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.

The Light at the End of the Tunnel

This is the view from the pedestrian tunnel under the motorway at Kalvsvik. Used mainly by horse back riders and the odd photographer. I came from the Österhaninge side on this visit. I have previously showed you a lot of things from this part of Haninge. Including the Swimsuit Model. A house high up on a hill. A field of Yellow. And the Unicorn Sign, just to mention a few.


Skywatch Friday.

The Beret Wearers

Meet Ebbe. He is the little guy with the red cap. Ebbe is ten month old. His dad is called Patrik and he is a stay-at-home-dad for the time being. He is also a slöjdare,(a craftsman) and Patrik sells most of his stuff via the SHR stores. Ebbe's mother Kerstin, is studying to become a teacher. The family of three lives in Linköping. Today they were visiting Ebbe's grandfather, (Kerstin's dad). He is the cool guy with the red pants. His name is Gunnar. He is retired since October of last year, but for fifteen years he was the supervisor at the post museum in Stockholm. He lives at Segersäng in Nynäshamn. They were on their way to enjoy lunch at Paus at the Västerhaninge shopping centre,but when I noticed that they were all wearing berets I stopped them and asked for a portrait.

The Ukulele Man

Just a day after I met Adam and Annie at this bench that overlooks Lower Lake Rudan I met Jesper there, and I think he had seen them as well. We chatted away for quite a while. At the moment, Jesper, who has lived in Haninge for around five years is flipping burgers at McDonald's, but he has a very interesting dream. Eighteen months ago he bought his first ukulele. He has always been interested in music and with the ukulele that interest grew. Now he is hoping to travel around Europe and pay for the trip by busking! That sounds like quite a challenge. As we sat there talking about photography, music and fishing, one of the anglers (Russian or Polish), got lucky and caught a fish so I walked over and snapped a few photos of that.

Anonymous Girl

This is Malin. She was easy to spot with her beautiful red hair. I met Malin and her mother in Handen. They were on their way home from a visit to the Hammarby Horse Farm in Högsta. A farm that I have visited. It is owned by Rolf Norlin and his wife Tina. Malin helps out at the farm where she also often rides the horse Atina. I like it when I can link people like that. And when I mentioned the rock band I met the other day she obviously knew about them as well. Malin is a ninth grade student at Söderbymalmsskolan. Perhaps not a coincident, but I did meet that schools most famous student last summer. Come the fall she will be studying Japanese at the Tumba secondary school and is hoping to travel to Japan and study there in a not too distant future. Oh, and I took around ten photos of Malin, all very good, something that her mother and I agreed on, but Malin wasn't that sure.

Spring is for Lovers

As you can see we have had a few sunny spring days of late. Which means that I will focus more on portraits. This is Adam and Annie. I met them at Lake Rudan where they were enjoying the weather. Adam is reading the Bachelor of Science in Engineering program at KTH in Handen. His girlfriend, who is visiting from Nora, is a secondary school student. On her free time she plays innebandy for Nora IBK and scores goals like there's no tomorrow! Adam plays in a Metal/Hardcore band. They are called Illumineight.

As Cool As They Come

I met a rock band in Handen yesterday. Four very cool guys as you can see. They are called Self Deception. From left to right they are: Gabe (guitar and backup vocals), Niklas (base and backup vocals), Erik (drums), and Ante (lead vocals and guitar). They were on their way to rehearse when I met them. The band have released one CD, titled Restitution. If you have spotify you can listen to the album here. Be sure to check out some of their videos at You Tube.The album will also be available at cdon later. They have played at the Trädgårdsrock Festival in Tungelsta on three occasions so I have probably heard them quite a few times.

The Nanny

If I wanted to I could make a set called Dogs and their owners, and who knows, I might just do that some day. This is Maria. I noticed her in Handen today, near the mall. She was on her way out with her dog Luna, but had time to pose for a few quick portraits. As you can guess by the title Maria works as a nanny, or a barnflicka as one Swedish title would be. When she's not busy walking her dog, or nannying those kids, she's very likely to spend some time at the gym, working out. And that seems to be working just fine, as she really looks very fit. As does her dog, who really wasn't interested in posing for the photographer.

