Oasis

Being an event photographer can be rather stressful so I have made my home a relaxing oasis of sorts where I can wind down and of course there is a small jungle as well with loads of small and large plants. I find it relaxing tinkering with all those potted plants and propagating offsprings to hand out among friends. One favorite is the walking lily. Most of the time it's inconspicuous, but when it blooms it surely shows it's true colors and surpasses most other flowers with it's stunning beauty. Too bad it's over in a day.

Horsing around

When uninspired there's always the pony next door to shoot...

On the job

I never take selfies, but every now and then someone else will get a shot of me. The other week my fiancé had her first ever session with a real camera when she accompanied me to an assignment shooting an event and although her focus was more on me than the event I have to forgive her, my rear end when on the job came out quite nicely even though there is a few inches of the tail missing.

Grundkurs i fotografering

 Vi börjar med själva utrustningen som i princip består av två huvuddelar. Först och främst är det vad som kallas för hus och nej, det är inte tänkt att vara bostad för extremt småväxta eller dammråttor. Faktum är att det bör vara dammfritt där inne där spegeln sitter. Det heter spegelreflexkamera av ett skäl och damm reflekterar inte utom möjligen över existentiella frågor som huruvida dammsugare från Bosch är farligare än de från Philips.

På huset sitter en tubformad historia. Det är inte en ölburk även om Minolta har en serie gluggar som kallas "beer can" utan ett rör med linser som inte har ett dugg med matlagning att göra även om Risenta har sådana på sortimentet. Det kallas för objektiv, i det här fallet dock inte motsatsen till subjektiv. Det är i högsta grad subjektivt mot vad objektivet riktas.

Tuben sitter fast i huset med en bajonett. Den har ingenting med vapen att göra dock, faktum är att det inte finns någon fästanordning som passar på ett gevär för den här bajonetten. Innanför tuben, i huset alltså, sitter det en spegel. Ledsamt nog för alla damer är detta inte en sminkspegel utan en viktig komponent för att man ska se något i sökaren som vi kommer till längre ner.

Längst fram på kameran sitter det ett runt fönster med lucka. Det är den änden man riktar från sig. Man får inte glömma att öppna fönsterluckan, det blir inte mycket till bilder om den är stängd. Nu blir det lite förvirrande, på andra sidan kameran finns det två till fönster. Dessa är förvisso fyrkantiga vilket borde bidra till att kunna se skillnad på fram och bak.

Det ena fönstret är en skärm där man förutom själva bilden också kan se alla felinställningar man gör. Det mindre fönstret är det som heter sökaren och den har samma huvudfunktion som det stora fönstret vilket är att se vad man tar bilder av, bara lite mindre men mer exakt åtminstone när man ska se vad det egentligen är man fotograferar.

Nu är det dags att ta första bilden vilket inte alla gånger är helt oproblematiskt. Det kan faktiskt hända att det är helt svart i de fyrkantiga fönsterna och det kan ha flera olika orsaker. En vanlig felkälla är att man glömt att öppna den runda fönsterluckan eller glömt att slå på strömmen i kameran. Eller så beror det helt enkelt på att motivet är svart eller att det är natt. Ibland blir bilden lite suddig, det kan bero på att du har Parkinson, att en dammråtta trots allt flyttat in eller att motivet faktiskt rör på sig.

Med detta avslutar vi grundkursen och jag har lyckats spendera en halvtimme med bara dravel...

Evo

Playing with the camera today and shot a few frames of a Mitsubishi Evo to show my fiancé, she's eager to learn, how to shoot a car...

Updated

Things are changing, sort of. The print shop at Printler has been slightly updated with new items and some old stuff has been removed.

MetalPhoto at Printler

Balls of steel

Today I (of all people) have been engaged in shooting a sporting event, I'm not the least interested in sports. Just to give me something to do I took an assigment shooting a small boule tournament.

Rock

No concerts to shoot still due to the Chinese affliction. With no rock music to shoot I shoot rocks instead...

Recognition

You know you're doing something right when people like Hannah Stitfall (BBC) finds you on Instagram and like your images. The morning after the same image made the cut at IG Sörmland as well, it's nice to get some recognition.

Benched

It took longer than estimated to get the bridal shots done, my arms have not really been cooperative, but finally they're delivered to the bride and groom. I've taken the liberty to make a black and white rendition of one of the benched shots to use for my own endeavours in social medias.

