The Artist

This is Anneli Malm. She is an artist. She does handicrafts and paintings. And also a lot of angels that my friend Jim seemed to like, as some of the arty stuff he makes are a bit similar in style. I met Anneli at her new shop/showroom at Dahlgrensgården at Tyresta National Park. She showed me around and told me a little about her ideas. She's planning to sell handicraft on the first floor in the old building, and show some of her more expensive paintings up on the loft. The shop will be open mainly on weekends. Visiting kids will be able to make their own art. Anneli grew up at Farsta Strand and today she lives at Gubbängen (two Stockholm suburbs). She's managed to get a spot at Stortorget, the main square at the old town in Stockholm, and that's where you can find her every December. That really is a good place to sell your art, ask anyone who has ever visited Stockholm and they have probably been there.

The Magician

Pick a Card, Any Card..

So that's what I did. And then the magician tricked me five or six times in under a minute. This is Timmy. He is only eighteen years old, but has been doing magic tricks since he was eight. When he was twelve he started taking it more seriously. If possible he would like to make a living as a magician. Every Friday you can meet Timmy at the Wishing Well boutique in Handen. When he isn't tricking photographers he works with web design and computer programming. Oh and he likes photography as well.

The Abandoned Farm

This is Lövsättra. The name sättra means a field outside a village and that's very fitting here. The abandoned farm is located in a forest, just outside of Tungelsta. You can tell that it is abandoned by the state of the road leading up to the farm. It is grass covered and there are fallen trees everywhere. There are four buildings at the old farm. The main house, to the right on the top photo. The big barn to the left, (that has a roof that doesn't look that old). There are also a wood shed and one stone cellar type of building. I spent about an hour here walking around taking in the sights and shooting some photos so if you are interested have a look at the slideshow. I found some glass jars in the kitchen, and a few other items. Up on the attic I noticed a bed. There were some more things in the barn. Among them garden tools, a tyre swing and a home made bench. And also a workbench with tools and nails. I don't have any other info about this place yet, but my sisters husband (a long time journalist), has been digging around a bit, and he found a living relative to the last farmer who used this land, and has interviewed her for an upcoming article at haninge.org.

How to spend 1 000 000 SEK

The municipality has decided to spend 1 000 000 SEK on flower arrangements in Haninge this year. Thats 50% more than usual. The man you see here is Janne Sandh. One of the few remaining gardeners in Tungelsta. I spotted him up on a ladder along "Fina Gatan" in Handen. Some of the extra money will go to a number of Hanging baskets that you will see here soon. When that happens I will go back to see if it was worth all that money, so it better be...

Skywatch Friday.

The Bombshell

I spotted the beautiful Mary in Handen on one of those warm sunny days we had last week. She comes from Stuvsta, in the neighbouring municipality of Huddinge. She works at the Stockholm International Fair, and is a former elite gymnast. Sadly Mary had to give up the sport after eleven years of training, due to an gymnastics-related accident where she fell and hurt her arm. As you can see she is still super fit. And that is thanks to her new hobby which is pole fitness. That is strength- and endurance training, combined with dance and acrobatics on a pole. I think I might wanna see that!

That Old Tree

Finally some news about The Old Tree. There have been plans to build a new national arena for horse racing here. Something people have been debating for quite some time. I have met people who are behind the idea, because of all the money it would generate, and locals who would like to keep the open landscape as it is. On my way to the old tree the other evening, I stopped for a chat with the film icon/journalist and editor Christina Lindberg who can see the tree from her home at Välsta. She has worked hard to stop the race track, and she told me that the plans for the track has now been scrapped. Apparently Solvalla backed out of the project. So hurrah for that! Christina also informed me that the municipality have decided to set aside some money to look into what might happen to this area in the future. If you are new to this blog and are wondering what I am going on about, have a look at the slideshow below.

