Föreviga dina viktigaste stunder med Dalecarlia Photo

Maj är här och våren har äntligen vågat sig fram! Det innebär att många av livets mest unika ögonblick står för dörren – från bröllop till studentfirande och mycket mer.

Söker du en erfaren fotograf som kan föreviga dessa minnesvärda stunder? Då står jag redo att hjälpa dig.

Det spelar ingen roll om det gäller bröllop, studentfirande eller någon annan viktig händelse – jag fångar känslorna i varje ögonblick. Jag erbjuder även lagfotografering och porträtt som verkligen speglar personligheten. För restauranger, företag och föreningar skapar jag skräddarsydda bilder som ger starkt material för marknadsföring, årsberättelser eller sociala medier.

Låt oss skapa ett upplägg som passar just dina behov och visioner. Kontakta mig för ett förslag, och låt oss tillsammans föreviga dina viktigaste stunder med bilder du kommer att älska!

Varma hälsningar,
Stig Johansson

Förlorad och återfunnen kärlek

Efter några år med Canon och Fuji är jag tillbaka med Nikon och det känns helt rätt. Då menar jag inte nödvändigtvis tekniska specifikationer och hur bilderna slutligen blir. Det går att ta alldeles fantastiska bilder med i princip vilken kamera som helst och det som alla märken levererar idag är fantastiska maskiner! Det som framför allt känns rätt med Nikon är hur kameran ligger i handen, hur layout och funktioner är placerade och inte minst på vilken håll man skruvar på objektivet. ;)

Nikon D750 - Mauritius

I den digitala världen är det framförallt två Nikon-kameror som jag använt flitigt. Den första på listan är Nikon D750, en fantastisk kamera som lanserades i september 2014. Kameran blev känd för sin exceptionella bildkvalitet och mångsidighet, vilket gjorde den populär bland både professionella fotografer och avancerade amatörer.

“Nikon D850 är inte bara en kamera för mig; det är en symbol för äventyr, upptäckter och oförglömliga minnen. Jag har utsett den till min absoluta favoritkamera genom tiderna, inte enbart på grund av dess tekniska briljans, utan också för de extraordinära upplevelser vi delat.”

— Me

I den digitala världen är det framförallt två Nikon-kameror som jag använt flitigt. Den första på listan är Nikon D750, en fantastisk kamera som lanserades i september 2014. Kameran blev känd för sin exceptionella bildkvalitet och mångsidighet, vilket gjorde den populär bland både professionella fotografer och avancerade amatörer.

Nikon D750 - Stångby

Kamera nummer två, släppt i juli 2017, står ut som en favorit bland många. Tack vare sin mångsidighet och prestanda var Nikon D850 en väldigt populär kamera. Denna digitala systemkamera var utrustad med en imponerande 45.7-megapixel fullformatsensor som gav bilder av hög kvalitet med enastående detaljrikedom och skärpa. Dessutom bidrog frånvaron av ett optiskt lågpassfilter till den övergripande bildkvaliteten.

Nikon D850 är inte bara en kamera för mig; det är en symbol för äventyr, upptäckter och oförglömliga minnen. Jag har utsett den till min absoluta favoritkamera genom tiderna, inte enbart på grund av dess tekniska briljans, utan också för de extraordinära upplevelser vi delat. Kamerans perfekta ergonomi och en bildkvalitet som fortfarande konkurrerar med de bästa, gjorde varje fotograferingstillfälle till en ren njutning.

Nikon D850 - North of Sweden

Nikon D850 är inte bara en kamera för mig; det är en symbol för äventyr, upptäckter och oförglömliga minnen. Jag har utsett den till min absoluta favoritkamera genom tiderna, inte enbart på grund av dess tekniska briljans, utan också för de extraordinära upplevelser vi delat. Kamerans perfekta ergonomi och en bildkvalitet som fortfarande konkurrerar med de bästa, gjorde varje fotograferingstillfälle till en ren njutning.

