Glad to be alive

Last summer Leffe was on his way home to Sorunda on the Harley, when he collided with a moose. He was airlifted to hospital. He broke fifteen bones and was on morphine for three weeks. Since then I have met him four or five times. This last winter he went skiing in Switzerland. He still have a few problems, but he is back using both his Harley and his bicycle. He is a marathon runner, very fit and closing in on 70 years young.

The Whatevers

I don't miss much so when I spotted a drum set on a field at Nedersta the other day I knew I was on to something interesting. Closing in I noticed a photographer and what looked like a posing musician, so obviously I had to stop and check out what was happening. It was the two members of The Whatevers, Victor and Christoffer. Together with a photographer friend, Fredrik, they were busy taking photos for the band. I asked if they were any good and they told me that it was more of a fun project. They had been playing for many years. Christoffer writes most of the music and plays many different instruments ( the car was filled with them),while Victor sings, although he wasn't sure it could be called singing. www.myspace.com/thewhateversonline

A Summer Surprise

This was how my favorite beach Årsta Havsbad at the Hårsfjärden Bay looked last Friday. It was probably one of the warmest days of the year so far. I had been busy photographing a couple of blooming canola fields not far from the beach so I decided to stop for a stroll and a photo.I have to say that I was bit surprised to find the beach empty, despite it being on a Friday. Walking out onto the jetty to the right I met a woman who was sunbathing. She had gone for a swim, but told me that the Baltic See still was a bit cold for that sort of thing.

A New Beginning

Five years ago Mick was diagnosed with skin cancer. It took six operations before he was cancer free. That experience changed his perspective of life totally. I met Mick at the lakes in Handen on Sunday. He is from England. He flew to Sweden with a colleague a few days ago. Mick works for Coca-Cola, with refrigeration technique and is here to get the Swedish factory up to the same standard that they have back in England. He enjoys traveling and the tattoos are from visits to Thailand, Spain and New Zealand. The Maori tattoo on his chest means A New Beginning. Mick is a big guy, and has competed in many powerlifting competitions and won a lot of awards. He was very happy with his stay in Sweden although a bit upset about the price of lager!

Run for your life

Many health related activities in Haninge this week during Health Week. On Saturday there was a lot of goings on down at the lakes where you could try different sports. I was elsewhere, but I did catch the runners that took part in the 10k run arranged by Korpen. The run, called KomIform-loppet, or the Get into shape run passed the Eskils park and my favorite cafe so I used these two places to get a few shots. The runner in this photo is Hanna Sandelowsky. She is a doctor, and super fit. She won the women's run. Her winning time was 43.10. More runners in the slideshow where you can also see Viktor Larsson and Björn Lidman from Team Copy Office. They won the men's 10 k race on the same time, 41.10.

Summer Cool

The sun was shining from a mostly clear blue sky when I shot this portrait in Handen. I'm guessing that the temperature was around 22C. This is Kimmy. I noticed him from across the road, so I took the bike through a pedestrian tunnel and rode up next to him and asked him for a portrait. He is from Västerhaninge. As you can guess he spends a lot of time at the gym. I didn't ask, but I can bet you a buck or three that he wears that beanie while working out as well! He listens to a lot of hip-hop and R&B, and I think his outfit works well for that sort of thing.

That Old Tree

I have made a couple of visits to the old tree this week as I didn't want to miss when it finally turned green again so here are the two latest photos of the Swedish Whitebeam at Välsta. Skywatch Friday.

The Metal Girl

It is summer. I usually shoot more portraits when it's warm and sunny. This is Linn. I met her in Västerhaninge. Linn comes from Nynäshamn. She works as a mail carrier. She is a big Metal fan and will visit Metal Town in Gothenburg, as well as the new festival in Malmö. I pointed out that she should check out Trädgårdsrock in Tungelsta, as there's always a couple of Metal bands playing there.

Chillin

Glorious summer day in Haninge yesterday. So I decided to shoot a couple of street portraits. This is Andreas. I noticed him in Handen, on his way to the commuter station. He is a nursing assistant, currently looking for a job. Originally from Skåne, he now lives in Brandbergen. On his free time he creates music. Mostly Ambient & Chill-out music. I asked if I could hear a song or two online, but he is yet to upload anything for the world to hear, but promised to email me a song.

The scent of summer

If you are uncertain whether it is Summer or Spring, take a walk through (or around), a blooming canola field, and you will have the answer in no time at all. So that's what I did in Västerhaninge yesterday, and that familiar scent told me that Summer has truly arrived. Hurrah!

Get your mojo on!