Funny Shot of the day

While in Handen a sunny day last week I noticed a TV crew from TV4 nearby and headed that way to see what was going on. It turned out to be Per and Johan from Förkväll. A programme that focuses on fashion and health, and a few other things. It's my mother's favourite show at the moment. It's hosted by three women. One of them is the former Miss Universe Yvonne Ryding. The woman you see here walking her dog Nikki, is Izza. She was on the Swedish version of the reality show Momma's Boys last year. She caused a bit of a scandal I guess, when she came out as bisexual, and I read somewhere that she was going to marry her girlfriend. When I met them last week they were shooting a 90 second intro that will air on June 2th when Izza will be a guest on the show. I took a bunch of photos of Izza and the crew, but I think this one was the best and also the funniest!

Evelyn & Marco

I was taking some photos of a new mobile art room at Poseidon's Square when Marco came up to me. He wanted to know a bit about my camera. Marco is an artist from Handen. He has just made a photo book with some of his paintings. He is also a street artist, known as SKAB. His best friend is another street artist, known as KLAB, who has done a few cool stencils that I have photographed this year. The pretty girl next to Marco is his girlfriend Evelyn. She lives in Jordbro and is a secondary school student, studying Fashion and Trade in Farsta. She's hoping for a career as a fashion designer. And as you can guess by looking at Marco's eyes it was a very sunny day.

You can see another portrait of the couple at Tumblr.

The Very Tough Girls

I stopped at the tiny beach at Upper Lake Rudan the other day to enjoy a very light lunch. There was a few people about, and these two very tough girls (their description), had just gone for a swim in the lake and probably wanted to dry up as it was kinda cold in the water, but very warm in the sun, around 25 Celsius. But when I asked them if they could jump back into the lake so that I could get a few summer like photos they quickly agreed. Although they said it felt like -5C! The girls are from Handen, and are students at the Söderbymalmsskolan. They had a half day off from school and what better way to enjoy that then heading for the beach. The rock behind the tough girls is called the Elephant Rock. It's very popular with rock climbers. The last time I took a photo here was back in November when I shot the multitasking angler.

The Ref

I was at a Supermarket in Handen when I noticed a woman with a Beijing Olympics tattoo on her back. This is Ulrika. She is a wheelchair rugby referee. I accidentally wrote down basketball and Ulrika quickly said, no no, that's a sport for sissies, this is the real deal! But she said it with a smile on her face. Her brother had an accident many years ago, where he broke his neck, and that's how Ulrika got involved with the sport. She has a lot of experience with four European Championships, one World Cup, and one Olympic Games on her growing merit list. Next up is the world cup in Vancouver. At the moment there's TV series about a wheelchair rugby team running on SVT called Köping Hillbillies where you can see Ulrica. Read more about the sport at the Wheelchair Rugby Federation website.

Airborne BMX Rider

If I ever tried a wall ride, or a bunny hop with my bike I would end up at the emergency room with a few broken bones. Not so for Jesper and Jocke. Two seasoned BMX riders from Stockholm. I met them near a supermarket in Handen earlier this week. They were out shooting some scenes for an upcoming DVD called Toasted II. Apparently the first Toasted DVD has sold out. The guys have been into BMX for nearly 25 years, so they know what they are doing. But even a pro misses sometimes and I noticed one painful crash. It's a growing sport and the shop where they buy their bikes sold around 300 BMX bikes last year. They have uploaded some videos to Vimeo, but I haven't been able to find them yet.

Skywatch Friday.

The Knitted Bike

I noticed this very arty bike outside a new second hand boutique in Handen last week. It's there to attract customers and perhaps even a photographer or two. The store is called The Wishing Well. Or Önskekällan in Swedish. Owned by Agnetha Sjöstedt. She has a great concept. She sells both quality clothing and handicraft. And as her son Timmy is a magician, Agnetha also sell magic books and other stuff for any wannabe magician. And if you want to see some magic stop by the shop any Friday. In the future you will be able to buy flowers here. And hopefully buy a cup of coffee. I told Agnetha about my portrait series and mentioned Stellan with the sexy hot rod and she knew him! The reason for that was her daughter Jannica, who is (or perhaps has been), a roadracing driver, and now works on a motorcycle magazine where Stellan participates sometimes . I like coincidences like that.