Vad som verkligen gör D850 speciell för mig är alla de otroliga stunder vi delat tillsammans runt om i världen. Tänker på vågsurfande under Sydafrikas strålande sol, där kamerans snabbhet och precision fångade varje ögonblick av adrenalin och glädje. Minnena från Svalbard är lika levande, med bilder av majestätiska renar i den arktiska vildmarken, fångade i perfekt detalj trots de utmanande ljusförhållandena.

Nikon D850 - Cape Town

Närmare hemmet har Nikon D850 varit en trogen följeslagare i Skånes lantliga landskap, där enkelheten hos en maskros förvandlades till en konstnärlig bild som fångar naturens skönhet. Och vem kan glömma de fantastiska upplevelserna vid ishotellet i Jukkasjärvi?

Nikon D850 - Jukkasjärvi

För mig är Nikon D850 mer än bara en kamera. Det är en reskamrat som hjälpt mig att dokumentera livets största äventyr och skönheten i vardagliga ögonblick. Det är den kamera jag har varit mest förälskad i, och varje bild är en påminnelse om de fantastiska upplevelser vi haft tillsammans.

“Men som ofta händer i historier om förlorad och återfunnen kärlek, har jag återvänt till Nikon. Den här gången är det Nikon Z8 som har förnyat min passion.”

— Me

Min relation med Nikon D850 har varit en resa av passion och upptäckt, men som med alla berättelser, kom en tid för förändring. Det som förändrade allt var inte en sviktande kärlek till D850, utan snarare en oväntad förälskelse i ett annat objektiv och kamerateknik. Det var Canon RF 28-70 mm f/2 som stal mitt hjärta. Denna upplevelse introducerade mig för världen av spegellösa fullformatskameror, en värld som visade sig vara lika spännande och innovativ, och ledde mig till att lämna Nikon - åtminstone för en tid.

Nikon D850 - Cape Town

Denna förändring var inte enkel. Att lämna Nikon D850, en kamera som varit så central i mitt fotografiska uttryck och så nära kopplad till många av mina äventyr och upplevelser, var en känslomässig process. Men utforskandet av nya tekniker och objektiv var en resa jag kände att jag behövde ta.

Nikon D850 - Norway

Men som ofta händer i historier om förlorad och återfunnen kärlek, har jag återvänt till Nikon. Den här gången är det Nikon Z8 som har förnyat min passion. Den kombinerar den älskade ergonomin jag alltid uppskattat hos Nikon med den senaste tekniken inom spegellösa kameror. Dessutom tände Nikkor 135 mm f/1.8 Plena objektivet återigen gnistan i mig, en gnista som påminner om den jag först kände med D850.

Nikon D850 - Skåne

Denna återförening med Nikon, genom Z8 och dess fantastiska objektiv, har återställt en relation jag trodde var förlorad. Det påminner mig om att fotografiska verktyg är mer än bara teknik; de är förlängningar av våra kreativa själar och partners i vår konstnärliga resa. Nikon Z8 har inte bara fört mig tillbaka till Nikon-familjen, utan också påmint mig om kärleken till fotografi och det eviga sökandet efter det perfekta ögonblicket att fånga.

Nikon Z8 - Lomma

2023: Ett år av passion, förändring och gemenskap

Ett år går till historien, och vilket år det varit! 2023 har för mig varit ett år fyllt av äventyr, personlig utveckling, och framför allt, en resa genom mina passioner. Från att omfamna nya möjligheter i min karriär till att utforska världen genom min kamera, har varje ögonblick varit en del av en större resa som formar mig till den jag är.

Att forma och vara en del av ett högpresterande team med fokus på vad som är viktigt, på riktigt! Att byta arbetsplats under 2023 var ett av årets bästa beslut.

Min resa detta år innebar bland annat en betydande förändring i min professionella bana. Jag tog steget att byta arbetsgivare inom IT-sektorn, en sektor som ständigt utmanar och inspirerar mig. Det var ett beslut som inte bara handlade om karriär, utan också om att följa min inre kompass och göra något som verkligen kändes betydelsefullt. Att få möjligheten att arbeta i en organisation där IT är mer än bara teknik och själva affären. En verksamhet där vi skapar verklig skillnad för människor i sina svåraste stunder, är oerhört givande.