Destruction

Let's see now, where can I cause the most destruction with this thingie?

Shooter

Time and time again I get to hear "I don't come out nicely in photos" and my only response to that is "bullshit". With the right shooter (photographer that is) everyone will look great in photos. My own fiancé is one of those "unwilling models" that constantly try to hide as soon as a camera is there, this shot was taken the very moment she realized the lens was aimed at her and seconds later she had turned away. Honestly, what is wrong with this photo if anything?

Eating contest

This is what it has come to, so desperate for events to shoot that even a local eating contest attracts my attention...

Vantage point

Somehow the swallows have gotten it right, they soar high above in the skies and when they land to rest for a while they choose an elevated vantage point far above the madness below...

Cinderella no more

Playtime is over and Cinderella have moved on to greener pastures...

From behind

With everything more or less in lockdown, no events to shoot, in my area all that is left is pretty much flowers, birds and bees. Here's a fieldfare displaying his rear end.

Crazy

Crazy, up in the attic I am crazy...

Maybe not crazy, but I am climbing the walls with very little shooting to do as an event and concert photographer. A whole season now without events due to that crappy Chinese bug.

Diving deep into the archive today in a feeble attempt to satisfy my live concert needs, all the way back to 2012 and the Crystal Eyes 20th anniversary concert. Here's Mikael Dahl, Fender bender and microphone jockey of the band.

Wings of summer

It wouldn't be summer without all the little creatures that magically appear after having been invisible for months during the cold season, the small tortoiseshell butterfly is one of those delicate wings of summer we all appreciate and adore...

Behaviour

Saturday evening me and the "missus" threw a little party to celebrate our engagement a week before, for the most part it was smooth sailing. However there was one guest showing with clarity how to NOT behave as a guest at someones party in their own home.

To create a little ambience I had lit both candles and a couple of small oil lamps. I did check if the lamps would spread to much heat as it was already close to 30 degrees centigrade, but 10 centimeters away from them you couldn't even feel any heat. The first thing this nut did was to loudly ask "What idiot have lit oil lamps?".

That idiot is your host, moron! It's never a good idea to insult your host!

He went on and on with complaints and finally wanted to move the party, our engagement party, to mutual friends garden. Those friends were also guests at our place and after agreed with me in full, it was our party so why would we move it from our home to their garden?

When the moron once again requested the party moved and added "or else I will leave" I had just about had enough, I don't take crap from anyone, and told him that he was absolutely free to leave and there will be no moving to another location. Never try to force the issue with an ultimatum with me, I don't take kindly to those and you will not like the outcome very much. I even had to repeat to him that if he didn't like the setting he should go and had he not gone then I would actually have forcefully escorted him out the door.

So, folks, when you're a guest in someones home please observe proper etiquette. Don't be a moron!

Needless to say this person won't be invited to any parties at our place again any time soon.

White & Proud

Beside a small country road they stood tall, white and proud rising high above the dry, brown undergrowth beneath...

Shooting the competition

Every now and then I come across my competitors, not really sure if this one qualifies though as he didn't really have any photographic equipment, and of course I pop a shot or two of them as well. A little tip to this guy is to at least borrow a real camera for jobs like the one he's engaged in, he was shooting what appeared to be a young dance squad in the park, there are some really good ones that aren't much more expensive than the cellular he's using and they shoot in 4K. Cellulars shoot with a resolution of around 96 pixels per inch while real cameras shoot with a resolution of 350 pixels per inch giving much more image to work with.

Repost: För att jag kan!

One of the very few posts that aren't in English as this applies to Sweden and it's legislation.

Gång på gång får jag förklara för kreti och pleti vad som gäller avseende fotografering. Man har väldigt dålig koll på vad som gäller för tagande såväl som publicerande av bilder och det är inte bara folk i allmänhet utan även personer som borde veta, till exempel poliser.

Faktum är att man utan att be om lov får fotografera vem man vill och vad man vill när man vill, var man vill och hur man vill med endast ett par undantag. Man får inte fotografera så kallade skyddsobjekt eller offer för olyckor och våldsbrott. När det gäller skyddsobjekt ska det sitta skyltar som talar om att fotoförbud gäller enligt lag.