Different People

It's summer which means that I have mostly been focusing my photography on people and portraits. So here is a collage with photos taken over the last few days. Starting with a member of the Socialist Justice Party whom I met outside a supermarket. He wanted me to sign a petition against racism in Haninge. Which I obviously did. The woman with the Happy Birthday hat is Helen Andersson. She is the manager of the grocery store Coop Konsum in Tungelsta.The store celebrated 100 years last weekend. Next are three members of Young Left enjoying an icecream on a lawn in Handen. There was a political convention at the cultural centre last weekend. Abdi from Hässelby, Maia and Mathilda from Kinna are all members of the party, and they were working in the kitchen during the convention. The smiling cyclists are Markku and Eva. They are in a LAT relationship, that's Särbo in Swedish. Markko lives in Uppsala, and Eva in Skarpnäck. Their bike trip in the summer weather measured around sixty kilometres. The blonde in black is Linda. We have met before, but it wasnt until I had asked her for a portrait that we recognised each other. Next up is Lennart Andersson, a pensioner from Tyresö. He enjoys summer skiing, and is a member of the Jordbännarna ski club. Last but not least and I'm not 100% sure, but I think the guy fishing from the pier at Lower Lake Rudan is Mats Sundin, one of the best ever hockey players the world has seen. We didn't talk as I was shooting some photos from another pier and didn't want to shout across the water.

Casual Summer Outfits

This is Evelina and Frida. I met them at Najaden in Handen on Saturday and figured they would be up for a Summer portrait. The girls have been friends for many years.Evelina lives at Gullmarsplan in Stockholm and Frida at Vendelsö in Haninge. They are seventeen years old and secondary school students. Frida is reading the Samhällsvetenskapsprogrammet,(try googling that), while Evelina is studying to become a hair dresser. I asked them if they had any interesting hobbies, and they told me they like to sing and party. Sounds like fun.

A Summer Wedding

Summer arrived to Stockholm over the weekend. And that was when Liliann and Magnus got married. I met them in Handen where a photographer were busy taking their wedding photos, so I decided to join in. The civil wedding ceremony took place later in the day at Stockholm City Hall (where the Nobel Ceremony takes place every year). The happy couple comes from two different parts of Sweden and now lives in Tungelsta, at The Unshovelled Alleyways that I showed you back in March. Their respective families met for the first time on Saturday, and after the ceremony they all went on a cruise with Birka Princess. In the wedding bouquet there's a Germini called Picture Perfect. And I think this photo is picture perfect.

Rebel Without a Cause

This is Svarten Asplind. He is the president of The One And Only V8 Cruisers. Which is a "raggarklubb". It's kinda hard to explain the term raggare, but I found a very good article of the subculture in The Guardian, well worth a read. Svarten is the oldest active "raggare" in Stockholm. He is sixty three years old and still going strong. I figured he would know the President of The Moonshine Cruisers and he said he had known him since Robban was a kid. Svarten loves Elvis Presley. He drives a 1960 Chrysler New Yorker. It's worth around $27 000, and is in mint condition. His t-shirt says Home is good, but the garage is best. The original proverb says Away is good but at home is best.

A World Class Sprinter

When I was a teenager there was a group of very successful Swedish athletes that where known as the 56ers. Because they were all born in 1956. This is one of them, Linda Haglund. You will know a few of the others. The ones that stands out a bit are Björn Borg and Ingemar Stenmark. There was also a wrestler, Frank Andersson, and another alpine skier, Stig Strand. Linda was a very good sprinter. She has one gold medal, and four silver medals from different European Championships. In the Moscow Olympics in 1980 she finished fourth in the 100m final. The best ever result by a Swedish sprinter. Her personal record in the 100m is 11.16, and that is still the Swedish record thirty years later! Today Linda works as a teacher in Haninge. She teaches English, Biology and of course Gymnastics. Her philosophy in life and as a teacher is to always be positive and look towards the future and see all the possibilities that lay ahead. She is also a published author, and has worked as head track coach for Santa Monica College. I met her a couple of days ago. We were both on our bikes and luckily for me the former world class sprinter had time for a chat and a few photos. She also told me that once in a while the 56ers meet and boy what stories they must be able to tell!

Aiming For The Sky

Any day with a blue sky is my kind of day. Crossing a pedestrian bridge on such a day I spotted this stencil. Not sure who this is supposed to be, if anyone, but I got a WWII feeling when I looked at it. I think it's made by KLAB, a local street artist that I have noticed here and there this year. The bridge in case you are wondering crosses Gudöbroleden in Handen, a road that now has a bike path that will take you all the way to Stockholm.