Många mil i bil har det blivit under året. En höjdpunkt var familjens bilsemester genom Europa med slutmålet Gardasjön.

Mötet med Simon Sinek för några år sedan, och hans tankar kring "Start With Why", har verkligen burit frukt detta år. Hans ord har inte landat rätt där jag arbetat innan, där har det övergripande målet alltid varit att ge ägarna större vinster.

På det personliga planet har familjen varit min största källa till glädje. Att få vara friska och tillbringa tid tillsammans har varit oersättligt. Våra äventyr, exempelvis bilsemestern till Gardasjön med stopp i Österrike och Tyskland, har fyllt oss med gemenskap och skapat minnen för livet. Det är dessa stunder, stora som små, som ger livet dess rika färg.

Fotografering har fortsatt vara en stor del av mitt liv. 2023 var ett år då jag djupdykte in i sportfotografering, en genre som kräver skicklighet och snabbhet. Från att dokumentera ungdomsidrott till att fånga ögonblicken i en volleylandskamp i Sparbanken Skåne Arena eller följa handbollslandslagets VM i Göteborg och Herning, varje ögonblick har varit en lärdom. Ett stort tack till Johan, Hans och Stefan hos LUGI Handboll som gav mig chansen att utforska detta område ytterligare. Att under en period varit en del av LUGI Handbolls utveckling, att nästan på egen hand lyfta klubben från total mediaskugga till bäst i klassen, har varit en resa i sig. Hoppas de kan fortsätta på den vägen.

Fotografering kommer vara en stor del av mitt 2024, men kanske lite mindre fokus på sport. Fler natursköna vandringar och ett alarm som ringer i god tid före soluppgången.

Detta år har också varit en tid av att fira gemenskapen inom sporten. Att arbeta med spelare och ledare, från representationslag till ungdomslag, har varit en källa till glädje. Att fånga deras energi och entusiasm, lära känna personer som Lovisa, Perla, Adrian, Kasper, Ofelia, Filippa, Mads, Cornelia, Anton, Timo, Axel och alla andra har varit en ära. Att se våra ungdomslag, som Pojkar 14, kämpa och växa på och utanför planen, det har varit en påminnelse om sportens kraft.

Jag har även haft förmånen att vara en del av andra stora sportevenemang. Att få vara en av få utvalda fotografer på Skidspelen i Falun var en upplevelse utöver det vanliga. Att fånga Jonna Sundlings kraft och intensitet var en av många höjdpunkter. Mitt arbete för Svenska Volleybollförbundet och att dokumentera vårt landslags framfart i Golden League var ett annat stolthetsmoment. Damernas VM i handboll avslutade ett härligt sportår!

När jag nu står här vid slutet av 2023 och ser tillbaka, känner jag en djup tacksamhet för alla dessa erfarenheter. Det har varit ett år av att utforska nya horisonter, av att lära och växa både professionellt och personligt. Med 2024 runt hörnet ser jag fram emot att fortsätta denna resa. Mitt fokus kommer att skifta något, från sportfotografering och tillbaka till natur och landskap, resor och vandringar med kameran fastsatt på ryggsäcken. Men oavsett vad det nya året har i sitt sköte, är jag redo att ta emot det med öppna armar.

Tack till alla som varit en del av mitt år. Jag ser fram emot att dela fler berättelser, äventyr och upplevelser med er under 2024.

Ta hand om er därute så bjuder på ett lite axplock från 2023. 📸😊

Reflektioner inför 2024!

Just nu dyker jag djupt in i den kreativa labyrinten av bildval inför kommande utställningar. Vissa av de ögonblick som jag delar här kanske inte når galleriets väggar, men varje foto är en kandidat, en möjlig del av pusslet. 🧩 Frågorna är många: Tema eller hjärtats val? Säljbarhet kontra personlig tillfredsställelse? Och motivet - ska det vara andlöst vackra landskap, dynamiska sportbilder, själfulla porträtt, spontan street photography, eller djurens stilla värld? Närbild eller vidsträckt horisont?

