Photographing models

Model: Sallu F

I took advantage of the mild weather in November and contacted the model Sallu. He was the first model I photographed, but we had not worked together for about six months. Was he interested in doing another session with me? He was indeed and we met on a Sunday afternoon for a walk and stopped here  and there for a couple of shots as we strolled around.

Fashion shots is something unexplored in my case and I couldn’t resist the temptation to see if I could possibly do something that at least looked like an attempt. You can see the result above. Probably needless to say that I have looked at older Swedish Masters of Photographys production, mainly Georg Oddner and Hans Hammarskiöld, and got loads of inspiration from them. I like the way they treated the light and how their models posed. It all looked so natural and effortless.

Trends and fashions come and go and the same thing goes for fashion shots, but I think something like this would work today because it looks like we are going back to the style when both the model and the garments should be displayed at their best and I think it’s a good thing.

Model: Sallu F

I have probably mentioned it before, but portraiture is another thing I am interested in. This shot may not follow the golden rules of portraiture, but I like it anyway – much depending on his relaxed and natural smile. There are tons of pictures with false smiles on this earth giving the person/persons portrayed a very strange and sometimes not too flattering look.

An exaggerated smile usually pushes the cheeks up too high with the effect that the eyes look like two slots and the temples get loads of wrinkles. A more relaxed facial expression with a little smile or no smile at all is what I prefer. Why? Simply because a picture is supposed to show what a person looks like while a portrait should also tell something more, i e what he or she is like. That is why I don’t feel that a smile is necessary at all times.

There are other things that matter more. In my humble opinion, the eyes are important. They should either make contact with the camera or look somewhere else without making some kind of absent minded impression depending on the composition. Portraiture is a bit of a mystery but I find it very intresting. Besides, I enjoyed every minute of the session in Sallu’s good company.

After four weeks of silence

The group Raymond & Maria during a gig in Stockholm in December

This blog has been a quiet place for a month now and to tell the truth I didn’t touch the camera before last Sunday which is very unusual to be me. The darkness and the rain has not inspired me, but I have not been idle. Instead I found an opportunity to think things over and, as a consequence, I have decided to take a course in February and learn a thing or two about how to sell images to stock photography agencies. This may some slight changes in production, but it may just as well mean I decide to forget about it. Hopefully, I may learn a thing or two about how to sell images. What I finally decide is another matter, but one can’t make the right decision without the knowledge needed.

I did explore other sides of photography during 2011 and will continue that process. One thought popped up in my head and that was the idea of earning some money on my hobby. No, I have no plans to become a photographer (it is probably too late for such drastic changes in my case) but I find the possibility to earn a little money on my hobby interesting – at least as a contribution to “investments” such as new equipment.

Closeup of the singers

Last year I tried my luck and photographed a couple of bands. The first attempts were – how shall I put it – frustrating because of the lack of light and I could not move about as I pleased to get good shots so I came home with pictures of the occasion but that was about it. On the other hand, I never went too far. The band appeared on a minimal stage and suddenly I spotted a photographer on stage taking pictures during the gig. Maybe I haven’t got the right edge yet, but I doubt I would do something like that. In my opinion, performing artists should not be disturbed during a performance. Otherwise they can’t do their best and the audience will be disappointed. Would a press photographer covering a photball game rush out on the pitch just to get some good shots from a different angle? Probably or, rather, certainly not – simply because that’s not where photographers are supposed to be unless they like the idea of being chased and haunted by furious players and the team’s vicious fans.

Taking pictures of Raymond & Maria was different and I got some shots I really liked. Generally speaking, I seldom like or find my images special but I must say that I definitely like the photo above despite that fact that it is far from perfect technically speaking. There is something else in it, an expression or emotion that makes it special – at least to me.

Anyway, no matter what paths I try I will never give up my free photography, you know when I try new things out and play with the possibilities the subject and the capture offers, so I will keep posting pictures in the blog. Wish you all the best for 2012.

 

 

 

The autumn in a series of pictures

As I have mentioned before this autumn has been a long and mild one and I have really enjoyed every day of it. Today is the first day with really bad weather; we get rain and snow at the same time and I’ve spent most of the day indoors apart from a quick walk to and from the grocery store. I have done nothing, processed some photos and fiddled around. Taking the day as it comes can also be pleasant.