Vid tillfälle har det anförts att någon i bilder kanske kan ha skyddad adress och/eller identitet och att det skulle vara grund för att inte fotografera (och publicera), men man har ingen skyldighet att ta eventuell hänsyn till dylikt utan det är upp till var och en att inte befinna sig på en plats där man kan bli fotograferad.

Man kan i princip stå med kameran millimeter från någons ansikte och det enda de får göra är att gå från platsen, de får inte röra varken kameran eller fotografen eftersom det då blir de som begår ett lagbrott.

När bilderna väl är tagna får man i princip lägga ut bilder på vem som helst och vad som helst utan att inhämta tillåtelse av personer som återfinns i bilderna förutom de fall när det utgör intrång i upphovsrätt, är kränkande, visar personer i en utsatt situation, visar skyddsobjekt eller görs i kommersiellt syfte (med andra ord i reklam). I det sistnämnda fallet behövs en så kallad "model release" för publicering.

Ett dilemma med att det står en fritt att publicera bilder med andra personer i dem är förvisso om man bör bara för att man får, det är ett avgörande man får göra för varje enskild bild. Personerna som avbildats kan framföra önskemål om avpublicering, men de kan inte juridiskt tvinga fram en sådan.

Kort och gott, fotografera och lägg ut för glatta livet så länge du undviker undantagen, då begår du inget lagbrott ur det hänseendet. Dock kan det eventuellt bli fråga om intrång i upphovsrätt beroende på vad som finns i bilden, men det är en helt annan fråga. Och ifrågasätter någon varför du tar en bild är svaret enkelt, för att du kan och får.

A day at the beach

One good thing about people knowing you're a real photographer is that they won't give you a hard time when shooting at the local beach, no false accusations about being a pedophile when shooting kids or being a dirty old man when shooting ladies. Believe you me, there have been such accusations in the past before the general public got aware of me actually being a photographer doing photo journalism.

Knucklehead Fashion

Dug up my old metalhead accessories yesterday and realized that although they're for the most part remnants from the 80's they are still current, especially the knucklehead belt buckle. Say what you will about rock fashion, but it never really goes out of style.

Out of time

Some days there just ain't enough hours and the time available just won't suffice. Today is one of those days when there are so many necessary things to do that there's no time at all left to do the work you actually want to do.  If only I could hold time in suspense until the chores are all done.

Bubbly

Loads of images from yesterdays bridal shoot to sort and edit today, it's nice with some bubbly love...

Bride & Groom

Todays adventures includes shooting a bride and groom, something not done too often although it has happened. Way back in 2008 I shot these newlyweds under lousy conditions, it was the rainiest summer in decades so the light was really off no matter what I did to compensate. They were satisfied though even if I still after all these years am not.

Pretty in pink

It's been a day of planning for the coming a little hectic weekend, but at least an archived floral I can give you. Tomorrow I'll be shooting a bride and groom, I'll try to find time for a nature walk as well, and come Saturday a private little ccelebration with "The Missus" is coming up, a celebration that includes toasting with Moët & Chandon.

Anything goes (almost)

Before the flight due East some years ago I was the manager of a rock club where bands were engaged to play. When you bring a band to your venue they have at least two so called "riders" with "requirements", both for equipment on stage and what just must be available in their dressing room and/or the green room. Most of the time it's quite easy to meet their "demands", as long as it's legal just about anything goes.

At times one do have to go above and beyond though, like when a band demanded that there would be a poster with Bobby Kimball of Toto wearing nothing but swimming trunks which proved to be a challenge as there are no images readily available of the man without a shirt. To cut a long story short I found an image of Clint Eastwood in trunks and photoshopped Kimballs head into it. According to the band that particular item had been on their rider for well over a decade and this was the first time they actually got the demands met.

A little apology to Kimball and Eastwood for the "missuse" of their pictures, it's all in good fun...

Flower fly and Mexican creeping zinnia

It's not just butterflies flying around in summer, there are loads of other little bugs in the air like flower flies...

Childhood's End - Bouquet

Pinkie's gone and begun a new career as a flower girl, apparently he's not content with just being a Childhood's End model...

Frontal

Summer is butterfly season, but the weather has been rather unstable lately so I have dug deep into the archives to give you a full frontal to enjoy...