Denna process är en resa i sig, en trippelakt av planering, utförande och efterklang av minnen. Varje steg är ett penseldrag i min konstnärliga saga. Följ med på denna resa med mig, där varje bild är en del av berättelsen, även om alla inte kommer hängas upp under spotlighten. 🌟

Särskild charm

Hösten är en årstid som bär med sig en särskild charm och en uppsjö av fördelar som kan förgylla vår vardag. 🍁 En av de mest uppskattade aspekterna är att solen tittar upp efter att vi vaknat 🥱, vilket ger oss möjligheten att verkligen njuta av dess skönhet och värme. Ingen behöver längre störa sin sömn för att fånga soluppgången; istället kan vi vakna naturligt och välkomna en ny dag med solens strålar som sällskap. ☀️🌞

En annan stor fördel är den enkla skönheten som omger oss. Bara ett steg utanför dörren och vi kan njuta av höstens kalejdoskop av färger. Lövens skiftningar från grönt till brons och guld, den klara höstluften som är både uppfriskande och inspirerande, och den mysiga känslan av att dra på sig en tjock tröja är små detaljer som verkligen kan uppskattas. 🧣🍂 Varje promenad kan bli en skattjakt efter det vackra i det enkla, oavsett om det är ett lövverk i en mängd olika nyanser eller det sätt på vilket morgondimman sveper in över landskapet. Det kanske inte är vackert för alla, men för den som ser skönheten i naturens förändringar är hösten en sann fest för själen. 🌫️🌾

Höstsol, november 2023
(Nikon Z f, 50mm/1.2)

Hashtags som #HöstMagi, #SoluppgångGlädje och #NaturensSkönhet kan användas för att dela med sig av dessa ögonblick och känslor på sociala medier, och sprida lite av höstens glädje till andra. 📸📝

Lomma, november 2023
(Nikon Z f, 50mm/1.2)

Så nästa gång du känner höstens kyliga vind mot ditt ansikte, ta ett ögonblick att verkligen se dig omkring och upptäcka allt det vackra hösten har att erbjuda – det är en enkel lycka som väntar precis utanför din dörr. 🚪🌟 #EnkelLycka #HöstensSkönhet

Moments like these

As the first hints of dawn stretched across the horizon, We gently pushed open the back doors of the camper van. The world outside was awash with the soft, warm glow of the rising sun, piercing through a delicate veil of mist.

Skillinge, 2023

Small birds flitted about, chirps and songs serving as a serene morning chorus. Boats lazily drifted on the glistening water, suggesting the promise of a day filled with adventure.

Skillinge, 2023

A deep breath, the gentle ocean breeze carrying with it the coolness of the night and the warmth of the day ahead. It is moments like these that make every journey worthwhile.

Road trip 2023 - Salzburg and Hallstatt

Salzburg, the birthplace of Mozart, is a UNESCO World Heritage site with baroque churches, palaces, and narrow streets. Visit the Hohensalzburg Fortress for panoramic views. Nearby, the picturesque village of Hallstatt is a fairytale come to life with colorful houses and shops on the shores of an alpine lake. ✨⁠

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!

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.

I shoot with old cameras

Photographing landscapes is a big part of my photography. Although I still like to shoot it with slide film, for example Fujifilm Velvia 50 for its deep colors, I also have a favorite among color negative film for this purpose. It's Kodak Ektar 100, launched in its new version in 2008. Created for nature, outdoors, fashion, and product photography. The film offers ultra-fine grains, ultra-vivid colors, and high saturation and is available in ISO 100 only.

Leica M6 Kodak Ektar 100

There are some benefits of negative film over slides that I really appreciate. There are two things, in particular, I think about. Number one is that today fewer and fewer develop slide film in E6 chemicals if you want to avoid doing it yourself. The second is that a negative film is usually easier to shoot than a positive one. You often have significantly larger exposure margins.

I shoot with old cameras, sometimes without light meters, or they are unreliable. Sometimes I just have to guess my settings. With a slide film, the margins of error are minimal. A little overexposed and I risk eradicating the highlights. A little underexposed and my shadows become completely black without details. However, a rule of thumb is to expose for the highlights when it comes to slide film.

