I had to shoot a few portraits at the big Greaser meet. This is Celina, a good looking raggarbrud. She's from Gävle, a city roughly 174 km away from Haninge. Celina was sitting on a rusty old car enjoying a drink with a friend when I spotted her. It was her blonde hair with the flower that caught my eye. Expect to see many more photos from this event in the coming days!
Three illegal street-races in Stockholm last night. At Hallunda, Fittja and Slagsta. Very popular events at insane speeds on the E4 highway. It is hard for the police to do something about it. “That’s what happens. We’re powerless. It’s not that simple, to just go in and stop this,” Stockholm policeman Anders Mattsson told news agency TT. And this is the car that won the whole thing. A 1973 Plymouth Valiant. I didn't get a chance to talk with the driver, M Duster, as he was busy telling people about last nights race, which was the last of the season. I took the photo a few hours ago during the big Greaser Meet in Handen. It is called Grand Prix Raggarbil.
Treat your overall as a dirty dog. Soon it will smell like a dirty dog. Don't clean the overall.
What your overall needs:
Lots of pockets for beer.
A hidden pocket for a hip flask.
Maps.
Flash-light.
Bottle opener.
Cocktail book.
Barf bag.
First year students from The Royal Institute of Technology (KTH Haninge), during hazing.
The Easy Rider Festival is always a fun event for photographers. It took place at Vegabaren last Saturday, it rained a bit which scared away a few bikers. Top photo shows Benke, a guy that you have met here before, on his Holle Racer. Benke runs a company that sells Bicycle Engine Kits. Second snap shows a real beauty. A vintage Husqvarna motorcycle.
Always fun to do a bit of people watching. This snap is from last Saturday. The Haninge Day took place near the mall. I had taken a candid photo of the hugging couple a little earlier. I think they spotted me both times.
Linda Pira & The Salazar Brothers performing on the big stage during Haninge Day. Linda is a rapper who won the Grammis Awards of 2014 for Newcomer of the year. Not my music but as I was there I decided to check it out.
A new band performed their first ever gig during the Haninge Day on Saturday. Sverigefinnarna. Translated that would mean The Sweden Finns. They have an interesting line-up. The drummer, Harri Mänty, is the former guitarist in Sweden's most popular band over the last 15 years, Kent. The singer, Markus Fagerwall, won the Swedish version of Idol back in 2006. The bass player, Heikki Kiviaho, has worked as a producer to several big names. And he was a punk rocker back in the late 1970s in his home town of Eskilstuna. The last member of the band is his brother Hannu Kiviaho, nick named Fatboy, he is the guy with the beautiful guitar.Hannu is also a well known actor. So what did they sing about? That is a good question. The songs I heard were all in Finnish, a language I don't master at all. But it was fun to see them together on stage.
In an effort to save the old Folkpark in Handen, a few local organisations, Levande Zon, RoJteatern,Handens museum and ABF Södertörn decided to set up a cultural festival with rock music, dance music, theatre and more at a fe different scenes on Saturday evening. It only took a few weeks, and yesterday saw the first (annual?), Kulturparksfestival. I was there for a couple of hours and here is a slideshow with 24 photos. Photos of the bands Ban Bianca and Smash playing at Gula Villan. A street performer known as Mr. Pink. And An American singer&songwriter called Esther Rose Parkes performing at the Handen Museum. Dance music from Doktor Krall next to the RoJ Theatre. Oh, and you could also try the legendary Ultra buns baked by local legend Tompa Eken. The weather wasn't the best with grey skies and some rain but it was still a good start!
This is Björn Hellberg. A living oracle when it comes to tennis. He knows every fact of every game set and match ever played (more or less). He hasn't missed a Wimbledon tournament for nearly 50 years. He is a sport journalist, and also a well known author. He has written a biography about Björn Borg. These days he is also a very popular crime writer, and has written 25 novels. He was busy at a book signing when I spotted him in the mall in Handen today. But in general he is best known for a TV show called På Spåret. It is a very popular quiz show about geography. He competed four times and won every year. That was too much for the show so they made him a judge a job he had for some 20 years.
We need to get the Summer temperature back up to a decent level, at least for a few weeks. It's been a cold 17C the last few days, and very windy. I don't know the best way to fix that problem, but I decided to have a go, and this is what I came up with. A photo of a sunflower, facing the sun at an kolonilott in Handen. I hope it works!
Two photos in black and white. First shows a canola near Kalvsvik after the harvest. Before, it would have looked something like this. In the background you can see the Medieval church in Österhaninge. And up on the roof of that church, a guy from a company called Kyrktak (Church Roof). He is spraying pine tar on the roof.
My series with proof that Summer might be coming to an end continues in this post. These are the two beaches at the Upper Lake at the Rudan Nature reserve. It was a sunny (but windy), August day and I was the only one there, until I heard a bit of laughter. A dad and his teenage daughter were walking out into the lake. Not to swim, just to see if the water was still warm. He figured it was. She didn't.
The general election takes place in September. By the looks of these campaign posters the ruling party Moderaterna,(part of a coalition), have already given up. At least if you only read the headline.
This is Prästgårdsängen in Västerhaninge. Designed by the architect Helena Wennerström. Forty four new homes have been built next to the old parsonage. They blend in very well. The modern apartments are 155 square meters. They all have a car port and a little yard. The grassy hill in front of the houses is a noise barrier.The project made it to the final in the Building of the year contest in Haninge. A few flickr contacts asked me about the big window. It reminded them of the Swedish flag and Paul pointed out the thickness of the central mullion, so I emailed the architect for some answers. The reason for the thick mullion is a wall. The window is actually covering two rooms, but she wanted them to look like one. She didn't intend for the windows to look like the Swedish flag, but jokingly said, (or wrote), that her next house project would be blue houses!
