The Punk Rocker

On the same spot where I took a portrait of Sandra a couple of days ago, I ran into Matte. He was a bit hard to get talking to, but I guess that is the sort of attitude you need to have when you are a punk rocker. But when I mentioned that I was shooting for my blog, his friend Fredrik got a bit exited, as I had previously met and photographed Fredrik's dad. Matte is from Vendelsö and the band where he sings and plays the guitar is called Rasera (it means destroy or tear down). If you know punk that's not a bad band name, as it was the title of one of Imperiets albums. Rasera have a MySpace site, but there's not much good music there yet, Matte told me. But I'm sure they will have some time during the summer break to write new material.

Driving to the beach

Meet Stefan. He is a bus driver here in Haninge. A job he has had for five years. I spotted him sitting at his bus reading the paper, and he had a few minutes to spare. He is from Tyresö, and lives in an apartment at Granängsvägen. A great place to live he told me. He spends a lot of time with the neighbours. Playing boule and fishing are two hobbies that they enjoy together. I noticed his rose tattoo and told him about Sandra that I met a few days ago. I like that type of coincidence. The tattoo was made by his son, who is a tattoo artist that works from Gamla Stan in Stockholm. The route Stefan was driving on this day was back and forth to the beach six times! Only problem with that is that he can't see the beach from the road, but it's probably still a good feeling driving all the people down to the beach and the ferry pier where the bus turns around. As I was taking a few portraits of Stefan, he got the call and had to drive away so that more people could hit the crowded beach.

The warmest day of the year

Saturday was warm all around the country. We had around 26 C when I got on the bike, and by the time I reached the beach half an hour later it was probably even warmer. My favorite beach is Årsta Havsbad. It's a bay called Hårsfjärden, made famous all over the world in the 1980ths when the Swedish marine was hunting submarines that was said to be from the soviet union. As back then there was no sign of any under water activity on Saturday. The water was still not that warm, I'm guessing around 16C but it was warm enough for the kids that were diving from the tower, as you can see from the splash in the panorama. These photos were shot from an area above the beach, where there are a few benches, andalso an open air dance floor. I didn't shoot any portraits at the beach on this visit, but here's one from the archive.

The Rose and the Dolphin

Closing in on a tattoo parlour in Handen, I noticed a girl with a big red rose tattooed on her arm and figured I had to talk to her. This is Sandra. She's the store manager for the Skokanonen's shoe-shop here in Handen. I asked about her tattoos, and sure enough, she had the rose made at the tattoo parlour around the corner. On her right arm there is a tattoo of a dolphin. She got that one made on a visit to Eilat in Israel, after a diving course that included swimming with dolphins. A very memorable experience she told me. I wonder if I need new pair of shoes any time soon?

The Law Student

This is Joakim. He was in a hurry as he came charging towards me on his longboard in Handen the other day, but still had the time to pose for a few quick shots and answer a couple of questions. He is on summer break. A former student at the Södertörns College in Huddinge, where I took that cool photo on June 14th. Later this year he will continue his education at the Stockholm University, where he will attend the Juridicum, the Department of Law. So this could be a future lawyer.

A Finansvalp

Time for another look at this years art promenade at the gallery in Österhaninge. This artwork may need some explanation. At least if you are not familiar with the word "finansvalp". Because this is supposedly one of those. The expression was made famous 20 years ago by the then union leader Stig Malm, and refers to the young traders on the stock market back then. You know the type, a yuppie who only cares about making more money. And now with the financial crisis upon us, the yuppies of today are running around looking for help to survive. They used to be fat cats ( the word valp means puppy, but you get the picture), but are now thin and ragged looking. When the times get better again the finansvalp will disappear only to become fat again at other peoples expences or something like that. This sculpture that you can see at the side of the road, next to the Medieval church, was made by the artist Annie Forsberg.

Una Bella Donna

After a slow start the summer has finally arrived with some matching temperatures so I figured more street portraits were in order. This is Therese. I spotted her at the Eskils Park in Handen yesterday and asked her for a portrait. She is from Handen and works in the health care industry. She is into yoga and chi gong, and is hoping to become a licensed esthetician, or a spa therapist in the not too distant future. So if you want a relaxing face massage, Therese is your girl. The title refers to the fact that she is a babe, but also that Bella Donna is an alias she uses online. I have meet a few people at the park before. Including an upset former Death Metal musician and three young photographers.

Does Money Make The World Go Round?