With a negative film, you have a much broader exposure range. I can overexpose my images to ensure good shadows without risking destroying highlights as quickly and with a film like Kodak Ektar, I can get pretty close to a slide film in the feeling when I photograph landscapes.

This is an excellent film to have in your camera when you do not really know what will happen and need to quickly snap the image with a guessed exposure. However, keep in mind that it handles extra nicely when there is a lot of light.

Kodak Portra 160

Canon EOS 30 Kodak Portra 160

Kodak Portra is one of the films I always have at home. It is available as ISO 160, 400 and 800 and I almost always photograph them as 100, 200 and 400. The film replaced Kodak's Vericolor in 1998 but has been upgraded accordingly, as late as 2022.

As with many modern films, Portra was created to work better as a film scanned and processed digitally before printing the images.

This film is excellent for both portraits and landscapes, a perfect film to take with you on vacation. My opinion is that it wants some extra light, spring and summer film in southern Sweden at least. Therefore, it was extra fun to see what it would do with a foggy and cold winter day by the sea.

I think it did pretty well! And after gray and gloomy days comes the sun.

Hanalogital BOKEH

Some time ago, I filled the freezer with film from Analog Held. Their business concept is to sell analog film as a subscription. You choose if you want 120 or 135 films and you get 3 or 4 films depending on the format. You do not know what you get. That is the charm! It can be anything from new and ordinary films to expired classics.

In this case, it was an experimental film from Hanalogital, their Bokeh, a pre-exposed film with small light leaks dots.

Over for this time

The exhibition at the city library in Lund is over for this time. Thank you to all visitors, both physically on-site and online!

This picture, which is in a limited edition, I sold most of. It is one of my personal favorites from 2020 and it does very well in large format, so it was perhaps no surprise that it was popular. In October 2021, I will hang in the same place again. I hope we can see each other then!

I have received many requests for different photography categories—everything from portraits of people and animals to workshops and courses. My website is now updated with these offers.

Others have asked if I put everything that has to do with IT on ice. I have not done that. I still take consulting assignments within IT and have done so all the time in parallel with my photo and film assignments. If someone needs help, I am happy to have a digital or physically unconditional FIKA (coffee). Just give me a call. 😊

Friday

My exhibition 2020 is running and continues throughout February at the City Library in Lund. That I have sold more pictures than I hoped for is a pure bonus. What is really important and what makes all the work worthwhile is the joy they spread, the conversations they initiate and sometimes the perspective they provide.

I hope that even more people can visit the exhibition, although these times put some obstacles in the way. Images are best experienced in large format hung on a wall. I will be exhibiting at the same place throughout October 2021 for those who do not have the opportunity to visit it now. But it is also available on my website if you want to see the pictures today.

My website also has my newly opened shop. So far, only my pictures are for sale, but more exciting things are coming, so keep an eye on the page during this spring.

Wishing all a great Friday and that you will have a lovely weekend. Perhaps enjoy the nice and sunny winter weather.

The exhibit - Skåne 2020 - is open

Now my exhibition is open. The theme is 2020, a year with many faces. It can probably be said that 2020 has been a very different year, a difficult year, a difficult period, a very challenging time for all of us. A time that has probably changed us more deeply than we still understand.

It has also been a year, just like any other year. The beautiful sweeping light green fields, the sunrise at Stenshuvud, the piers in Bjärred. When the sun goes down behind a large oak tree outside Stångby in the middle of a yellow sea of ​​rapeseed. The city has also been the same. The cathedral stands where it has always stood. Stadsparken has invited extra training and play. The botanical garden with all its beautiful flowers and trees may have been a little extra beautiful this year.

It was apparent to choose 2020 as the theme of my exhibition, to show some of what has been the same. Part of the fantastic that is around us in our vicinity. Many of us had a little more time in 2020. I am one of them. When you can not travel to exotic places for reasons we can not control, you have to look a little closer around you. There is so much beauty that has almost always been there and will remain for a long time to come. It just became a little clearer in 2020.