Skywatch Friday.

A Very Sexy Hot Rod

What are the odds on this happening. Just two days after meeting Håkan I spot another Hot Rod. This time in Handen. Meet Stellan Egeland. Who of course knows Håkan. Stellan is one of the best custom bike builders in the world. He is the 2007 World Champion of Custom Bike Building. And has won many other awards over the years. So it's no surprise that he is well known around the world for his amazing motorcycles. If you want to see some photos of his bikes press here. And for some videos try this link. When I met Stellan he was out running a few errands and he sure travels in style! He uses his 1929 Ford as often as he can. It has a very rough look, and I asked him, do you ever clean it? Why would I do that was his answer, point taken. Stellan customized his first bike (it was his bicycle), when he was thirteen years old and hasn't looked back since. You can see more of his work at his website SE Service. Or if you understand Swedish, or just want to say hi, try visiting his blog.

The Landscape Architect

This is Daniel Larsson. He is a landscape architect and works for WSP. I noticed him as he was taking some photos with his Canon EOS 50D at the commuter station in Tungelsta yesterday and walked over for a chat. I have a few photos from the recent work at the station and a few WSP photos as well. WSP is constructing a new bridge over the railway here and Daniel was shooting photos to use as he will make a 3D version of the future bridge. He works in Photoshop for the panoramic photos, shoots in RAW and will make a HDR panorama that he will then import to SketchUp for the 3D rendering. He figured this project would take around three days. To make room for the new bridge a couple of buildings, including Stenliden, has been teared down. Daniel is from Linköping, but lives in Stockholm. Before that he worked in London for a year and a half. One project he was involved with was the Brighton International Arena.

A Legendary Car

This is a well known Hot Rod. Made from a 1932 Ford by the Swedish hot rod guru Lennart Djurberg back in 1956. At that time it was the first ever hot rod in the country. Djurberg has a Mooneyes/Gasoline Magazine Lifetime Achievement Award, and is known all over the world for his work. He has worked with Ford cars all his life. His dad opened a Ford garage back in the 1940's. Today Lennart's son Johan works there together with his famous dad. I noticed the car in Västerhaninge on Sunday, and managed to get a chat with the current owner, Håkan Lindberg, who you can see on the second photo. Håkan is into cars and motorcycles. He is a member of ASPES MC Club, and drives a Harley Davidson. He works for Mercedes with airbrushing. And for thirty years his big hobby has been custom motorcycle paint design. He is well known in the industry, and has won many awards for his designs. He knows quite a few people that I have previously photographed. Like The Tattooed Man and The Tattooed Woman. And of course the members of the Wishbone Club Anna and her brother John. Only half-jokingly, Håkan told me that he can't wait for retirement as he then will be able to focus full time on his hobbies! A happy man indeed.

The PussyCattyCat

This is Sandra. I met her in Handen. She had an appointment, but had time for a chat and a few portraits. Sandra is an artist who works with logo design and tattoo design. To make ends meet she also works as a personal assistant.If you want to see some of her art work check out PussyCattyCat at deviantART. If you are curious about the name, it's from a song by the Nazis from Mars. For another portrait of Sandra check out my tumblr site.

The Curators

The experimental art project at the cultural centre in Handen closed on Saturday.The final installation was the opening of a new mobile art centre, named Konsthall 323. The artists and curators are Frida Krohn and Ylva Trapp. Their showroom is a Mazda 323 from 1983. After the official opening ceremony, where the artists cut the blue tape, there was refreshments and a lot of photography. And then the first four visitors (plus a baby),entered the mobile art centre for the five minute experience. I was in the second group and sat in the back-seat where I listened to a taped conversation between the two artists, as they made their way to the cultural centre discussing the road ahead and commenting on what they saw during those five minutes. It was a different art experience, filled with humour. In the next few months the mobile showroom will travel across the country, but no one knows where it will turn up next. But to keep track on what might happen in the future you check out the projects website.

