Moments like these

August 13, 2023 by Stig Johansson in motorhome, Landscape, ocean, Sweden

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.

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.

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.

To choose film

October 01, 2020 by Stig Johansson in Animals, film, istillshootfilm, Landscape, motorhome, ocean, Sweden, Travel

Someone might be wondering where this newfound interest in flowers comes from. There have been many pictures of flowers in recent weeks and several visits to the botanical garden in Lund. But it doesn't really have that much to do with flowers. It's more about testing different analog films and how they render color and tonality. Of course, there is a lot of green in the garden. The same is true when I walk in nature. However, many other colors are also interesting.

If you look in our freezer, you can see a great variety of films. These are brands like Ilford, Kodak, Fujifilm, Rollei, Bergger, and so on. And from some manufacturers several different types. Fujifilm Velvia 50, Provia 100F, 400H or Kodak Ektar 100, Portra 400, TRI-X, and many more. A great mix where everyone renders colors or tones differently.

Kodak Ektachrome E100 Cross Processed in C41

But it's not just the film that varies. So do the chemicals for development. Some developers fit a specific film more or less right. Sometimes you choose developers depending on whether you want more or less grain, more or less sharpness, more or less blackness, and so on.

So the combination of all the different variants explodes. If you also add cross-processing to the picture, when you develop slide film with developing liquids for ordinary color negatives, it becomes unsustainable.

When it comes to cross-processing that you can do in both directions, slide film in C41, and color negative in E6, different films give very different results. So it's about finding what you like but at the same time making it easy for yourself. In the end, it is the image that matters most.

So in recent weeks, I have tested several different films to find a handful that I will use primarily. There are a few left to try in terms of cross processing. For example, I'm not so fond of the green tint that Kodak Ektachrome E100 gave, so I think I instead will go for Fujifilm Provia 100F. On the other hand, I like Kodak when I develop it in the right chemistry, E6.

Canon EOS 30, Fujifilm 400H Color Negative

To complicate matters further, I do not choose the same film for medium format 120-film as I do when it comes to 35mm film.

When it comes to developing chemistry, there is an infinite number of variants for black/white film, not quite as many for color negatives and slides. I have tried a variety and also a single bath variant from Cinestill, Monobath D96. Also, their C41 for the color film which consists of two baths. But I'm not entirely happy with any of them.

So right now, it looks like I will primarily use the Ilford HP5 + 400 as a black/white 35mm film but the Ilford Delta 3200 when it comes to 120-film. Color negatives will be Kodak Ektar 100 and Portra 400. And as a slide film, I think it will be Fujifilm 100F.

In my Pentax 645n II medium format camera, I will also use the Fujifilm Velvia 50 for landscape photos. You simply can not resist it!

Vitemölla

September 22, 2020 by Stig Johansson in Hike, Landscape, motorhome, ocean, Sunrise

Yesterday, Exor and I drove out to Österlen. We were heading to a place for motorhomes in Vitemölla. There are some places right down there by the sea. Unfortunately, it was full when we got there in the afternoon around four.

The idea was to walk part of the Skåneleden in the afternoon and evening. Partly get a good hike and scout for the next morning when I thought we would take some pictures at sunrise. But we had to divide it into several parts. We parked and did our hike as planned, but then we drove up to Brösarp's slopes and a rest area where you can spend the night with a motorhome. After a short night in the camper, we returned to Vitemölla just after 6 in the morning.

The fog was thick, so the conditions for a beautiful sunrise were small. But I thought that there could still be some atmospheric pictures down by the sea. When the sun rose at 6.49, I even got some color in the sky, and before the sun came too high, I had time to take a couple of pictures, which I think was perfectly ok.

Now we are at a parking spot in Simrishamn next to the harbor, have made fresh coffee, eating breakfast, and editing pictures. A good morning.

Hovs Hallar

September 17, 2020 by Stig Johansson in Animals, Landscape, motorhome, ocean, Sunset, Sweden, Travel

Going down to the sea at Hovs Hallar is a bit tricky, especially if it has rained or if the dew has made the stones wet. It is a short distance that is quite steep, so with all the camera equipment and the dog; you have to be careful.

I arrived at Hovs Hallar a little after lunch, so I had time for two trips to see where I would take my pictures. After that, it was to wait for the sunset in the camper while a delicious noodle soup was today's dinner.
I left the camper about an hour before the sunset to have plenty of time if I would regret the location and need to find another place.

Exor is not so fond of waiting well while I take my pictures, and this evening he became no less impatient when a dog with his nude bather to master came and took his evening dip right next to us.