I had a lucky day in November when out and about with the camera. Subjecs appeared everywhere and I didn’t mind. I spent hours walking and enjoyed life as a photographer.

No, it’s not one of Christo’s works – it’s the Årsta Bridge (a railway bridge) currently undergoing renovation. I like shooting in the dark. What I often forget is the tripod. My new camera can shoot at ISO we could only dream of a couple of years ago. Many make an awful lot of fuzz about noise in an image but I don’t mind. In my opinion, it can sometimes add something to a photo just like many thought grain did in the conventional film era.

I should have stopped playing with the camera by now but I will probably never grow that old. Trying new things out is still fun, though the result isn’t always what I had hoped for. Generally speaking, I never delete images on site because even if I have reason to believe that it’s a bad shot it may show something else, something unexpected so I wait until I get home and can get a better view of today’s captures.

 

A riddle I found during a walk

I ran across this subject during a walk and my first thought was “Wow, I can take a photo of a riddle. Not bad!”. Whether one can take pictures of a riddle is a separate discussion, but the nature is full of mysteries for us to discover and enjoy.

 

Stockholm in November

After two long and harsh winters I really appreciate this mild and long autumn. No snow yet and the temperature is still above the freezing point. One frustrating reality for a photographer is of course the lack of daylight but we will soon pass the winter solstice and then we’re back on the right track again.

I’m not fed up with taking pictures of Stockholm or Kopparberg with surroundings but there are so much to been seen and captured in the rest of Sweden and, at this time of the year, abroad. Travelling is something I find boring (but I don’t mind being away from home); checking in at the airport, waiting for boarding, the flight, immigration control, waiting for the luggage are definitely among the things in life I dislike and think of as a waste of time.

Still, with new experiences and possible interesting subjects in mind, maybe it’s worth it after all? Don’t ask what I’m going to do with the images afterwards. The thought “just for fun” is ok for the time being. What about the rest then? Well, I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.

 

Studying a tower

The Kaknäs Tower may not represent what we think of as “pleasant for the eye” but it has a function as radio and television link to fulfil, in fact that’s what it was built for. Construction works began in 1963 and were completed in 1967. Architects were Hans Borgström and Bengt Lindroos. The tower is 170 metres high with the mast on top included (155 metres without the mast), there is a “restaurant with a view” in it and on top of the restaurant two stories from where one can enjoy the view of the city.

Working within the field “Architecture” is a tricky thing and I’m definitely no expert but I try to understand what the architect had in mind while working on the drawings. There is probably something he or she wanted us to see and the photographer’s task is to find it. The mantra about the right light is still valid. The image above would have looked different – and probably very flat – had it been taken on a cloudy day. If shot on a sunny day in June, the angle of the sun would have been different and I would probably have lost the effect the shadows create. That’s probably where the excitement lies, to get something interesting and fun out of a square concrete tower. This is my rendition of it, but there are many more interesting shots out there.

I allowed myself to play with the perspective and desaturate it. The outcome reminds me of the days when television was Black & White and there was only one channel.

I’m not sure what to call this shot. How about “Supposed surveillance in the Toblerone factory”?

 

Substitute for a very Swedish blog post

I used this image in a blog post with very Swedish contents, in fact I wrote about domestic politics for a change which is very rare because I’m not particularly interested in politics. Anyhow, I like the photo and decided to post it along with these lines. Enough said.

 

Bridges again

Today I’m going to show you another version of the same railway bridge with the old railway bridge behind, the latter currently undergoing renovation. This is all for today because I have a headache and will also try to go to bed in time for a change. The fact that my creativity seems to awake around midnight is a bad thing but I guess I’ll have to live with it.

 

The mild weather has its advantages

Motorbikes are not a common sight on the roads in November, but this year is different. Thanks to the mild weather there are still a few enthusiasts who ride their motorbikes and seem to enjoy it too. This one was only too good to miss, so I picked up the camera and got the picture before they got green light and drove on. We all need a bit of luck now and then, don’t we?

 

Working my way through the piles

I am currently enjoying the last days of my annual leave and can admit that I laze around a lot, but I am also working on “Project Post Processing all images you haven’t had the time to anything about”. Believe me, there are a few I really want to share with you. Meanwhile, an image from last Sunday when I was out on a long walk about with the camera to enjoy this year’s long and mild autumn.