Dressed in Black

One thing that I have learned to appreciate when it comes to shooting street portraits of strangers, is that you can never tell who it is that you are going to meet next. I spotted Thomas near the commuter station in Jordbro on Thursday, and figured him for a role player just like the Future Architect, or Fredrik, but that wasn't the case at all. Thomas is a student at the Fria Gymnasiet, a secondary school in Handen that focuses on social sciences. Thomas is an atheist, but is very interested in religious matters. It would be fun to hear him discuss that with Sara. When he is not thinking about that, or his studies, he enjoys photography. He shoots with a Sony, but has his eyes on a Canon 550D, a camera I wouldn't mind owning myself.

Coffee Anyone?

Back in the mid 1980's I lived in an apartment near Åbyplan in Västerhaninge. Today when I visit it's either to get a haircut, or to fix my bike. Or as on this occasion, to grab a cup of coffee with my friend Jim at the Kaffebönan cafe. This coffee pot was on sale at their yard sale. I didn't buy it, but figured I could get a very cool Skywatch photo.

The Impulsives

Spontaneous is how these two guys described them selves. Meet Kitten and Daniel who have been friends for a few years. They met while role-playing. Kitten lives in Västerhaninge and is a secondary student. Come the fall he will be studying 3D graphics at Digital Graphics. Daniel who lives in Farsta will be a student at the Ågesta Folkhögskola, where he will study to become a mentor for people with Asperger syndrome. When the impulsives are not role-playing they enjoy watching movies and partying, and who doesn't like that! Perhaps they should hook up with Emma and Matilda.

Taxi!

It's that time of the year again, when all the classic cars returns to the roads after spending the long winter in a warm garage. I was waiting at a railway x-ing last week when Bror Persson drove up next to me. His Volvo PV (known here as a Sugga), from 1951 looks to be in mint condition. Back in the day it used to be a taxi in Stockholm, and you can still see the Ledig (Available), sign on the wind shield. Bror is a collector of old cars, and is a member of several car clubs. One of them the Swedish Volvo PV Club. We talked for a bit as we waited for the commuter to pass by, and I had time to try and shoot a self portrait in one of the reflective hub-caps.

Strike a Pose

This in Tove. She's a ninth grade student from Västerhaninge. I have met her before, but she looked a bit different that time when she was selling strawberries by the roadside. Come the fall Tove will be a secondary student at Djurgymnasiet which is an animal training school in Stockholm. It's a three year long education where Tove will learn everything about canine behaviour. She hasn't made any real plans for the future, but would like to work at Swedish Customs with narcotic detection dogs.

A Moment in Time

Just like thousands of photographers around the world I lifted my camera on May 2, at 15:00 (U.T.C./G.M.T. And this is what my Canon registered at that moment in time. Meet Esa, Håkan, Peter, Ann, Anders, Åke, Tommy and Eva. Also in the photo is Asterix the dog. They were all sitting at the semi-sunny veranda at a restaurant in Tungelsta. I got there just in time to tell them about the project, and ask them if they wanted to be a part of it. They all said yes, so when I looked at the clock and told them it was time, they all raised their glasses to celebrate their involvement in The New York Times project A Moment in Time.

Roses for Mikaela

This is Mikaela. I met her outside the mall in Handen on Friday, an hour or so before I took that photo of the male choir and it is very likely that she heard them sing at her school. The area was filled with graduate students. Traditionally Walpurgis Night is when the students put on the white student cap that Mikaela is wearing. Another tradition is of course the gifts and flowers you receive. Red roses in this case. But the most important tradition is probably the start of the partying as proven here by Mikaela's blue bag from Systembolaget. Skål!

Pro Palata Plakatum

We celebrated Walpurgis Night yesterday. It is very serious stuff. All around the country choirs are welcoming spring by singing all the traditional songs. This is the male choir Birger. I met them at Poseidon's square in Handen. It's their busy time of the year. They performed at three secondary schools on Friday. The choir has a motto. För Fulla Fegel. Or in (fake), Latin, Pro Palata Plakatum. They are based here in Haninge and have often performed at the Cultural Centre. One or two of the members might look familiar to you if you saw my post about Translations For Higher Resolutions. Learn more about the student cap that they are wearing here. If you want to hear what they might sing check out this.