Partille Cup 2023

Partille Cup 2023 has come to an end, after a week filled with various experiences. Laughter and happiness, tears and letdowns, rain and sunshine, but most importantly, friendships formed, new acquaintances made, and heartwarming reunions. Of course, there was also plenty of handball played throughout the week. While some of our teams did not achieve their high aspirations, they will still cherish the memories of this week and eagerly anticipate the next tournament. ✨

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To view a selection of handball treats in Gothenburg, simply click the button.

Sweden vs Belgium

EUROPEAN GOLDEN LEAGUE 2023 - SEMIFINAL 1

Yesterday, Sweden's women's volleyball team performed exceptionally well! Don't forget to catch their second semifinal on Wednesday in Belgium - it's definitely worth watching!

UPDATE
I am confident that you will take care of what needs to be done tonight. Looking forward to seeing you in Lund soon!

UPDATE 2
Yeah!! What a great game! On to the final!!

Sweden vs. Belgium

EUROPEAN GOLDEN LEAGUE 2023

In an exciting volleyball match held at Sparbanken Skåne Arena, Sweden emerged victorious over Belgium, securing a remarkable 3-1 victory. The high-intensity game showcased both teams' skill, determination, and teamwork, but Sweden ultimately triumphed, delighting their passionate fans.

The atmosphere in the arena was electric as fans filled the seats, ready to witness an enthralling display of athleticism and sportsmanship. As a photographer, I had a front-row seat to capture every thrilling moment.

Sweden vs. Germany

EHF EURO CUP

I had a good time yesterday watching the match. It wasn't too intense, but Sweden showed their strength in a comfortable way. I like games that are challenging, but it's also nice to just enjoy the entertainment without getting too worked up. It was also great to see some new players show off their promising talents on the field.

Denmark vs. Sweden

INTERNATIONAL GAME

To the team! Impressed to see how you play so well in front of almost 9,000 Danish fans. It was quiet as in a church when you scored and a deafening roar when Denmark scored their goals.
The Copenhagen audience was challenging to flirt with. The party atmosphere didn't come to life. The audience's most significant moment was the sing-along to Volbeats For Evigt!

Thanks for a great season! I can't wait until the next one!

3 years with an electric car

-It would help if you first plugged in the cable and then complete the payment. Then you run three laps backward around the car, do seven equal-footed jumps at the charger to ward off evil charging spirits and pray to higher powers that it will work. Ideally, you should sacrifice part of a fossil car on the charging altar. And of course, you have to hold and lift the charging handle while the charger and the vehicle agree that they want to work together; that's not up to you but up to the parties involved.

-I don't believe in this electric car thing, do you? My charging neighbor asked me in Örebro. I was on my way home from the ski games in Falun with destination Lomma in Skåne, one of many long trips with our EV. I replied that I do and that it has worked quite well during the three years and 75,000 kilometers I have driven with my car so far. And it will be another pure electric car by the summer when it's time to change.

I left the man and went into Circle K. A newly renovated station with large areas, a gate with card payment for toilet visits, SEK 10. After several attempts to pay with no meaningful error messages, no message at all, I figured out that the machine didn't like certain cards and tried another one. Whoops, after a short eternity, almost making an accident on the floor, I was inside. A massage chair, a health check machine, and a cleaning robot that were chasing customers between the candy shelves. The recent renovation and new ways gave a feeling that this is Scandinavia's freshest Circle K toilet. But it turned out that it was just the opposite. I opened four stalls before finding one that was helpfully OK. Stop and paper mixed grief in the first. Someone who left underwear in the second and a customer who had terrible luck with the sight in the third.

Even the hand washing station was high-tech and told you to wash your hands for at least 20 seconds and kindly helped me with the countdown. However, the trash was too full, spilling over the nice installation and onto the floor. I wonder if this whole idea is that the Circle K staff should focus on selling hot dogs instead of cleaning the toilets, a win-win. If customers have to pay to fulfill their needs, they don't behave like pigs. They were somewhat unlucky in their thinking.

Without having my hamstring cut by the cleaning robot, I paid my stuff at one of the two automatic cash registers that the staff didn't trust and the customers didn't understand. This means that instead of selling and talking about the weather, you have staff who now run 1-1 payment training with annoyed customers who think that technology is overrated and that everything was better in the old days.

All this took some time before I headed out to my car, which had charged what I needed for the following stint, Jönköping. On the other hand, my charging neighbor had just started charging and was going to wedge himself into the Circle K toilet with a not-so-happy face. Welcome and good luck with your electric car ownership!