That's a good question. And as it happens Money is the the theme for this years Art Promenade at the gallery in Österhaninge. And with the economy as it is it's probably a good theme. For the fifth year running I have documented the promenade. So over the summer I will show you a photo every now and then. And this is the first one. The artist is Sylvia Sinel. Sylvia has set up a web site as her part of the project. It is called Alltförpengar, which translates to Everything For Money. Sylvia has also placed 100 coins all around the garden near the gallery. And as you can see I found one of the coins. On them you can read a question, on my coin it said, Now, what are you going to do. There are of course a few options. Take the coin with you. Leave it. Move it, or perhaps use it to buy a coffee at the gallery.

The R&B Fan

This is Taglou. I spotted him on the sidewalk along Lillsjövägen in Jordbro a few days ago. He was on hos way to work at Dagab, the big logistics company, but had time to pose for a few portraits. He lives at Hässelby in Stockholm, so he has to commute with the train every day. I figured Taglou for someone who loved hip-hop and he told he was. But he also listens to reggae and R&B . The Jordbro industrial area is filled to capacity and there are a few hundred companies here. You will find both smaller work places with only a few employees to the large corporations like Dagab and Coca-Cola.

Hot Dogs To Go

Who doesn't love a hot dog every now and then. If I see a new "korvmoj" as we call these places I will have to try it out. This one has been opened for about one month according to the owner. It is situated on Poseidon's square in Handen. Near the mall, commuter station and the cultural centre so it's probably a very good place to sell some fast food. I bought a hot dog with bread (set me back 15 SEK), and it tasted a bit overcooked.

Disc Gold Anyone?

Lake Rudan is a favorite place for me. If you enjoy the occasional theatre show in the old barn, or sun bathing at the beach, or at the cliffs, or if you prefer mountain bike riding, or fishing, or even ice fishing in the winter, or Nordic skiing, you will appreciate this place. Over the last three years I have shown you all of that and more. And here is another popular pastime activity from the lakes. Disc golf. Meet Robin and Niklas. They were playing disc golf at the Rudan Frisbee Sport Centre k when I met them. The guys told me that they have been enjoying this sport for thirteen years ( that's how long they have known each other), and that they haven't improved anything during that period. Very impressive indeed! I don't play myself, but from what I have heard, this is one of the better courses in the country. The first Frisbee club opened here back in 1979. Robin, the tattooed fellow to the left lives in Jordbro and has his own business. Niklas is a student and will spend the next few years studying computer science at a few local schools. After our brief chat I took a couple of portraits and that was that.

Traditional Midsummer Celebrations

Midsummer is the most Swedish tradition there is. Celebrated in some way by pretty much everyone in the country. Usually there is a Maypole which is raised and decorated with flowers and wreaths as seen here behind the church in Tungelsta where two very young and talented musicians stood for the traditional music. This is followed by dancing with dancers dressed in local folk costumes. The couple you see here are from the dance group Haningarna. They are dressed in the Haninge costume. The group has been dancing all around the world for many years. The man here is Kjell Heimdahl from Tungelsta I know that because I have known one of his sons all my life. The music for these dances is normally performed with accordion and guitar. After this dance follows a few funny dances for the kids of all ages. Like the Frog Dance. On the bottom photo you see a dance called the Halling dance. The guy to the left is playing a drunk and is not welcome to dance so he picks a fight. People always seems to enjoy this number, probably because it reminds them of previous Midsummers. This scene is repeated in many places around Haninge today. For the teenagers Midsummer is a different story. I remember a few rainy and very drunk summer nights where we went on camping trips to one of the islands in the Stockholm arcipelago but that is another story. Happy Midsummer everyone!

A little summer light reading

I stopped at the nature park Slätmossen for a few photos the other day and that's where I met Andrea. She had a day off work and was sitting on this bench and table reading a Nick Hornby novel, Slam. Today Andrea lives in Handen, but for two years she lived in Thailand. Together with a friend she owned a restaurant at Koh Phangan. It was called Sultan Cafe. They focused on a Swedish/Mediterranean menu as her parter was from that area. The restaurant is now history as the 7-Eleven chain bought the land. This is my third portrait from this great park. Earlier this year I met The Sun-Worshippers here and last February on a warm and sunny day I shot one of my first ever portraits when I met Kristin here.

Summer Path

After what feels like two weeks of non-stop raining, we finally had a blue sky yesterday. So I decided to head over to Välsta for another visit to the old tree that really should look familiar to you by now! As I closed in on the Swedish Whitebeam I recognised the man and the dog that were approaching the tree from the other direction. It was The Bird Man. Since meeting him for the first time last year, we seem to run into each other once a month or so. And on this occation he was able to help me out. I had some bike problems here a while back, and has had one of my bikes parked here, hidden behind a tree, and as Jocke had his car nearby he offered to put my bike on his bike rack. In the end we managed to get all three bikes on the rack and we took the car back to Tungelsta.