That Old Tree

It's Friday and time for another Skywatch post. Earlier this week I walked down the now snow-free and dry path to the old tree. Nice to see this view without all the white stuff on the ground. Believe it or not, but this is my 208th photo of this Swedish Whitebeam.

If you haven't been here before, or if you like me are a bit addicted to the oxel tree have a look at the slideshow.

Swimsuit Model of the Day

At the Kalvsvik Horse Centre I noticed this sexy babe posing on a ladder at the coffee veranda. She was dressed in her swimsuit and had her nails painted red. I decided to walk over for a chat. Unfortunately she wasn't very talkative. I asked if the water wasn't a bit too cold for a swim, but she didn't feel like talking. All I could get her to say was her name. So say hello to Rut, the Swimsuit Model of the Day.

Bite The Pillow, Honey!

This is a future indie rock star. So remember where you heard it first! His name is Jimmy Jansson. One of many musicians I have met since I started shooting street portraits. He plays the guitar and sings background vocals in the band Bite The Pillow, Honey! Jimmy lives in Handen, and is a member of the Musikcentralen in Tungelsta (as is Emil, and my brother btw). Every summer they arrange the Garden Rock Festival in the park in Tungelsta where I shot a cool photo last summer. So maybe you can hear Jimmy's band play there this summer. And if they need another band, they could ask Twopointeight to play. Or the Zombie Space Pirates.

Just a friendly game of boules

I met this group of pensioners in Handen on Monday. They all live at Lärkträdet, a housing cooperative, which consists of seven apartment buildings overlooking Lake Rudan. They were playing a game of boules, and I decided to shoot some photos of the action! The people you see here are in no particular order, Jochen, Inga-Britt,Gun, Ingegerd and Valle. We talked a bit about the game and I gave them one of my moo cards.

Stepping back in time

A (former), Scania firetruck from 1975 with a turntable ladder arrived to Blomorado in Tungelsta on Saturday. Which was like stepping back in time. I'm guessing most boys at one time may have wanted to become a fire fighter, or even a turntable ladder operator like the guy on the second photo. I remember these old trucks. They sure look very different compared to the modern fire trucks. It was a problem with the old brick chimney at Blomorado. It needed some fixing, and in just a few minutes the stonemason was busy doing his stuff. I'm not sure how old the chimney might be, but my great grandfather started this business here 100 years ago.

Woof!

I noticed two new Roundabout dogs in Handen the other day. So I stopped, jumped off the bike, and managed to run over the road and onto the grassy roundabout without being hit by a car. These dogs looked really Swedish with the flag and all. And the artist had written their url on the dogs. www.rondellhund.com/

At Ease

Have you ever met a Sjöbevakningsgruppbefäl before? That's what I did a couple of days ago in Västerhaninge. In fact I met three of them. Glenn, Nanette and Andreas. They are doing their National Service at the Haninge Garnison.The title means that they are in the Swedish Navy. This military trio did their recruit training last summer at the Karlskrona base where they spent three long months living in tents. Sounds like fun! They told me about one very long, tough and rainy weekend, and I'm very glad I wasn't there! Their job today is to monitor the Swedish territorial waters. They do that in 5-hour shifts. When I met them they had 68 days left of their National Service. And then it's MUCK! Which stands for everyone's favorite phrase: Militär Utryckning i Civila Kläder. Or in English Leaving the Military in Civilian Attire. I still remember they joy when I did that a few eons ago, so I know how they must be feeling.

Addicted Girl

I'm a big fan of certain Streetart styles. A cool stencil in the right environment is always interesting. I spotted this stencil, called Addicted Girl, on an old and white-painted door at a auto repair shop in Handen the other day. The artists signature says KLAB and that is short for Konfronterande lejon attackerar bovarna.Translated that would be something like Confrontational Lion Attacking the Crooks.