My exhibition at the City Library in Lund runs until 28/2. If for some reason, you can not visit it, it is also here on my website. Click on the link below. Like me, if you think that pictures should be experienced in print, I will exhibit them again in the same place during October 2021. Then we can hopefully socialize in more ordinary ways. If you want a picture closer, you can also buy my photos in my new shop here.

Exhib 2021, Lund City Library

Winter

This year we choose not to travel north to visit relatives and friends, no trip to the mountains, and no snowmobile rides in the spring sun. The only reason for this is the current situation and the advice the authorities give us. We can not claim that these trips are necessary.

Therefore, it feels extra wonderful when we finally got some snow in southern Sweden. In Lund, we have not received much, but we have had a beautiful winter landscape just a little bit further north. There have been hikes in a few different constellations during the week, but the best is, of course, when we are out with the whole family.

There has been no skiing but much mischief in the snow, and one of the things I like most, cooking outdoors when the sun is shining and the snow frames it all is magical. Sometimes cooking can consist of a simple cup of coffee.

Last year we were in Åre in February, and it was the first time Exor really got to feel the snow. He liked it very much even though he is not furry for that climate. Running, jumping, and drilling his nose into the deep snow is the best he knows.

Now it looks like winter will come to an end for this time, but we hope that there will be several weeks of snow before spring takes over and leads us to a, hopefully, more normal summer in terms of our opportunities to travel and visit our family.

Strange Year

2020 has been a strange year in many ways. Not least, the pandemic has defined life for most of us in a way no one could have imagined. Despite all the darkness Covid -19 has swept in over our world, it has also given us new opportunities and forced us to see things differently, do things differently. We have taken great strides in keeping physical, social distance, and still maintaining business and everyday life. I feel for all of them that have been negatively affected by this modern plague, all of which have lost someone close or been affected with long-term covid.

For me, the year has meant more of what I love to do. I have had the opportunity to spend even more time in nature, trying to capture what I experience with photographs and video. Since I have more time, I have also gained a renewed joy in photography with analog film—and most importantly, a lot of wonderful time with my family. For me, 2020 has strangely enough been a great year.

One thing is that I have received more and more requests to sell pictures and exhibit them during this year. So why not do it? Therefore, I have now started my work of picking out photos, evaluating their potential with friends, and discussing different print options with professionals. The idea is to launch the opportunity to buy photographs at the turn of the year 2020/2021 here on the website. The first exhibition is already planned for February 2021 in Lund, if the situation will allow that.

In addition to everything that happens with my photography, much time is spent training with Exor. We practice a little daily and several times a week sessions with, among others, his sister Ebba. There is a lot of obedience practice, some tracks, and a little protection. Protection is something that Exor likes a lot, and I am not entirely opposed to it now that I have tried it. We have only done a few short sessions so far, and Exor has a natural aptitude. It is mostly me who needs the training. With my training group, I put up a stretch goal for 2021 and that is to do the “BH-prov”, a kind of working dog test.

During the year, I have hiked a lot. Exor and I have been on hikes all over Sweden, lived in tent, cooked good food in the woods, in the mountains, or by a lake. At the end of the summer, we bought a big motorhome for the whole family, which changed this a bit. It has become more of short hikes and less of living in the nature. We have seen more places and had it very luxurious in the evenings and nights in a warm and comfortable motorhome with all the facilities you have at home, such as a comfortable bed, TV, kitchen and a bathroom with shower.

But I miss the life in the forest, so we'll change that in 2021. The motorhome will become our base camp, but with more time outdoors, a combination of what it was like before we got the RV and now.

Earlier this year, I also developed some of my coffee blends, and I have continued to work with them. There was one that was specially designed for making by the campfire to thigh things together. Photography, hikes and coffee. All of these blends will be for sale here on the site later in 2021, so keep your eyes open for my coffee. And if you want to test it first, you are welcome to join me on a hike.

So, take care of yourself, and enjoy the opportunities that the pandemic in some strange ways has created, and be careful with society's fragile ones. Take personal responsibility and show thoughtfulness!

Exhibition | Feb 2021

I do not know how many pictures I have taken in my life, several hundreds of thousands, maybe millions. In our eldest son's first year of life alone 17 years ago, I took over 30,000 pictures. It may be uninteresting; what matters is the images that got stuck on the retina. Images that captured a moment, a feeling, or struck a tone in another human being. That number is only a fraction of all the pictures I have taken over the years. I do not strive to take many pictures, rather the opposite. I shoot many analog photographs with film, which has become very expensive in terms of price and not possible to waste exposures. Today I take significantly fewer pictures, and hopefully, the proportion of good pictures is higher now than then. The other night on a photo trip to Rögle Dammar, I took five pictures in one hour.

Exhibit 2021

In February 2021, I will be exhibiting pictures in my hometown, Lund, for the first time.

In February 2021, I will be exhibiting pictures in my hometown, Lund, for the first time. It feels almost a little overwhelming to select a limited number of images to display. In my opinion, there needs to be a common thread and a journey through the exhibition as well, not just pretty images. Geographically, it is quite simple, focus on Lund and Skåne. Some choices are about digital or analog images; other choices are about city or nature, maybe both. Color or black/white, with or without people, square or panorama, low, close, aerial, and so on. But the most difficult thing is to choose images that somehow create a feeling in the viewer.

But it's also a fun job, going through pictures. See the development over time, what has been dominant, and within periods overrepresented. I do not mean in a general media perspective, but what I like to photograph.

I hope that as many as possible will have the opportunity to see the exhibition unless a virus limits us too much. That many want to visit it, both those I know and others who like photography like me. More information will come as we approach February. Now it's time to go out and take the next picture, and who knows, maybe it's a picture from today that will be on display in February.

See you! Take care!

Digital vs Analog

I did a completely unscientific exercise a few weeks ago. Mostly for fun, I took my digital camera and two analog cameras with me on a trip. I had loaded one camera with color film and the other with black/white.

The idea was to photograph the same subject and similar composition with these three cameras. It would not be exact because I did not use the same lens on all three cameras, and I took many pictures handheld. I chose not to change lenses because I wanted each scene to be relatively quick to capture with all three.

The analog camera with the color film had a 35mm f/1.4 on, the other one got my 24mm f/1.4. On my digital camera, I used the RF 15-35mm f/2.8. I tried to stick to the same aperture on all cameras, and I sometimes took both 24mm and 35mm pictures with my digital camera.

In advance, I had thought out some scenes I would like to capture. Of course, there are lots of other styles and types of photography. For example, I have not photographed portraits or wildlife. I could have used different filters, chosen subject better suited for black and white and for color depending on film type and so on. Maybe I do a walk with some filters in my bag another day.

I started with a photograph of "my" tree early in the morning. It was quite thick fog, the sunrise had a hard time penetrating. When the sun took over the sky, I went to the botanical garden in Lund and photographed some intense colors. In connection with that, I went for a walk in the city and took some pictures of, among other things, the Cathedral.

Canon EOS R5

In all cases, I started by taking the picture with my digital camera. Used it to find the right exposure, which I then used on my analog cameras. That way, I did not have to waste film by taking several pictures with slightly different exposures to be sure to hit the right one.

So lots of different conditions. The film I used was Kodak Ektar 100 as a color negative film and Ilford Pan F Plus 50 for the black/white. Pan F is a bit difficult, I think, and it is also challenging to handle when developing, at least for me.

Canon EOS 3, Ilford PanF Plus 50

When I looked at the pictures afterward, it became apparent that I quickly found my favorites. And the scene decided which of the three I fell for. Under challenging conditions, less light, fog, ND filters, and long exposures, I undoubtedly choose my digital camera. With one exception, and that was for the cars from the bridge at night. When it comes to images with sharp colors, such as the red flowers, I choose Kodak Ektar, and for the city with the Cathedral, my choice fell on black/white film.

Unfortunately, the problem with this result is that I have to continue to carry three cameras with me if I am out for a day or longer. Now I am sitting in our motorhome on Österlen. A couple of days of relaxation, spending time with the family, hiking a bit, and of course, taking photographs.

Next to me are three cameras. One digital, one is loaded with Kodak Portra 400, and one with Ilford HP5+.