A picture is worth a thousand words

A moment frozen in time. A while back I took a photo (not this one), of an every day situation. A few people standing around talking as a car drove by. Since that day I have had my eyes open for similar photo opportunities. Pictures that speak for them selves. Where you don't need any words to describe them. Like this one. One of my favorite photos from this summer. Taken on a warm and sunny day at Berga. I was sitting on a wooden fence, talking to an acquaintance when I noticed this couple hugging so I just lifted the camera and that was that.

Patterns of Failure

If you are an artist like Sirous Namazi this is what you get when you mix porcelain with epoxy glue. This is a sculpture from his project Patterns of Failure, where he smashed porcelain and made sculptures from the pieces. Sirous is a former student at the Malmö Art Academy. He is originally from Iran and came to Sweden at the age of thirteen. From my recent visit to Flemingsberg.

Reaching For The Sky

Today's photo is not from Haninge, but from the neighbouring municipality Huddinge. And it shows the new student apartment building at Flemingsberg. Thirteen stories high with a total of 169 one-bedroom apartments of approximately 24 square metres, with fantastic views. Ninety one of those apartments will have a French Balcony. On the entrance floor there will be a gym open 24/7 run by Fitness24seven. The first students will move in sometime around August I think. It's part of the Flemingsberg Campus where you will also find the Södertörns College.

A Few Candid Portraits

If you read this blog regularly, you know that I shoot many street portraits with an added interview. But I also enjoy capturing everyday people out and about. That is, shooting photos without asking the subject, but always at a public space. Something I enjoy whenever I am visiting an event. So here are a few recent examples. All from the open-house weekend at Berga earlier this summer.

The Corvette Man

My fourth and last portrait from the Retrorun meet. This is Per Strandberg. He was at the car meet with his wife Barbro (who snapped a photo of me), and their dog Greta, an American cocker spaniel. They have a Little Red Corvette from 1989 and drove all the way from Eskilstuna (120 km), after finding out about the event online. They have two kids and says that the car and everything around it is not a lifestyle, but a hobby. They are members of the Swedish Corvette Club. The weather was great and I sat down with Per and Barbro for a while and talked about this and that on their blanket. Later I found a video posted at Youtube it's 8 minutes long showing most of the cars at the meet. If you look closely Per is the guy that waves to the camera.

A Very Lucky Guy

This is Rune Thorsell from Österledinge in Norrtälje. He was at the Retrorun meet with his 1956 Ford Crown Victoria. A beautiful car with a few interesting and weird details as you can see! Rune has always been interested in motors and back home he has a Indian trike that he has been working on for eleven years! The Ford is worth around 400 000 SEK and he has no plans to sell it, ever. The very cool custom paint job was made by the well known artist Daniel Fahlström. The cars that you see painted here are a 1957 Buick that belongs to Rune's daughter, and a 1954 Chevy that belongs to Rune's best friend Leffe. Pretty cool. Rune was an interesting guy to talk with and he told me a cool story. A few years ago he bought a lottery ticket to the Bingolotto TV show and won a chance to appear on the show. And a week later he spun a wheel of fortune and won 2,2 Million SEK. Not bad.

The Rat Rod Story

This is Benke. His car was easy to spot at the retrorun meet and I was a bit surprised that it wasnt picked as Best in Show! It's a Rat Rod. The engine is from a 1986 Chevy 350. He has built the car himself from scratch. A few years ago when he lived and worked in the US, he found the 1938 Ford somewhere in Ohio, and knew instantly that he had to buy it. He didn't have a garage, or any tools, but helpful friends in the US helped him with that. When it was finally finished, he drove around the country for one year. Benke told me about visiting the Street Rod National in Louisville, Kentucky an event attracting some 13,000 cars. Luckily he didn't have to drive too many miles to get to this meet as he lives only a few kilometres away at Vendelsö.

In True Swedish Spirit

There were a few Swedish cars at the Retrorun meet that I visited on Sunday, and in true nationalistic spirit I had to find my favorite among them. And after an hour or so I spotted this very blue Volvo Duett with the two Swedish flags and my search was over. It's been worked over a bit and is now a very different looking convertible. One detail that I liked was the blue clock. To see that you may need to have a look at the original size.

Size Isn't Everything

There was many shiny cars to photograph at the Retrorun car meet on Sunday, and over the next week or so I will show you some of my favourites, and this has to be one of them. I first spotted this tiny MG parked next to the normal sized version and snapped a photo just because it looked so funny. Imagine my surprise when a few hours later it came charging towards me! I heard the announcer say that it was the smallest car in the world. Not sure about that, and I haven't been able to find any more information about it, but it sure got peoples attention and everyone grabbed their cameras when they heard and saw it coming!