Met a great couple in Västerhaninge, on what must be described as the first day of Summer. Mantas and Nathalia. They were out skating with their new LandRollers. I had never seen LandRollers before and they told me they were made popular by Cesar Millan. Mantas is originally from Lithuania. For sixteen years he lived in England. Nathalia is Swedish and her family originates from Colombia. They have that newlywed Zuckerberg to thank for everything as they met via Facebook. After chatting for a while Nathalia invited Mantas to Sweden and now they live together here. Nathalia works with cosmetology and shares a skin care saloon with her mother. Mantas is an artist. He paints with brushes and is also an illustrator, concept artist, 2D animator, and character designer. Oh, and Nathalia had been looking at a Canon 550, so I told her to get one as it is the model I am shooting with. If you are curious about the title, Mojo is the model name of their skates.

The Lotus Position

This is the new version of the classical Lotus position. It is a bit different from the old one as you need a sportscar to get away with it. And not just any sportscar, but an actual Lotus. The man posing here is Aki Vaattovaara. I met him in Handen on Saturday. He was parking his Lotus Elise at the mall so I decided to take a few photos of the car. Aki is the guy you should talk to if you are in the market for a Lotus, as he imports them to Sweden from England. More fact in Swedish at his website. This Elise will set you back around 150 000 SEK. Not a bad price at all.

In the Birch Forest

Thanks to the law Allemansrätten I can walk on anyone's property in Sweden. So earlier this week I took a promenade through this birch forest, situated between Mulsta and Välsta in Tungelsta. I spotted woodpeckers and owls, but as I didn't have the zoom lens with me I can only show you the now very green forest.

Mr. Big Ears

This is Mr. Big Ears. He lives in a tree. Sometimes when Mr. Big Ears is hungry he will visit my yard for a chance of some tasty bird food. Sadly on this visit there was no food available. Skywatch Friday.

Icons of American culture

The Swedish subculture "Raggare" or Greasers (Rockabilly rednecks), have adopted a few American icons. Like the cars from the 1950s and 1960s, the music of Elvis Presley, and for some reason the sometimes controversial Confederate flag. Some more info about Raggare in English here. This 1964 Impala belongs to a member of moonshine cruisers, the leading club for the Stockholm raggare.

Spring Road

One of the old roads in Haninge that I use on a daily basis. It probably dates back to the Viking Era. You will pass this tunnel of spring colors just after the Iron Age grave field and the Björklund horse farm, two places I have shown you before. We will pretend not to see the horse manure up ahead.

A Day of Photos

I took a number of photos for the A Day project today. The day started with a self portrait. I took two photos at the Tungelsta commuter station. I made one stop at the fruit stall in Västerhaninge. I noticed Jörgen as he was descending into the underground. He was working on a new optical fibre cable in Handen. I photographed three fishers at Lower Lake Rudan, all three posed with their catch and you can see one of them here. At the Upper Lake I shot a reflection photo of one of the old buildings.I biked through the Iron Age grave field in Jordbro, and stopped for a few quick snaps. At the Port 73 mall a hillside was being blasted away and I took a few shots of that. You can see my profile at A Day here.

Made For Lying

We have a word in Swedish that might be unique. The word is Ljugarbänk. It is a wooden bench (bänk), where you sit down and tell lies! Usually you will find a ljugarbänk outside the local meeting place/shopping centre in smaller towns or rural areas. This one is probably more for lying down, or just resting. I really like the design. And it is very comfy. I use it quite often. You will find it smack in the middle of the Iron Age burial ground that I have shown you a few times before. The area is also a part of a nature reserve, and is very popular with the locals. I pass by here most every day on my bike and will often stop and rest for a few minutes. This time of the year in mid-May is probably the best time if you want to visit the reserve as everything is turning green at the moment.

That Old Tree

It's been a few weeks since I last showed you the old tree. If you compare the two latest color photos there is quite a difference. The grass is now green, but it will still be a while before you can see the Swedish Whitebeam in full bloom.

Wooden Structures

I used to build tree houses like the one you see here when I was a kid. But I haven't climbed up one for many years, but that's what I did the other day in Västerhaninge. As you probably know I enjoy documenting building sites and the second photo and the panorama shows one of two apartment buildings currently under construction at the old Parsonage Estate (the yellow building). I have showed you this place previously but that was several years ago when two other buildings where being built here. To see all posts from Prästgården, press here. The view from the tree house wasn't what I had hoped, as a few trees and the estate itself blocked the view of the new building. But if you want to see a photo from up there I uploaded one to flickr.