I met a young farmer earlier in the week. Andreas Norlin from Hammarby Gård in Haninge. He was sitting in the combine harvester on a wheat field in Österhaninge. He noticed me as I took some photos. A few minutes later as I was still shooting he turned the engine off and waved me over for a chat. We talked a bit about farming. He even made me taste the wheat.I told him that I had previously met and photographed his dad. That was six years ago now. Time sure flies.
The old tree took a hit during the big thunderstorm two weeks ago. I was here when the storm started, but managed to get home unharmed. On my very short visit last week I only took a quick photo but thought the tree looked a bit different. Then on Saturday I met Christina during the rock festival and she told me that the old tree had lost two big branches. I took this photo from the side and it is easy to see the damage done.
This is David Larsson. An artist who often works with installations. I noticed his Pentax camera and stopped for a chat. He was taking photos for an upcoming exhibition at the cultural centre in Handen. David has spent close to a year going through the archives at the local historical society ( you can find many of my photos there). When I met him in Handen earlier today he had photographed the exact spot where once the Janstorp cottage stood. It was moved in 1982 to Västerhaninge. I told him that it was the home of the Engström family for several generations. You have met one of them here before. That was Sara, The Priestess. David is originally from Uppsala. He lived in Stockholm for many years before moving to Haninge a couple of years ago. His art exhibition opens on the sixth of September.
The last act to perform during the rock festival in the park in Tungelsta was Lugnet. It's been like that for three years now. They play 70s rock and always give 100 percent. Here are a few snaps of the band in a slideshow. Rock on!
There were many interesting looking people at the Trädgårdsrocken festival in the park. Here are three candid portraits. Although the two women clearly noticed the photographer.
M.O.B on stage during Trädgårdsrocken in the park in Tungelsta. Performing Legions Of The Antichrist. All ten bands used the same drums (more or less), which was great as the drum set was brand new. The owner figured they would sound great after the festival when they were played-in.
One of my favorite bands playing at the rock festival Trädgårdsrocken in the park in Tungelsta yesterday was the Zombie Space Pirates. They play Psychobilly. And are a great live band.
The annual rock festival Trädgårdsrock in the park in Tungelsta is under way. The park is slowly filling up with people. The weather is perfect. Around 25C and no rain in sight. This is in no particular order, Mauricio, Jasmine, Tina, Amanda and Emma.
I had a go at panning yesterday. Shot a lot of photos with my Canon 550 using the Tamron zoom lens standing near the Nynäsvägen in Handen. All snaps photographed at 1/30 1/50 and 1/80 seconds. The two photos here show a limo from Rosa Limousine, and a garbage truck with a promotional poster on the side. You are supposed to create art from your garbage, take a photo of it and upload that to Instagram with the #sopkonst and win a prize!
I'm guessing that this rebuilt Volvo 745 (more facts about the EPA-tractor here), belongs to girl called Emma, or that the kid driving the car has a girlfriend by that name.
This is the mechanic. He has lead a very interesting life. In his youth he was the wild one. A raggare that had some serious issues with the law. Later he became a very successful car mechanic. His biggest client were the police. A few years ago he suffered a stroke. The way back have been long and very hard. But no matter the weather. Summer, Winter, rain, storm, the mechanic will take his daily walk in Handen. And people have noticed. He hears it every day. Earlier this Summer someone sent a letter to the editor about the car mechanic. Praising him for his daily efforts. He is an inspiration for a lot of people, and a great guy. I stop and talk to him all the time. When I told him that I had taken this photo his response was “that is brilliant! ”.
I don't know much about fashion. But whenever I am out shooting street portraits, I always look for people that will stand out in a crowd. This is Mikael. He will fit in to that category. For several reasons. The green flash socks, and for not obeying the socks in sandals rule! When he is not breaking the very strict rules of fashion, you might find him out photographing butterflies, or at home drawing and painting.
Two photos of the old tree. The first one from yesterday. It was 26C and cloudy, nothing more to say about that one. Second photo is from last week, and here's how I described that photo an hour or so after shooting it:
I'm alive! The thunderstorm of the Summer started just as I took this photo of the old tree. Took me a minute to walk back to the bike. During that time the sky lit up several times. I then jumped on the bike and tried pedalling for home, but it rained too hard so I stopped for a few minutes by the side of the road while it flashed right and left. I was actually afraid for a while. Managed to ride over to the commuter platform at Krigslida where I waited out the storm together with another cyclist. Good to know that the camera bag is water proof.
This is Martyna. She is a handball player. And a student. I spotted her in the pedestrian tunnel at the Jordbro commuter station a few days ago on one of those hot Summer days. We only talked briefly as she was waiting for a friend.
Two photos in black and white. First shows a canola near Kalvsvik after the harvest. Before, it would have looked something like this. In the background you can see the Medieval church in Österhaninge. And up on the roof of that church, a guy from a company called Kyrktak (Church Roof). He is spraying pine tar on the roof.
One of my favorite bands playing at the rock festival Trädgårdsrocken in the park in Tungelsta yesterday was the Zombie Space Pirates. They play Psychobilly. And are a great live band.
The annual rock festival Trädgårdsrock in the park in Tungelsta is under way. The park is slowly filling up with people. The weather is perfect. Around 25C and no rain in sight. This is in no particular order, Mauricio, Jasmine, Tina, Amanda and Emma.