Another Coincidence

What are the odds on this happening? Just like last year I decided to shoot a few portraits at the Retrorun classic car meet in Handen. I noticed a beautiful Morgan and started taking some photos of it as I got in a conversation with the owner Anders Hedengren. I explained why I wanted the portrait by telling Anders about a photo I took here one year ago. When I mentioned the name of the man I photographed, Björn Virving, Anders got a bit excited. We were at school together he said. For three years at the Tekniska Gymnasiet in Stockholm. And I haven't seen him for forty years! How weird is that!

Back to Anders, he lives in Täby and is retired. The Morgan is a new interest. It is a 2 seater with a Ford Focus engine. Before he bought it he enjoyed boating. Both engine boats and sailing boats. And he was a keen sailor for thirty five years. The Morgan Motor Company is 100 years old this year and there is a celebration in England this summer and Anders is thinking about going. That sounds like a fun trip. My hope is that Björn and Anders will hook up again after forty years, That would be kinda cool me thinks!

Suzuki Rider

I have met a few bikers since I started shooting street portraits but this is the first woman. Meet Jeanette. I noticed her driving up and parking her bike outside the Handen mall and figured she would be up for a portrait. Jeanette lives at Vendelsömalm in Haninge and works at Statoil. Her big hobby is as you can probably guess motorcycles. It's a family affair. Her boyfriend is also a biker, and when they go on holiday trips around the country the eleven year old daughter tags along as a motorcycle passenger. Jeanette's bike is a Suzuki VS 1400 in case you are wondering.

The Student

Walking past the mall in Handen I decided to shoot some street portraits. I spotted this guy and figured him for a hip hoper. And I wasnt too far off. Music is one of his hobbies. He writes and produces Hip Hop. He has a Myspace site under the name Million Skills. Meet Mengie. From Handen. He is a student at KTH (The Royal Institute of Technology), in Södertälje. When he graduates he will be a "Högskoleingenjör" a type of engineer, the equivalent to a Bachelor's degree I think.

Campus Life

The agricultural school at Berga opened in 1921. Back then it had only male students. Today that has changed quite a bit, especially considering the very popular horse programme. If you walk around the 700 hectare big property you will find many different buildings. Both modern and old farm buildings. They have everything you would find on a modern farm. And there is also a 300 year old mansion (you can see part of it in yesterdays post), or here from my 2007 visit, and a little museum with many objects from the old days. The school is self sufficient when it comes to heating, via a modern pellet heating system. As I have already told you there are many animals at the farm and all livestock feed needed are produced locally, like oat and corn.The building you see here was built for when the school opened in 1921. Back then it had class rooms, campus eateries and student apartments. Today there are newer smaller apartment buildings here and my flickr friend Jim has a fine photo of those apartments. Both Jim and myself have flickr sets with more photos. Here is a link to Jim's photos. And my set is over here.

The Perfect Life

I decided not to shoot any portraits on my visit to the Agricultural College as there was so much else to focus on, but when I spotted Kajsa I changed my mind. I met her as the open house weekend was closing for the day. She turned out to be from Västerhaninge. She is a sailer, or a mariner if you like. Employed by the Waxholmsbolaget, the ferry company that runs the archipelago traffic in Stockholm. She works there six months of the year. The rest of the year she either studies, travels the world, or goes on two months long sailing trips. She's been all over the world, and when I asked Kajsa for a favorite place she picked Central America, with Panama and Costa Rica as two favorite spots. Seems like a perfect way to live your life.

Do Not Disturb

Obviously I did shoot quite a few animal photos at the open house weekend at the Berga Agricultural College. They have horses, cattle and pigs on 400 hectare. And who doesn't love pigs! Some facts about the college. The 250 students here can choose between the environmental programme, the farm programme and the horse programme. Most students come from around Stockholm. But there are student apartments on the campus, and there are plenty of activities for the students that choose to live at the school.

Barefoot is the only way to go

I can't say that I was walking around looking at peoples feet to get a photo for theme day, but as it was the warmest day of the year, it wasnt that hard to find a suitable photo at the Agricultural College on Saturday. This is a young woman and her dog. There was an agility show on a big grassy area that was surrounded by people. Seeing her running barefoot as she guided her dog through the obstacle course made me realise that summer really is here. She was quite good with the dog, and the crowd seemed to enjoy the show, and gave her a big hand of applause when they finished.

Today is theme day.Click here to view thumbnails for all participants