I took a few different pictures with only minor adjustments to the compositions but took the opportunity to shoot with my Canon 30 loaded with Kodak Ektachrome E100 slide film. Unfortunately, I only have two 50mm lenses with EF mount, an f/1.8 from 1987, and a reasonably new f/1.2. This evening it was the latter I used, although its speed was not necessary.

It was a successful evening! A fantastic sunset through some haze with some small clouds in the sky. We fell asleep early to be in place again when the sun would rise the next day.

Bua Harbor

September 02, 2020 by Stig Johansson in Animals, Hike, Landscape, motorhome, ocean, Sunset, Sweden, Travel

We got some summer heat back this week, so Exor and I went on a little trip with the camper. The goal was Bua Hamn, just north of Varberg, where there are motorhome parking spaces. I had heard a lot of good things about this place but also some less positive comments. Everything comes down to what you want, and that is very much individual.

When I look for a place to stay, it's not just about the place where you park your motorhome. Nor how toilets, showers, the ability to empty the tanks, and refill water or access to electricity. All this is, of course, good, and if the place has it, it should work and be clean and tidy. For my part, I use the facilities in our car and am not so dependent on what the motorhome parking offer. If it exists, it is great but not decisive in any way. In several places, I do not even check what it looks like in the common areas provided. But that is me and certainly do not suit everyone.

Something important to me is the surrounding area and what is within a walking circle of around 10 km. I would say this is crucial. And through some Googling and studying satellite images, I had a feeling that Bua Hamn could be an excellent destination to meet my needs.

Other things I take the opportunity to do when the whole family is not with me are to see if the place would be the right place for all of us on an upcoming trip. And on that point, there is no doubt, Bua Hamn is a top candidate for our family trips coming up. We are a family with two adults, three boys aged 11 to 17, and an active dog. So we have relatively high and broad demands.

The parking space is a rather sad story if you think that you just pull out the awning and hang by the motorhome your whole stay. The sun this time of year also means that you need to sit with your back to the sea and look out over a large paved parking lot and on the horizon villas of various kinds. If you want the sun in your face, that is. I had parked with my nose out towards the harbor like most guests, and I can genuinely appreciate that view as a background when I sit and work inside the motorhome.

For the family, there are most things you need. A football pitch right next to the parking to run off some energy. A jetty with tables and also barbecue areas. If you take a short walk, you will come to both a sandy beach and a pier with a jetty from which you can jump. And perhaps most important of all, a good 4G connection for our mobile devices.

For me, Exor and my cameras, the place is also perfect. Many nice loops to hike on and many lovely motives to try to catch. I have to recommend Bua Hamn motorhome parking with a high rating, even if there are better places by the sea if you want to hang by your car and enjoy a stunning view. But if you have the motorhome as an anchor to make excursions from, this is a top candidate.

Tosteberga Harbour

August 20, 2020 by Stig Johansson in Landscape, motorhome, ocean, Sweden, Travel

One thing I have been looking forward to with our motorhome is to be able to go to a place the night before trying to capture a good picture at sunrise. To be able to find a place and not have to set the clock at 03:00 to arrive on time.

So this week, the trip went to Tosteberga Harbor. I found the place via an app for motorhome parking spaces. And when I looked at satellite images and other people's images from the site, it looked like it could be perfect. Now it did not become entirely optimal because the place I had intended to photograph from was not possible to reach without walking with cows. It can not be done simply with Exor, probably the farmer would not have been particularly amused by it.

I got the best place in the harbor, in my opinion, closest to the sea and no car next to me on the side towards sunrise. It made it easy to quickly check at 5 in the morning to see if the sky had potential, and it did.

Because the place I want to go to was not possible to reach, I only walked about twenty meters out on the pier. It feels a little strange that in Sweden, just after 5, to be able to stand in short sleeves in balmy winds and take photos.

The pictures may not have been magical, but the experience was a highlight. Even though I like to hike, it has its charm to basically just roll out of bed and take my landscape photos. Then, when the sun has climbed a bit in the sky, walk a few meters to a motorhome and make your own coffee at 6 o'clock in the morning.

Tripod and low ISO?

August 17, 2020 by Stig Johansson in Landscape, motorhome, ocean, Sunset, Sweden, Travel

To succeed with landscape photos, in addition to a camera, you need a tripod. Generally, shooting at low ISO speeds to reduce noise in the images is also a good thumb rule.

It's definitely true when you make several different exposures to then join together when you get home. Sometimes the scene is too wide when it comes to light. The camera's dynamic range is not enough, so multiple exposures are a must to capture the image you experience with your own eyes. Sometimes you want to create a sharp image throughout the whole picture and need to focus the camera at different distances, from very close to infinity, and then create a sharp image in Photoshop by creating one image of many. Often I shoot when the light is not enough to take pictures handheld and also avoid blur due to that I am moving the camera a bit.