-LÅT DEN LIGGA!

“Det finns definitivt problem inom ungdomsidrotten och oftast har de en gemensam nämnare, vuxna! ”

— Me

Läste en artikel på handbollskanalen.se om att förbundet granskar en ungdomsmatch som slutade 75-14. Om det är något skumt vet jag inte med det skapar frågor när två lag från samma förening möts och det påverkar ett tredje lag negativt kopplat till målskillnaden. Artikeln nämner också toppning av lag och vinster med över 50 mål. Det var inte heller länge sedan jag läste en insändare som handlade om ledare och föräldrar som skriker på unga föreningsdomare för att påverka domslut. Det finns definitivt problem inom ungdomsidrotten och oftast har de en gemensam nämnare, vuxna!

Den påverkan vi vuxna har på våra barn är extremt stor. Våra barn tar efter oss på planen, vid sidan om den och vidare in i sina vuxna liv. Jag har sett föreningsdomare som lämnat matcher gråtandes på grund av att en förälder ifrågasatt var och varannat domslut. Domare som ibland har en nog så tuff utmaning utan att en vuxen, eller rättare sagt en osympatisk idiot behöver ge uttryck för sina tankar verbalt. Dessa tankar är till att börja med oftast fel men man måste ha förmågan att vara vuxen, fokusera på att peppa, stötta och utbilda sina ungdomar. Ett annat fenomen jag ser är hur unga spelare inte kastar tillbaka bollen till motståndaren om ett utkast från målvaken blir för långt, en boll rullar iväg. Hur de skriker åt sina medspelare och publik, LÅT DEN LIGGA! Detta är ett inlärt beteende och ses oftare i vissa lag från specifika klubbar. Och givetvis är det vuxna som lärt dessa ungdomar hur de ska agera. Vuxna som skapar det som blir klubbens signum. Osportslighet. Tränare som fullständigt tappar det skriker sönder barn som inte maskar när man har en utvisad spelare. Idioti! Barn som bara vill spela handboll och ha roligt.

Toppningar av lag ser jag ofta från samma tränarduos. För inte länge sedan spelade ett lag från samma kommun som våra killar två matcher samma dag. Deras första match var i serie 3 och den andra i serie 1. För de som inte känner till seriesystemet när det kommer till ungdomshandboll står detta att läsa på förbundets hemsida. ”UXX – födda XXXX (3 nivåer, Nivå 1 (Svår), Nivå 2 (Medel), Nivå 3 (lätt)” när det kommer till de olika serierna. Jag lämnar en öppen fråga här. Varför tror ni att man skapat tre olika serier med olika svårighetsnivåer?

“Jag har full förståelse för att man ibland behöver låta spelare delta i en för svår eller lätt serie på grund av omständigheter man inte råder över. Det kan vara sjukdomar, skador eller annat som händer under en säsong.”

— Me

Om man vill veta vad som händer på stan, i skolan eller för den delen i laget så finns det inga bättre källor än att lyssna på än spelarna, våra ungdomar. Jag har ofta hört inför vissa matcher - de kommer toppa laget - det gör de alltid - mot oss toppar de jämt. Som vuxen och en som tror sig ha en förståelse för varför man har tre nivåer i seriesystemet säger jag alltid - nej det tror jag inte - kanske de har många sjuka i laget - många som är borta och inte kunde vara med.

När då killarna skulle möta ett lag som alltid toppar för en tid sedan tänkte jag att jag skulle kolla lite på detta och inte bara avfärda det. Det som var bra med det här tillfället var att motståndarna skulle spela två matcher samma dag, en i serie 3 och därefter en i serie 1. Laget kom till serie 3 matchen med 12 spelare, lika många spelare hade de i serie 1 matchen senare på eftermiddagen. Av de 12 som spelade i serie 1 matchen hade 9 spelat matchen tidigare på dagen, den i serie 3.

Laget på bilden har inget med texten att göra.

Men kanske var det så att lagets bästa spelare mest satt på bänken i serie 3. Man kan inte se speltid i efterhand så det är bara min känsla som säger mig att lagets bästa spelare spelade merparten av matchen. Det man däremot kan se är målskyttar och att de tre bästa målskyttarna i serie 1 matchen tillsammans gjorde 17 mål. Samma tre spelare gjorde 23 mål i serie 3 matchen.