The Media Man

This is Anthon Gyllensten. I noticed him in Handen yesterday. He works as a casting agent for the production company Jarowskij in Stockholm. Currently they are looking for people aged 18 to 40 to take part in a health show that will air on SVT this autumn. Anthon told me that he has written a song that he is hoping to get into next years Eurovision Song Contest. At the moment a record company is helping him with the song, that he is planning to perform himself. In a few weeks time he will do his first job as a TV presenter during the HBT GBG Festival.

Chevrolet Corvette String Ray

Spotted this 1963 Corvette Sting Ray Coupe in Handen. Parked outside the unemployment office of all places. This model had the split window, I like the gold color. Shot with the nifty fifty.

Guatemala

The collapsed barn Guatemala at the Nödesta farm. I don't know the story behind that name, but if I remember correctly it was the tractor babe, or perhaps her sister that told me the name a couple of years ago. Last time you saw this barn was through the mist back in November. The reason I was back this time was to document the tree turning green again. The barn lived to be 200 years old. A woman I know, who lives nearby at the Hammar Estate, once told me that she has a diary where one of her ancestors writes about his life as a farmer here. He worked in this barn when it was brand new. The old barn collapsed because of negligence and too much snow.

A Field of White

Every spring The Swedish Society for Nature Conservation arranges a hike though the nature reserve Gullringskärret in Jordbro. The walk goes through the iron age grave field, and the purpose is to look at all the wood anemones. I haven't participated in any organized walks, but it is quite a feeling to walk through this field this time of the year. The area is completely filled with white flowers. Shot this with the nifty fifty.

Peace & Spring Part II

Spotted a familiar face at the Rudan nature reserve. It was Isabella whom I met and photographed back in mid-March. As you can see the weather was very similar to when we met for the first time. And Isabella still wants world peace. She is still very busy with exams and tests at school. I asked her if she was planning to go somewhere for the summer, but as it turns out she will be working when her best friend goes on holiday and vice versa.

Cherry Blossom

People seem obsessed with Cherry Blossom photos and I can't really blame them, so instead I will join them. Here are three photos from three places in Handen, all shot in the last few days. The first one shows a popular spot near an entrance to the Haninge mall. A flickr contact told me that she usually celebrates the arrival of spring by enjoying an ice cream under the cherry blossom here. I took the second photo because of the color combination. The third photo is from a private garden sort of, you walk under the blooming trees when you pass the property on the sidewalk. All photos shot with The Nifty Fifty.

The Swedish Flag

Out shooting with my old Canon, the digital rebel a few days ago, using the zoom lens. This is part of the big window above the entrance to the Haninge City Hall building in Handen. The buildings reflected in the window are a couple of apartment buildings.
Weekend Reflections.

Blue Sky Reflection

Back at the nature reserve at Lake Rudan in Handen. This is the hiker's rest, next to the big lawn at the upper lake. Sörmlandsleden consists of more than 1,000 kilometres of winding paths, and many trekkers will stop here for a rest. Skywatch Friday.

Crea Diem

I noticed a very unusual trike parked outside the cultural centre in Handen yesterday so I decided to take a few photos. The name was Big Thunder. On the bike you could see two revolvers, bullet holes, a few grenades, a spider web, and a bunch of skulls! The owner showed up and we started talking. He seemed to be an interesting character so I decided to take his portrait. So meet Robbi Kovacs. He works as a tattooist, and opened his studio Robb's Tattoo, twenty years ago. He is based in Oskarsham in Småland, but has worked all over Sweden. He has survived cancer. A couple of years ago he underwent heart surgery. These days he lives after the maxim Crea Diem, the words are tattooed on his neck and they mean that you have to create your own luck, because no one is going to do it for you.

The Chevy

I have previously tried a shooting technique that is sometimes called The Brenizer Method. You stitch lots of pictures with shallow depth of field to create the impression of medium format or large format photography. I first learned about this technique via my long time flickr friend Patrick Power, who has been shooting like this for several years. So using the Nifty Fifty at f 1.8, I took 19 photos of this 1951 Chevrolet Stepside and stitched those photos together to create this photo.

The best bakery in town

I guess it doesn't come as a surprise that the best bakery in Haninge is also the best coffee place. I am of course talking about my favorite cafe, Malmens Konditori in Handen. Henrik (in the photo),took over the cafe two years ago. Since then he has done several smart moves. Employed some talented people, like the sour-dough baker with thirty years of experience. And the friendly waitress, Andrea, that you have met here before. And the award winning pastry chef Diana that you have also met here before. A while back their "semla" was voted best in Haninge, and the publicity that followed kept them busy for a few weeks! The theme this month is bakeries. Click here to view thumbnails for all participants.