But it brings a lot of disadvantages as well. Apart from the fact that you have to carry the tripod and its extra weight with you, you do not become agile in your photography. You may miss a picture because you do not have time to set up the tripod or do not get the space you need.

This weekend we drove our motorhome on a trip. We stayed one night at a marina and one at a sandy beach. The weather was fantastic, and even though the sky was not so dramatic, the sunsets were magical. This was an excellent opportunity to test the camera's performance when it comes to built-in stabilization in conjunction with lens stabilization. Also, some pictures with high ISO numbers to see how the camera handles noise. I tried it after the sun went down, and I am delighted with the results. I definitely think those images can be used.

What do you think?

Shutter speeds ranged from 1/400 down to 1/50 and ISO from 100 all the way up to 10,000. It should be said that it was basically no wind.

Maiden trip

August 10, 2020 by Stig Johansson in Cars, Hike, Landscape, Sweden, Travel, motorhome

There is a lot to learn, and it will take some time before we have the routines in place. But I think our premiere weekend with the motorhome has gone very well.

This weekend has also been a fantastic summer, almost too warm. But when we found a place by the sea where the breeze cooled nicely, it was only enjoyable. To find locations can be a bit tricky but are the whole purpose of a motorhome, I think. If you are looking for a site. Preferably with facilities such as electricity, emptying tanks, and refilling water, it is extra difficult when the summer is still rolling on at full steam. So Lundåkrahamnen was packed so dinner was by the road close to Järavallen. Tacos with at stunning sunset.

I had a backup idea to park at the beach car park in Lomma. Not the most charming place, but we would only sleep a short night and then drive home to Lund to leave Lukas. Worked fine, and while we finished breakfast, the bathing bastards started rolling into the parking lot. Shortly after that, we turned towards Vallkärra.

At home, we filled the water tank and then cruised up to Svanshall guest harbor, which I heard a lot about. There are only 5-6 places there, so when we arrived at lunch, it was full. We managed to squeeze in to an extra place, just to cook lunch and swim in the harbor for a few hours.

With food in the stomach, the energy could be used to find a good place for the night. I had read about Persköps Ställplats outside Örkelljunga. They have a live updated site with status regarding occupied and vacancies. When we drove, there were two places available, but when we arrived, both were already taken.

We were met by the same information in a friendly way by one of the people who run the place, but we were offered a special extra place they had. Without electricity and 100 meters from the service station. Lush and beautiful located by the lake. Could not get better in our eyes. The children played in the lake before we had a barbecue, drank some great wine, and rounded off the evening with a Gin and Tonic over a game of Yatzy on our mobile patio. 3 - 0 to me by the way!

On Sunday, we took a long and easy morning. Anna and the children swam in the lake after breakfast and I editied some images. Then we drove on speculation down to Svanshall again. This time there was a place for us. We got the first parquet with the sea as our view with a lovely breeze. To lie down on the bed after lunch. To take a short afternoon nap, it is so nice to have the bed with you. That is a big part of driving around with a motor home.

New chapter

August 07, 2020 by Stig Johansson in Cars, Travel, Sweden, Landscape

Today we will go on Road Trip - Sweden 2020 Second Edition. With those hot summer days again, it suits us perfectly with a trip to the coast.

It was in 2012 that we rented a motorhome for the first time, and the whole family fell in love with the concept of traveling around with our own house. Last year we did it again. We rented a motorhome and drove up the west coast, over the Hardangervidda and on to Bergen.

This tour was also fantastic. We were lucky with the weather, and the experiences of the Norwegian landscape are always magical. However, we felt that, with older children and a large dog, we would want a slightly larger car to enjoy the experience to the fullest. You who have tried to rent a larger motorhome where you also get to bring your four-legged friend know how difficult it can be.

This year we have been on the Road Trip again, as every year, in our car. And during the trip, the longing to have the house with us has grown stronger. So after some searching to find a reasonably large vehicle with the right layout, we ran into one a couple of hours from where we live.

For us, some things were extra important. The car needed to have four beds without having to give up the dining area. Possibility to convert the diner to additional sleeping places if needed. We are five in our family, so even though the oldest may not join us every time, there must be room for everyone. Therefore, we also needed five belted seats.

In addition to this, we wanted a large kitchen with a large fridge. A bathroom where you can be several people at the same time. And also a big floor space where Exor can hang when we are camping.

Getting all the wishes are, of course, challenging, but we think we succeeded quite well. Our car, a Frankia 840 FD from 2018, has everything we want. We think! Now we are going to live in it and write a new chapter on our vacation trips. Even though we've tried it a little bit before.