När det återstår 6 minuter av matchen i serie 3 leder man med 9 bollar och man tänka sig att andra spelare får mer speltid, inte bara de bästa. Tror ni det blir så? Nej. Laget kommer att göra sex mål till, gissa vilka som gör dem? Helt rätt, de fördelas mellan lagets bästa målskyttar som spelar hela vägen till slutsignalen. En klar toppning för att vinna med många bollar är min övertygelse. Ett beslut taget av de vuxna i laget.

Är det här då viktigt för vårat gäng? Nej. Var våra killar nedslagna och ville sluta med handboll efter denna serie 3 match? Nej! Deras kommentarer var att med ett axelryck säga - de gör alltid så, toppar - man orkar inte bry sig - kan vi köpa glass på vägen hem?

“Den del av hjärtat som skapar en bättre skola, en bättre arbetsplats, ett bättre samhälle!”

— Me

Men är det inte viktigt överhuvudtaget? Klart det är! Min övertygelse är att klubben som toppar i låga åldrar drabbas negativt, det drabbar vår sport och inte minst våra barn. Vårt lag får en än starkare lag- och klubbkänsla medan de toppande lagen kanske lurar oss på en framtida stjärna. Vad händer med killen eller tjejen som alltid får lite speltid och inte får en rimlig chans att utvecklas? En del av hjärtat dör, den del där kärleken till sin klubb och idrott bor. Den kärlek som i vissa fall leder till landslaget och en medalj i EM, till att vilja bli föreningsdomare, volontär med ansvar för kiosken, styrelseledamot som jobbar sena kvällar, ungdomstränare för nästa generations spelare eller sponsorn som gör det möjligt. Den del av hjärtat som skapar en bättre skola, en bättre arbetsplats, ett bättre samhälle!

LUGI Ungdom

https://handbollskanalen.se/ungdom/forbundet-kollar-upp-ungdomsmatch-slutade-75-14/
https://handbollskanalen.se/ovriga-sverige/insandare-tramp-steg-osunt-skrikande-bland-barntranare/

Intensive period

March and the beginning of April have been intense but incredibly fun. It has much to do with sports, specifically cross-country skiing and handball, but also about finishing one job and starting another.

On March 16, I drove north to photograph the World Cup in cross-country skiing for the first time. It was the first time I would photograph cross-country skiing and the first time I would see it live, on the slopes, in reality. I must start with a big shout-out to the organizer, the Swedish Ski Games in Falun. Excellent arrangement and we photographers were exceptionally spoiled with our cabin beside the tracks overlooking the facility. There was more here than I expected: a workplace, internet, coffee, sweets, drinks and a guide who showed us the best places along the tracks.

Photographing cross-country skiing has its challenges, of course. There are a large crowd, trees that make for noisy backgrounds, and TV production with cameras covering every inch of the track that you can't get in the way of. And not least many other photographers, leaders, volunteers and others jostle for good places. It's also easier. Relatively plenty of space compared to an indoor sport and, above all, lots of lovely light.

“I don’t know if I succeeded but I am thrilled with many of them.”

— Me

Besides doing what I was there to do, documenting the competitions, I wanted to capture some images that are more me. Pictures that not every other photographer took. I don't know if I succeeded but I am thrilled with many of them. Mainly the ones before and after the races. I learned a lot and know more about how I would like to work next time. If there will be a next time, which I really hope!

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March and April have also been intense handball months. Both of our elite teams have struggled to stay in the top league. The women's team sorted it out in the end with a nice finish to the season and although they may feel they went on summer break a little too early, I hope they are happy with the finish. That they take it with them into the 2023/2024 season.

Handover to upcoming profiles - Fredrik Olsson, Axel Månsson

For the gentlemen, it's not over yet. It will be exciting all the way to the last game. Our profile players will lead the way in securing a new contract in the top league and make a nice handover to upcoming profiles who have already knocked and stepped through the door.

Hard work

“Everything from all photographers is the same thing, the same image more or less.”

— Me

April offered an opportunity to catch our national handball teams, both ladies and men. I've done it before and the match part itself is harder to do well, and by well I mean creating my shots compared to regular games. During the game, you are locked to your place on the short side behind the extended goal line. You get a named chair as your seat and it is behind an advertising sign. This means you cannot be so agile and find new exciting angles as you would like. Everything from all photographers is the same thing, the same image more or less. Also, the referee stands in front of you regularly and you cannot get around it because you are locked to your seat. However, I really like before, between and after. My fellow photographers and I can create images based on our style and leave our mark there. It is exciting to see what others have created with a little more freedom in their professional practice.