The Pipe Smoker

You don't see many pipe smokers these days, so when I saw Lars G in Handen yesterday I knew I had to ask him for a portrait. Lars G is retired today but he has a long career as a healthcare consultant. He travelled the world selling the Swedish concept of healthcare. Lars G owned a sailboat for some 35 years. He used to sail the Baltic sea often visiting ports in Finland and Poland. Unfortunately that hobby came to an abrupt end when his son managed to crash with the boat, that is now history.

The Young Ones

Two days ago we noticed a baby squirrel at the veranda. It was eating the bird seeds on the lawn. Tindra the cat was very interested, but didn't have the energy to try and catch the young squirrel. Yesterday there was four baby squirrels here. All eating bird seeds. For hours as it seemed. Enter Matilda the cat, Tindras sister. So now there are only three baby squirrels left.

Tussilago farfara

Spring is here, although it is still a bit too cold for my liking. From the bike I spotted these coltsfoot flowers behind a rusty fence, near a rail track in Jordbro, and figured that would make for a cool photo. The Swedish name for this flower is Tussilago.

Enjoying the Sunshine

This is Annika and Fredrik. I met them on the board-walk at Lower Lake Rudan on Sunday.They were sitting on a bench (where I had planned to rest for a while), overlooking the lake. It was a very sunny day and quite warm, at least here at the hillside. As you can guess they are lovers. They have been together for nearly a year. Both work as security guards in the Stockholm metro system. Come the summer they will fly down to Greece for a few weeks of summer sun at Skiathos, and we talked a bit about the Greek isles. I mentioned my favorite isles Ios and Antiparos. Before that trip they will head north for some white water rafting in Dalälven.

Scenes From The Theatre

While visiting Rudan a while back I noticed a few people working at the theatre barn. You can see the entrance on the second photo. The theatre group Ormteatern (The Snake Theatre), has been around for thirty years. I saw one of their first plays as a school kid in Jordbro (the founder Ulf Oldberg was married to my school teacher). On this recent visit I got a short guided tour by one of the members, I think it was Adam (second photo in the collage). For some odd reason I didn't think to ask his name. The other photos in the collage shows the theatre seats where my buddy Jim is sitting, the dressing room, the office, and a few other places in the old barn. At the moment you can see Bang Bang You're Dead there. Jenny Linder and Emilie Lindström from the theatre group has written a Swedish version of William Mastrosimones text. If you live in the area and feel like going to the theatre follow this link to book your tickets.

Kicking & Punching

This is Alex. I spotted him in Västerhaninge on Friday. It was a very gloomy day, so he stood out a bit with his green beanie, red hair and his colorful shoestrings. Alex is a 9th grader. He lives in Krigslida and come the fall he will be an electrician student at the secondary school Fredrika Bremer-gymnasiet in Handen. His hobbies include playing the guitar (just like the girls from Sarcastic Undertone), and practising Martial Arts. For Alex that means Taekwando, just like Jonny.

View From A Bridge

It's Friday and time for another Skywatch post. This time from the nature park Slätmossen in Handen. I have previously showed you a bunch of portraits taken here, you might remember Andrea, or the Sun-Worshippers. Or perhaps the Roe Deer Buck. But this is a bird park so here are two ducks in a pond with a fine sky reflection. This is also one of my long time photo projects. I now have 44 photos shot from this bridge. If you have a few minutes there's a of course a slideshow below to enjoy.

The April Weather

Perhaps not the photo you were expecting to see after what I posted yesterday, but there you go. This is a busy bumblebee pollinating a crocus at Bergdalen in Tungelsta. And I actually shot this one the day before the winter chair photo. Another fine sign of Spring. We have a word for this type of quick changes in the weather. Aprilväder. Translated to English: April Weather. More scientifically it is spring when the average temperature rises above 32 degrees Fahrenheit. During the month of April you are likely to see this type of quick weather changes, but if you don't live here, I guess it can be a bit confusing with Spring one day, followed by Winter, and then back to Spring again. But it's interesting from a photographers view, that's for sure.

