used to people, because my presence didn’t bother them at all – and that’s how I managed to get this shot.

 

Hammarby sjöstad, third and last part

There are a few houses I find different from the others and therefore interesting. The yellow one above is one of them, but I must say I am glad I am not the window cleaner.

What once was a quay is now a place where people stroll around as they please.

One of the old cranes has been saved as some kind of statue to remind us of the old days. I don’t know what to say or think about it. It is in good condition now, but what will it be like in say 15 years from now? Will they keep it painted and nice and tidy or will it be something the people in charge want to get rid of as quick as possible while the public opinion may speak different despite the fact that it no longer has any function to fulfil.

This scene gave me the feeling of being abroad, but I wonder what it will look like on a rainy day in November or a cold and snowy day in February. It will look the same, but a not too qualified guess is that the atmosphere will be quite different.

Huge open yards brings light and air into the aparments but sound and noise will bounce between the walls too. Anyhow, I do like the impression I get from this sight.

Restaurants here, there and everywhere. Some will probably go out of business but I hope many of them are there to stay. I heard music coming out from many of them and from boats in the canal and there were occasions when I had to listen to an awful music mix because I happened to be in between.

Living with a construction site as a view. Well, that view won’t last forever. There are not many blocks left to build and I expect the area to be completed in a year or so. Well folks, this is where I stop this walkabout with the camera in Hammarby sjöstad. I hope you enjoyed it.

 

My upside down world

We haven’t seen much of the sun this summer but one day I found to my big surprise that the sun was shining. This is too good to be true, I said to myself, and thought I ought to make something special of that rare occasion. I stuffed the infra red filters into the camerabag, gripped my tripod and off I went. The first stop was Rålambshovsparken, a huge park on Kungsholmen where I grew up. This access way for pedestrians and bikes became my first “victim”.

Moonshine all of a sudden? Nope, only me playing around with the image. I have spent many hours on dogwalks, skating or riding my bike together with my friends as a kid so why not keep playing in the park the adult way?

“Documenting” the new houses next to the park. I’m glad they thought about the surrounding functionalistic style houses and created something one can call a modern harmony.

My next victim was the Town Hall. If the colours are not correct, why should the perspective be? Should I add a title to it, it should probably be something like “I detest perfection”.

I just hate this building. It’s way too dominant and doesn’t match the surrounding architecture at all. At least I did the best I could to make it look awful.

And, finally, a picture just to show that infrared photography can also show things pretty much the way they are. I have not used much of the infrared effect on this one. Instead I got a photo that looks a bit aged and with a dramatic sky.

 

Hammarby sjöstad, part two

Self service street market: Take what you want and put 50 crowns in the jar. Let’s hope that he or she got paid for each item sold.

Very few houses offer something that makes me feel happy but this one sure did. Simply irresistable for a photographer like me!

A ferry connecting the southern and northern part of Hammarby sjöstad is a must and it looks like it’s a popular and convenient way to travel. The rope to the left is only a (useless) decoration.

There were a number of industries here once, but most of those buildings are torn down. Anyhow, I found this house and it made me happy. Old industries and workshops make terrific subjects but are rarely found in the cities nowdays.

There are a load of restaurants in Hammarby sjöstad too and a couple of them looked quite ok. There is a restaurant in the ground floor in the red house. It’s near the ferry which probably means good business for the owner.

Some interesting lines and angles at last! Modern architecture drawn up with a ruler seldom offers any interesting perspectives, but I managed to find the exception to the rule.

Another cheap trick. The text says “FERRY” and I guess that warning is justified.