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Design and work by Sara Martinsson

March and April also offer Easter. For most Swedes, this means the long weekend and Easter break for the children. It's also a weekend when families get together and spring arrives. In northern Sweden, it can be fantastic spring and winter days with sun, snow and maybe fishing on the ice or snowmobile tours in the mountains. In Skåne, it is also a weekend for art and exhibitions. In our family, we have been bad at exploring everything offered for several years. We go to the village where we lived before and look at the fantastic art of friends. And with the beautiful sun on our patio, the Easter days end with something suitable to drink.

“And with the beautiful sun on our patio, the Easter days end with something suitable to drink.”

— Me

Evening walk with the dog - what a backdrop!

All well! ☺️

Sweden vs. Denmark

INTERNATIONAL GAME

I saw no difference. I don't have that ability either.

But my feeling close to the floor, through my lens, was that there was no difference throughout the game, which is a positive thing.
By that I mean that the team played with the same composure, energy and smiles throughout all 60 minutes. From the first minute, when the team was behind in the first half, new players came in, pulled away with a few goals, got sent off on 2-minute penalties, or when Denmark started to catch up. All the way to the last minute! No difference. Denmark didn't stand a chance this evening.

A well-executed game in my eyes. Super fun to watch! Good job!

Men's Sprint Free

FALUN SVENSKA SKIDSPELEN - WORLD CUP

It must have been a great feeling for Edvin Anger up the sprint hill, where at least four busloads of supporters from his hometown created a lovely backdrop.
Unfortunately, it didn't go the way he wanted. Still, I'm sure that all the support contributes to some training motivation for next season. Great fun to see you on the track!!

Women's Sprint Free

FALUN SVENSKA SKIDSPELEN - WORLD CUP

Even though no Swede was at the top of the podium in yesterday's sprint in Falun, there was no doubt that we have the world's best ski team on the women's side.
I was most impressed when Jonna Sundling pushed up the sprint hill! Extra world cup points should be awarded for this!! It was unfortunate for Moa Lundgren, who looked so strong during the weekend but was such an impressive qualifier. Without the fall, it could have gone very far!

Men's 10km Individual Start Classic

FALUN SVENSKA SKIDSPELEN - WORLD CUP

The snow and wind increased when it was time for the men's 10 km. But Calle Halvarsson's opening warmed everyone up initially. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough all the way to the finish line.
An all-Norwegian podium today; big congratulations!

Women's 10km Individual Start Classic

FALUN SVENSKA SKIDSPELEN - WORLD CUP

This was my first time photographing cross-country skiing. Lovely experience and some snow in the air added to the feeling of winter sports. Taken care of by a great organization, I could simply be a photographer and enjoy myself.
In terms of results, it was not the top result that one always hopes for before the start for us Swedes. Congratulations Finland and Kerttu Niskanen
I can't help but be highly impressed by these superathletes! Of course, my heart beats extra for the Swedish skiers and I know they want more! And more will come!

LUGI - Success story 22/23

I had a manager for a while who left a lot to be desired when it came to being a support when the going got tough, a mentor who could lift and get more out of each individual than they knew they had within them. A worthless leader in my eyes. But he was one of the people I learned the most from throughout my professional life. He was a fantastic analyst who could put his finger on what needed to be done, sometimes an unpleasant finger that hurt. Still, you understood that it was true deep down. But there was no doubt that the team needed to be protected from him. He needed to be filtered through others to have the desired effect. Some kind of humanizer filter. His intentions weren't evil but they came out wrong. It was his way of communicating and putting himself above everyone else that just did not work.

One thing I learned from this man was that you should write the success story of a project before implementing it. Then it was just a matter of creating what was said, simple. Describe to everyone and yourself where you are when the project is over, what you did to make it happen and what values you have delivered. Brilliant in many ways. Not only do you have a clear goal to communicate and work on together with your team. You also have the project planning in place with challenges and achieved results described. Only to implement. Easy enough!

“His intentions weren’t evil but they came out wrong. It was his way of communicating and putting himself above everyone else that just did not work.”

— Me

It may sound simple and naive. It obviously requires hard work, bringing out all the individual strengths of everyone in the project, reflections and adjustments during the journey. The job needs to be done! Of course, unexpected things will happen but they happen whether you have a goal or not.

So what does this have to do with handball and more specifically, with LUGI's women's team in the 22/23 season?

My youngest son and I usually amuse ourselves by doing match analyses after the games. It has been about technical errors, fantastic saves, good pulled pork burgers in the restaurant and everything in between. So based on that, this is the success story written before it happened.