The Winter Chair...

...for the last time this season. Since mid-December I have used this chair that stands on a lawn in Tungelsta to measure the depth of winter. The snow here arrived as a surprise two days ago. It is mostly gone now.

A Concrete Handout

This little art object is made out of concrete. The hand that holds it belongs to the artist Marianne Kopamees who describes herself as an autodidact. I met her on Saturday in her studio at the gallery in Österhaninge. Marianne lives at Stora Lundby in Sorunda. We talked a bit about art and photography. Marianne's father and her uncle were both well known photographers. And how about this. Her closest neighbour in Stora Lundby is a windsurfer who enjoys photography. And if you have followed this blog for a while, you will know that I often try to find a connection between the people I meet. So if you would like to meet Marianne's neighbour, follow this link for a great photo encounter.

The Girl in the Green Scarf

Heading home a couple of days ago I spotted the girl with the green scarf and knew that I had to ask her for a portrait. Her name is Marie. She lives in Handen, but is originally from Lund in Skåne. The reason for moving to Stockholm was work. She is a social welfare secretary. And a cute one I think. For fun she enjoys salsa dancing. As a coincidence I have met and photographed another girl here who was also into dancing. Her name was Ulla, and I wouldn't be at all surprised if they knew each other.

Artists at the Gallery

I visited the art gallery in Österhaninge on Saturday, Galleri Kyrkskolan that is located next to the Medieval Church. They have a Easter Exhibition at the gallery over the weekend, so if you live in the area you can visit today or on Monday. To show you some of the artwork I made a collage with a few photos from the artist studios, and a 360 panorama from the show room. The people you see here are Seija Swanberg, and Marie-Anne Kronqvist. There's also two paintings from Karen Nordsø Lundberg, and a sculpture from the show room. As I was talking to Marie-Anne she wanted me to have a look at a painting made by her son. For some reason it was hidden under a blanket (second photo). I thought it looked a bit Daliesque. The obviously talented artist is called Leonard Riem-Vis. That sounded a bit familiar, and when I googled his name I found one of my own posts from a few years ago! After chatting with all the artists and looking at their art I had coffee and cake in the garden. I asked one of the artists Annie Forsberg to snap a photo of me to show you that it was a warm day, despite the snow on the ground. If you want to see more art stuff from Kyrkskolan check out my flickr collection from the last five Art Promenades.

It's hard to keep a straight face

This is Aleks. I met her at the green area (and bus stop), outside the mall in Handen yesterday. She was sitting in the sunshine next to Gollum, waiting for the bus. She was on her way home to Hammarby Sjöstad in Stockholm, after a dinner party in Haninge the previous evening. Aleks is a photography student at the MediaGymnasiet (Secondary school), in Nacka. Her two friends, (they were a bit camera shy), did their best to help Aleks out as I took a few portraits.

Looking down at the blue sky

A Skywatch photo with a difference. This is a drilled circular ice hole. I found it yesterday on a walk around Lower Lake Rudan in Handen. It's been a long ice fishing season this winter, but there was no ice fisher around on this occasion. By chance I ran into my flickr friend Jim nearby, and we decided to go for a photo shoot down by the lake. This shot taken from one of the ice covered piers proves that we had a blue sky (although a bit cloudy), at least for a few hours. Oh, and we found a big rock with a green string around it out on that pier. Jokingly we decided that it was from a suicide attempt that luckily never happened. In reality I have no idea what it was for. If you want to have a look at your favorite Haninge photographer, Jim took a photo of me as I was standing over the rock telling him about it.

Big and Small

This caught my eye the other day. Reine Andersson's Volvo tow truck from Assistancekåren, parked at the shopping centre in Västerhaninge. And on the flatbed a mini tow truck! The smaller truck is a Toyota Land Cruiser. I couldnt come up with a better title than this, but maybe you can do better?


Theme Day and for April we are going with Red.

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants