Coffee Talk

There's a new waitress at my favorite cafe, Malmens konditori. At least during the weekends. She is a very fun girl. Very positive and talkative. And she has great eyes which I noticed the first time I saw her, so on a recent visit I chased the poor girl around the cafe before I could get a few snaps. She works alongside her grandmother Elisabeth, whom I have at least one photo of. She is the woman behind the wheels here.

The Colors of Nature

We interrupt the portrait sessions with colors of nature from around Haninge. I took the first photo by the side of the bike path at the Jordbro Industrial Park. On all fours for a minute or two. The butterfly is called Ängsblåvinge (Mazarine Blue), and the plant Gul Fetknopp, which is a funny name as that means Yellow Fat-Ass. Second macro photo, also shot with the Tamron zoom lens, using the macro feature, shows a Bellflower, also found along a bike path in Jordbro. The third and last photo is all thanks to the farmer Janne, at the Nödesta farm, as he has been nice enough to leave this part of the field blooming with the Ox-Eye Daisy, or Prästkrage as we like to call them. Shot with the new pancake lens.

Tiger Matz

Summer returned on Saturday. I made a stop at the Rudan nature reserve and found a few guys buy fishing at the Lower Lake. This is one of them. Tiger Matz. The big Tiger tattoo was designed by his brother who is a tattooist and a photographer.

A Girl From Siberia

Met a girl from Siberia yesterday. Luba moved to Sweden one year ago. She's an expert in international affairs and a real globetrotter. Recent trips include visits to Sicily, Norway, Spain, Denmark, USA and The Czech Republic. Her next trip will take her to the Netherlands where she plans to visit Amsterdam, The Haag and Rotterdam. One of her hobbies include photography but she hasn't had much time for that lately because of her study of the Swedish language. Top photo is a Brenizer method photo. Shot the second photo in the shade just to theright of the path. Funny how very different the two portraits turned out. Oh, and this is the second time I have met and photographed a girl from Siberia. Three years ago it was Azalia.

With The Warm Wind In Her Hair

It was very windy when I met Anja in Handen. I decided to try a few portraits with the pancake lens and this close-up portrait is one of them . Anja is smitten by Britain, she likes everything about Great Britain. In the future she might work as a speech-language pathologist if everything goes as planned. Oh, and she has very photo shy friend called Matilda.

New Apartments

Time for a building site update. Construction workers are working seven days a week on the new apartment buildings here at Stora Arken in Handen. I shot this with the new pancake lens. This is 19 photos stitched together with a bit of overlapping of course. Second photo shows how the panorama looked before I cropped it. The builders are working fast. You might remember that I showed you the crane setup in May. A few of the workers watched me shoot another panorama, and they looked rather amused. They were from Poland if I'm not mistaken.

Grass Straw

I recently bought a new lens. The Canon 40mm. Also known as the pancake lens. The weather hasn't been all that good this week so I haven't been able to do much shooting with the new lens, but here is a fun shot I took yesterday. A grass straw from above! It was windy so it took a while before I could get the shot that I wanted. You can focus as close as 11.8 inches and that is what I tried here

Strike a Pose

The Summer in Sweden is short. Too short. The days are long and the darkness of Winter are soon forgotten during the (sometimes) warm evenings. Theme Day at City Daily Photo. Celebrating Summer. This is Tora. She screams Swedish Summer to me. From her blonde hair to her Summer outfit and of course the nice tan. Although a recent trip to the Mediterranean helped a lot with that. Tora will be back studying Economics after the Summer break. She will spend the rest of the Summer in Sweden with visits to Gothenburg and of course Gotland, which can be a magical place during the Summer.

Big Wheels

Some people needs bigger wheels. This guy is one of them. Cruising by the cafe one Summer day in his 73 Blazer.

That Old Tree

Whatever happened to Summer? It's 15C at the most. Grey skies everywhere. But I did manage do document a blueish sky at the old tree the other day. I was bored when I arrived so to complicate matters I placed the Steel Horse on the path and shot the scene with the 85mm lens from the same spot where I usually shoot with the standard wide angle lens. I aimed the first photo on the bike, then turned off auto focus and started shooting. It took 50 photos, I wonder if I am slightly mad?

Smultron

The Smultron are here. Very yummy they are. Over here we all have our own secret smultronställe (Google that). You might know this berry as Wild Strawberry. Shot with the Tamron zoom lens using the macro feature. When I was a kid I used to stack them on grass straws. That would look like this.

The Delivery Man

A delivery man on his Inmotion R1EX. A friend spotted him and told me to look up from the newspaper I was reading.

Jo

I can never resist taking a portrait of a girl with red hair. This is Jo. I met her at Årsta Castle during the vintage market. Jo makes handmade jewellery with love.

Grrr!

Met this little lion, dog in Västerhaninge yesterday. It stole both my bicycle gloves and put up a real fight, but in the end I managed to get them back without any real injuries. It is a Pom Pom and it's name is Teddi. Teddi spends a few days every week at my opticians place. At least when the opticians daughter is working. Teddi attracts a lot of attention. No one can walk past him without making a comment. A few people visit the optician just to pet the dog!

Careful careful...

...don't play near the well. If I dreamed many nights that I fell into and down, down towards the dark I couldn't breath. Close to panicking, then a deep breath of relief, it was just a dream.
This installation was made by Titti Hassela. From the 2014 Art promenade in Österhaninge. The theme this year is Dreams.
Oh, and I shot both these photos with the 85mm lens using the Brenizer method.

Contemplating Mother

I have visited and photographed the annual Art Promenade at the gallery in Österhaninge for ten years now. The gallery is called Galleri Kyrkskolan. The theme this year is Dreams. Two of the artists had the same exact idea. Mother & Child. This sculpture that stands in the green garden next to the coffee tables was made by the well known sculptor Sam Westerholm.

Sandra & Minna

Sandra and Minna had a fun gig at the castle during the vintage and antique market. They were asked to just be there. And walk around, wearing fitting dresses. One is supposed to look like it is from 1880. and the other from 1890. When I met them they had a break for coffee and cake, but I managed to get them to follow me into the castle garden where I spent a few minutes taking portraits. One of the dresses will put you back 30.000SEK. That is a 5000$. The other costed 200SEK. That is around $30.

The O.L.D look is the new look

Here is another portrait from the vintage market at Årsta Castle. This is Linda Larssen. A very photogenic designer. Find out more at Obviously Linda Design. Oh, and she is getting married this Summer to Daniel.

Graduating in Style

We celebrate Midsummer today. It will be a quiet affair for me this year, so I can't show you any traditional scenes, but here is a Swedish celebration of sorts, taken earlier this Summer. A secondary school student graduating from Fredrika Bremer school in Handen. I recognised the car. It belongs to La Belle Helena. But the girl behind the wheel with the funny expression on her face is her sister Miss Longlegs. Inside information tells me that it was their cousin that was graduating.

Girl With A Big Heart

I met a girl with a big heart in Handen yesterday. Her name is Sanna. She smiled when I told her what it was that made me look one more time. Sanna works as a nursing assistant. Her three big hobbies work well together. Sanna enjoys cooking, singing and running. And she is also very good at musical quizzes.

Living the Dream

I think most people at one time or another have had dreams about being a famous rock star. I was enjoying coffee at the cafe when I spotted Liam Gallagher, Tobias Larsson. He plays the guitar in a band called Grieved. Signed by an Italian record label, they have released a 7" record. The band have played together for three years. If you are not familiar with Hardcore check out the video.

Livin' Is Easy

Summer reading in the park. Camilla had a day off from her work as a hairdresser and decided to spend a few hours at the Eskilsparken in Handen. She was reading The Hunger Games, and said that she liked the book better than the movie. She stays fit by working out at the gym. When I noticed her tattoo I decided to shoot a Brenizer method portrait from the side.

The Famous Bootlegger

What a life this man lived. Algoth Niska. Famous bootlegger from Finland. He played football for Finland in the 1912 Olympic Games in Stockholm. He fought in the Finnish War. He smuggled illegal liquor between Finland, Sweden and the Baltic states. He had his headquarters in the old Tyresta village (today part of the National Park),in Haninge. He served time both in Finland and Sweden. He also smuggled out Jewish refugees from Germany to Finland between 1938 and 1939. He was married twice and had two kids. He died poor and alone in 1952 from a brain tumour. I noticed this truck driving by my favorite cafe and had time to take this photo that shows Algoth Niska. The paint brush is based on a photo that belongs to the Finnish Customs Museum.