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LUGI - Success story 22/23
Lund, January 2023 

“Those who are supposed to provide safety and help when it is the toughest and the team struggles are downright failing in their mission. ”

— Me

With 8-9 games left of the season, the situation is anything but happy faces and that is perhaps the worst, not the technical error in minute 47. It hurts to see the leadership that unfolds. Those who are supposed to make you feel safe when it is the toughest and the team struggles are downright failing in their mission.

“If you believe your every move can be a failure, you will stop trying.”

— Me

During the fall, when my son and I analyzed the games, we often liked certain players who stood out. Unfortunately, there were only so many and usually the same players from game to game. Some players always gave it everything, with big hearts and never stopped running regardless of the opponents or what was on the scoreboard. Why didn't more players do it? I thought at the time it was a matter of safety and I still think so. If you only think about not making mistakes, you lose all about what's essential in a game like handball. If you believe your every move can be a failure, you will stop trying.

If you instead have a positive thought that I'm going through that gap, this ball will be stuck in the net behind the goalkeeper. She won't get past me even if that is the last thing I do in this game. Then that will happen!

At the end of March, we look forward to the season's start of 23/24. Not because we think it's nice that this season is over but because we have a lot of energy left and a belief in ourselves and our teammates. That we can go as far as we like! All the way!

That it turned out the way it did in 22/23 was due to many things that are easy to blame. Injuries, the management, the opponents, the crowd, or actually the absence of them, and so on. But above all, it was due to lack of feeling safe and joy for the game! But somewhere at the beginning of 2023, something happened. Of course, some players returned from injuries. But there was something else too.

“Some they win, and some they loose. But none of that matters.”

— me

The team! The team made a decision! The group came together! A significant change in my son's and my analysis is that there are not a few players we highlight after the games. Everyone plays for the team, giving a little extra to contribute. Everyone gives their all in every situation. Sometimes the ball hits the post. Sometimes, a player gets stuck in the opponent's defense, and sometimes a ball is thrown outside the court or makes the goalkeeper better than she is. Some they win, and some they loose. But none of that matters. The players feel safe in their group, so they keep trying as long as they have time on the clock with a big heart, a straight back, and a lot of pride.

Lunds stolthet!

“The players feel safe in their group, so they keep trying as long as they have time on the clock with a big heart, a straight back, and pride.

Lunds stolthet!”

— me

Stängda hallar

Hej Sebastian,
ordförande i kultur- och fritidsnämnden, Lunds Kommun

Jag såg att du njöt av några av alla fantastiska matcher ungdomarna spelade under Lundaspelen 2022. Du var också prisutdelare på folkfesten när vårt landslag spelade i Arenan den 6:e januari. Jag gissar att du har ett litet handbollsintresse, att det inte bara är förpliktelser som kommer med uppdraget?

Lunds kommun har låst ute ungdomarna från kommunens idrottshallar. Det finns naturligtvis orsaker till att kommunen kommer fram till att man måste göra detta och de är säkert legitima men kanske inte helt relevanta i alla dess delar. Det som däremot är helt fel är lösningen.

I mitt yrke ser jag ofta att människor har svårt att ta ett steg tillbaka och se en större helhet. Jag ser ofta vuxna människor som fastnat i gamla idéer men framförallt att de försöker lösa problem genom att behandla symtom. Det går sällan att räkna hem dessa åtgärder i ett något längre perspektiv än det omedelbara. Min erfarenhet säger mig att kostnaderna kan bli magnituder högre på lite sikt men det syns inte, ofta för att de bokförs på ett annat konto i bokföringen. Ekonomiska dokument är ofta väldigt dåliga på att beskriva samband och konsekvenser bortom det digitala och omedelbara.

Att kommunens hallar fylls av ungdomar som vill hålla på med spontanidrott borde uppmuntras. Det är väldigt bra kortsiktigt för kommunen, en hall som används löper mindre risk för skadegörelse. Det ger också mening att våra investerade skattemedel ger oss kort- och långsiktig avkastning. Den stora vinsten för samhället är på längre sikt. Jag ska inte försöka räkna på hypotetiska vinster i form av direkta positiva effekter idrotten har för kommunen och dess näringsliv. Det finns många positiva effekter men jag nöjer mig med två.

Den första är hälsoeffekter både i det korta och långsiktiga perspektivet i en befolkning där stillasittande och fetma är ett växande problem. Enligt en prognos från Institutet för Hälso- och Sjukvårdsekonomi kan kostnader för fetma öka med 17 miljarder från 2018 till 2030. 17 miljarder!  Det är nästan hälften av vad hela gymnasieskolan kostar per år.

Sedan har vi kostnaderna för vad det kostar samhället när vi tappar en ungdom till utanförskap och i värsta fall kriminalitet. Naturligtvis är det inte så att alla ungdomar vill spontanidrotta utan det behövs flera öppna och välkomnande rum i samhället, men idrottshallarna är en väldigt enkel och billig del i detta och som dessutom redan finns på plats.

I en rapport från Myndigheten för ungdoms- och civilsamhällesfrågor skriver man att en öppen fritidsverksamhet som tar emot 15 000 till 20 000 ungdomar per år kostar runt 4 miljoner per år.  En gängkriminell kostar samhället drygt 23 miljoner under en livstid. Det betyder att om man kan hålla en ungdom borta från gängkriminalitet var fjärde år skulle den vara självfinansierad, säger Ingvar Nilsson som varit med och tagit fram rapporten.

Vad Lunds kommuns hallar kostar i förvaltning per år vet jag inte. Hur ofta de står oanvända vet jag inte heller. Jag har ingen aning om hur  många vuxna det är som sköter dessa hallar kvällar och helger.

Det jag däremot är säker på är att det är extremt värdeskapande för samhället att låta våra ungdomar spontanidrotta i dem. Troligen den bästa investeringen kommunen kan göra med dessa lokaler även ur ett strikt känslokallt ekonomiskt perspektiv.

Så min fråga till dig Sebastian! Är inte när du ska fixa detta! Min fråga är, när kan vi ses och tillsammans arbeta fram en plan för hur Lunds Kommun ska bli ett föredöme när det kommer till inkluderande spontanidrott. För våra ungdomars skull!

An intense year

So another new year begins. It's funny that we divide our commitments and promises so closely tied to this event. Why can't you start over on April 23rd or set a goal on August 3rd? I do the same as everyone else, of course, summarize the past twelve months and draw up some plans for the future around the last calendar day of the year. Just like every year.

2022 was a year about a few, but big things and the theme was MOVE. The short story is that we left the villa in Vallkärra, with the final goal being an apartment in Lomma. On the way, we had a stopover in the center of Lund. In April, parts of the family stayed in a hotel in Lund for a few weeks. I, our youngest son and the dog lived in our motorhome at a campsite in Lomma.

From the beginning of the year until the middle of May, most was about preparing us and the house for sale. Late spring and until autumn about moving and partly living in a duffel bag.

Another significant event was, of course, that one of the children moved away from home. No one took so much time and energy and more of a strange feeling. So the goal for this year is simple, not to move but live and enjoy.

The photo year 2022 may have turned out differently than I imagined it would. The plan was to have more time in nature, more days in the motorhome, and an exhibition in the fall with the year's pictures. It turned out differently than that; there were only so many landscape pictures and there was definitely no exhibition.

What it turned out to be, however, was a lot of dog and sports photography. There were dogs at work, dogs on show and dogs that were allowed to be themselves. On the sports side, there was a lot of handball, partly Emil and his team, but also a lot of senior handball and photography before and during the world's largest indoor tournament for handball youngsters.

The handball year ended this Friday, January 6th, with me being a photographer at the national team's warm-up match before the World Cup against Serbia. Not the best of games and indeed not my best work, but great fun and something I love to do more of.

I also had the opportunity to photograph a wedding in the fall, something I had yet to do and, honestly, had no interest in. But it was fantastic fun, and working with our middle son added a golden edge to the assignment. I like to do it more often, so if anyone needs a photographer, get in touch.

So what's planned for the year of photography in 2023? I'm moving the goals from last year with me. There will be dogs and sports, of course, and maybe a wedding. But the focus will be to once again run exhibitions. We'll see each other in front of one of my new pictures at an exhibition near you. Well met!

Sweden vs. Serbia

INTERNATIONAL GAME

It's not in the first game in a World Cup you have to be at your best and definitely not in the first training game before the World Cup. So from that perspective it was an excellent game and a nice win in a packed, atmospheric arena.

Be your own Barista?

It was pure coincidence that I found this coffee solution from a Danish company, The Brew Company. I liked the idea of ​​getting "real" coffee when you don't have time to make an authentic cup on your hike. There are different types of press solutions and of course freeze-dried coffee. But I have always experienced these as either complicated, taking up unnecessary space in the backpack or not as good.

So my expectations were high for this solution and my first test was OK. You can choose the strength of your coffee in two ways, the amount of water and the time the coffee is allowed to brew. Of course, the coffee you choose also affects the taste, and there are many to choose from.

Why was it just OK? For now that it's because I haven't learned to brew correctly yet. And also to find my 'style' and the correct type of coffee. Not succeeding on the first try is perhaps the most significant disadvantage of a system like this. Suppose you buy a bag or two that doesn't turn out well. In that case, the risk is that you give up a solution that has excellent potential to be great and go back to two spoons of freeze-dried powder with known results each and every time.

As for me, I'll try it 24 more times; that's what I have left in my 'Ultimate Specialty Coffee Taster Box'. Is it worth around SEK 20 a cup? Maybe, but then it needs to be as good as a cup of Lemmel coffee handmade in my coffee pot and almost as simple as Nescafe Instant Coffee Luxury.

Time flies

Time flies, weeks that hang like a tail on the present fade faster and faster. I think the speed increases exponentially the older I get. Therefore, it can be sound to actively stop for a while, reflect and maybe adjust some things if it feels necessary.

Being a photographer is an excellent way to make time travel when you want and maybe stop speeding in life for a short while. I do not necessarily mean a photographer as in your profession, but more that you regularly take pictures of what happens in life. Today, almost all are photographers and several social media help us bring back memories from the past. It's probably the most appreciated feature for me on these media.

Leica APO-Summicron-M 90 f/2 ASPH.

When I stop this morning, it is partly to reflect and look at what my photographs looked like taken with a digital camera without many modern superpowers. And definitely without a sophisticated focus system that automatically ensures that you always get the eye in perfect focus if you so wish. My camera can take 4.5 frames per second and fills up the buffer after 15. Startup times are like an old computer with a modern operating system. Lack of zoom lenses and no really wide or long focal lengths. A lousy camera for me that primarily photograph landscapes and action. A camera makes you slower to a very high degree, although you can use some methods to be more agile and fast in some situations. Street photographers often use zone focusing, but I will not go further into it in this blog. However, I can say that I often use this approach in sports and action photography with my M cameras.

It's only been four weeks since I last posted something on my blog. At that time, we had not bought an apartment in central Lund that was to be completely renovated. We had not inspected our villa in Vallkärra before the sale in early May or been inside our apartment in Lomma which we will move to in September. I had not been asked to photograph a wedding this autumn or have had an Easter party with my colleagues in Malmö. Nor had we had spring temperatures of 16 degrees Celsius or setbacks with minus degrees and snow. I had not seen one of my developers give an excellent presentation as part of his personal growth voyage or learned how to photograph a Dobermann for breeding ads. We had not celebrated Anna's birthday at a nice Tarek Taylor restaurant in Malmö, nor had I finished my work as a test crew for a girl who is a trainee in training special search dogs. I had not been spammed by commercials for a specific health and fitness company in Lomma. Had not changed the starter battery on the motorhome so we can go on a trip again or seen Emil's last handball game in the youth series for this season. A painful loss must be said. The pictures from Butja had not yet reached us and one of our most beloved comedians had not passed away.

Leica APO-Summicron-M 90 f/2 ASPH.

All this is only a tiny part of everything that has happened. Big and small, pleasure and sadness, satisfaction and grief. And of course, I have not documented everything myself with my camera. Many images come to us through various channels very fast these days.

But I have photographed everything I usually photograph with my Leica M11. Mostly with my 50 and 90 mm lenses and a few wider at 21 mm. During a short period with a 35mm that I had to borrow from Mattssons Foto in Lund while one of my lenses was at service.

Leica Summicron-M 35 f/2 ASPH.

Documenting our renovation in Lund and the progress in Lomma. Our young boys and LUGI's men and women elite teams playing handball. Golfer in a beautiful sunset. Exor both at full speed and posing in the hazy morning light. There have also been big landscape images and intimate details in nature. Flowers in glorious sunshine in the middle of the day and blades of grass at sunset. A few product images on the terrace in mixed light, both natural and flash. I have also had the time for a corporate event.

Leica Summilux-M 40 f/1.4 ASPH.

So how has it worked out then? Difficult! But above expectations, as you can see in the pictures. Of course, photographing sports and action with an M camera is not optimal and perhaps nothing a professional sports photographer would think of doing. If I look at the camera system I brought to the last elite match in handball compared to other photographers. My entire system with one camera body, two lenses, and a digital viewfinder would fit inside one of their lenses. The camera itself and a Summicron 50 mm in one of their lens hoods.

Leica APO-Summicron-M 90 f/2 ASPH.