Nina

Nina had just walked over a zebra crossing in Handen when I spotted her high heels from behind (I was on my bike heading the same way). I asked her if the shoes were tricky to walk in, but apparently not. She was late for work, but had time for a Brenizer method portrait.

Ford Pickup Truck

They were sitting in the truck, talking to a friend who was standing on the side walk. They were just about to drive off when I spotted the old Ford parked near Poseidon's Square in Handen. So through the open window on the passengers side I asked if they could wait for a few minutes so that I could shoot a Brenizer method photo. The owner restores old cars. He bought this 1938 Ford a little over 20 years ago. It was a wreck back then. These days it is a beauty.

Juliet

We have had a few warm Summer days recently. Juliet was out jogging when I noticed her in Handen on one of those days. She might take part in the Stockholm Midnight Race, later in the Summer. Possibly together with her Romeo.

In Disguise

This is Nils-Martin Nilsson. I noticed his hat and decided to ask him for a portrait. The hat works well against the heat he told me. And the beard works great to cover the turkey neck! He moved to Haninge because he liked the surrounding nature. If you ever meet him don't get him started on his thoughts about graffiti!

Karmann Ghia

If you arrived to the vintage market at Årsta castle in a classic car and parked it in front of the castle you didn't have to pay the entry fee. This is a 1969 Karmann Ghia. Shot using the Brenizer method. It took nearly 40 photos, but I'm happy with the result.

Elvira

Årsta castle was filled with attractive girls during the vintage market. But I only counted one photographer, guess who? Elvira and her friends were busy teaching how to put on a classic makeup. Luckily for me she had the time to walk outside and pose for a few portraits with the castle garden as a summery backdrop. Elvira enjoys photography, and is part of something called the Vintage Mafia. I shot these portraits with the 85mm lens.

The English Rose

I visited a vintage market at a castle in Haninge a while back and met some interesting people. This is The English Rose. She moved to Sweden because of love. She is now learning the local lingo, which is quite hard apparently, but I could easily understand her. She sells vintage clothing under the name Pete & the Rose.

Free Honey

Since a few weeks back there's a beehive in the park in Tungelsta. All thanks to Bee Urban, and the municipality. You can read more about their idea here. You will find 14 photos in this slideshow.

Fields of Yellow

On my bike trips around Haninge this summer I have found quite a few blooming canola fields. Here you see the Medieval church in Österhaninge. Second field can be found near Fors in Tungelsta. And the 50/50 field in Kalvsvik.

A Candid Portrait

Whenever I visit my favorite cafe, Malmens Konditori in Handen, I have the camera ready, just in case. Because there's a lot to look at. When I took this candid portrait earlier in the week, I made a friend a bit nervous as he thought I came to close to my subject. The girl spotted me, so I gave her a wave.

That Old Tree

Guess what? The old tree is blooming again. Took these photos yesterday afternoon. And it is on time as it is supposed to bloom in June. A good proof that Summer is now officially here.

The White Amazon

I met the white Amazon in Handen, while on the bike. It was driving up Eskilsvägen towards the Haninge mall. I just had time to grab the camera and take a quick shot. The driver looked pleased. A couple of hours later I spotted the car parked at Poseidon's Square so I stopped for a little photo shoot. This is a Brenizer Method photo. Shot with the 85mm lens.

The Fitness Fanatic

How could I not ask Emelie Stenman for a portrait. There she was at Poseidon's Square in Handen the other day. Walking towards me, tanned, tattooed (and sweaty). Emelie lives in Tungelsta. She is a fitness fanatic who works as a personal trainer at a gym in Västerhaninge.

Showing a bit of leg

Moa is a secondary school student that would like to work in the fashion industry in the future. I noticed her long black slit dress and figured I needed to take her portrait. Top portrait shot with the 85mm lens, second photo with the 18-55 standard lens.

Energy, vitality and enthusiasm

This is Martin Eriksson from Hudiksvall (way up North). He was in Haninge visiting his girlfriend. He has been working in Norway for a while, at the Baneservice (Railway company). He used to compete in Mountain bike trial and has won the National Championships and finished second in the World Championships, so he has to be pretty good at the sport, despite giving it up a few years ago. When we met he had been out riding in the forests around the Rudan nature reserve in Handen. Today is Theme Day. Zest. That means Energy, vitality and enthusiasm, and I really think Martin has all of that.