Are my pictures as good as theirs? No! Not by any means, not technically nor when it comes to the ratio of keepers. Actually not in 99 out of 100 categories I would say. There's only one category I won: my pictures category, my expression, and there are several pictures in that category no one else took. If others feel the same about these images I do not know and it is not the most important thing either. And neither should you when it comes to whatever you are creating, doing or thinking.

Leica Summicron-M 35 f/2 ASPH.

One thing that can be said is that the feeling of taking these 20-30 pictures over 60 minutes of handball is fantastic compared to the 2, 3 or 4 thousand pictures I can bring home after a game with a Canon or Sony. They may be far better technical but not as fulfilling to shoot. I will continue photographing action with Canon in the future for sure. They have their professional place.

Leica APO-Summicron-M 90 f/2 ASPH.

Finally, back to social media and the company that spams me with advertising about diet and exercise. Of course, it's not really the company, but Facebook thinks I'm very interested in them. The reason is that I often stop and watch this company's videos. I'm not interested in the content of the message at all. I think they consistently use a strange camera angle in all their videos. So because of this, I stop, smile a little and believe that someone should help them. But no matter what, they manage to get me to stop scrolling, and then the purpose is achieved I guess.

If I look ahead four weeks, the plan is that it has happened at least as much stuff. The apartment in Lund should be finished or at least very close. We have celebrated Easter and I have been on a business trip to Bulgaria. Emil has been to the handball cup in Denmark. Family from northern Sweden have been visiting and spring should really have come to stay. And hopefully images of families reunited in Europe again.

Leica Summilux-M 50 f/1.4 ASPH.

Happy Easter to you all!

Some plesant weeks

This is a camera I've been waiting for for a long time. Shooting with an M camera is the best of emotions. For me at least. Even though they may not be technically superior in all areas, no other camera delivers that feeling. A true feeling of capturing the moment you are a part of when taking the image. An M camera may not suit certain professional situations such as sports, macro, fashion, etc. It may be that they are not the best professional tool in any category? I leave that to others to decide. For me, an M camera can deliver in all situations though. The feeling of capturing the photograph is superior. Some of my favorite photos are taken with a camera that may not be specially built for the case.

One piece of advice I have received many times and one piece of advice that I give myself is to invest in glass. A good lens is something you can enjoy much longer than the camera. When it comes to the possibility of using your old lens, the M system is superior. Using lenses from the 50s on a camera launched in 2022 without adapters and other adaptations is extraordinary. Of course, many lenses with designs from the 2000s and onward are optically superior. They can give this M11 sensor all the resolving it wants. Still, the charm many of these older options offer is in a class of its own.

I had a digital M in 2015 when I bought my Leica M Monochrome (Type 246), which came with me everywhere. I mainly remember the street photography pictures from different trips. From Manhattan, Cape Town, Svalbard to Dalby quarry close to home. Those are just a few places where my M delivered magical images. But I've never had a digital M color camera. It has been close a few times but when it comes to M, all color images have been created on film in an M3 or M6. When it comes to Leica, SL has been the choice during periods when it comes to digital color images.

Leica APO-Summicron-M 90 f/2 ASPH.

I have been photographing for a while now with Leica's latest M camera, the Leica M11. The exterior has in my opinion been refined positive in some areas. I have seen some reviewers think that some of it are bad decisions by Leica, especially when it comes to the bottom plate, which is no longer there. The camera looks more like a Q when it comes to battery design. You can access the battery directly and handle the memory card hidden by it. I like this solution and other things that make life as a Leica M photographer a little smoother. For example, a few more customizable function keys are welcomed, and the USB C connector that is always accessible.

Maybe it's the inside that contains the most significant change. And the new sensor of just over 60 Megapixels is a masterpiece in my eyes. Many people agree that it is a great change. Even if the predecessors were more than enough to create fantastic images.

This camera will now be my primary companion on many different photographic trips. A travel companion, of course, because its size almost qualifies it as a pocket camera. Even if Leica does not have the widest fixed lenses, this will be my landscape buddy with 18mm, 21mm, or 24mm lenses. I also photograph landscapes with other focal lengths such as 35mm, 50mm and 90mm. Street and macro photographs will also be created I guess.

Looking forward to getting the new APO 35mm f/2, which has an extra mode for close-ups even though it may not be macro in its true sense. And it will be some Astro, aurora borealis, long exposures, and more also I'm sure. My Canon may have to settle for photographing action, sports and dogs.

Leica M 35/2,0 Summicron ASPH.