I only just realized - and it came out of nowhere - that when we look at something, it doesn't necessarily have to be authentic for us to understand it. And when thinking about it, I also realize that I knew this before - but for some reason, it came to me quite strongly at this moment. It has been easier to apply to certain things, and I'll tell you what it is, and why I find it so.

When children watch TV, they like to watch cartoons, right? To the children, it's real, although they somehow understand that it's not. The cartoons are symbols of real things but made another way so that young ones can grasp and understand the ideas behind whatever the cartoon is all about.

The same goes for adults. When we see an artwork, for example, it may not be that the artwork is very naturalistic, but instead very odd compared to how we'd see the real thing. However, it may not be meant to be realistic, but instead to work as a symbol to get the viewer going and get her brain to work. Most of us have many symbols in common, others are not as common.

What made me tick this time, was the idea of people practising martial arts in a movie. Remember when the Matrix showed up on cinemas all around the world. I remember how two of my friends were all riled up about how all the stunts were performed. It actually took me a while to learn to like that movie, and now I'm sick of the two movies that came afterwards. Anyway; if you look in that movie, at Neo when he's beginning to practice the martial arts he's learned, it looks kind of quirky. That's how I realized that an actor doesn't necessarily have to be good at performing whatever he or she needs to perform. It's just a symbol anyway, for a real whatever-it-could-be and his or her performance. Take a doctor, for example. Nobody would think that there's a real doctor in a movie - we understand that it's someone playing the act of a doctor. But without the symbols for a doctor, maybe we wouldn't understand it's a doctor in the first place.

I do realize that this may seem like rantings to you, and maybe it is. I just had to get it out of my system :)

I've been telling you about the so far top-secret project that I'm working on :) it's drawing to an end soon, and will be displayed on a number of occasions.

Now, I'm just looking through the rolls of films that I've shot, and DAMN I'm so satisfied with my work. I was just saying the other day to someone, that I love to photograph, but that it is sometimes hard to find a good use for your work - in the meaning that it does something for society. The project I'm working on now, however, does make a difference. Or, at least so we hope. It pleases me so to know that what I do can actually do some good in the world.

As a short (I hope) reference, I can tell you that I've been having a german shephard female from the Swedish defence, and the other day we performed the test that'll show if she can be a working dog or not - for the defence, that is. She can, but she won't because she has some medical issues with hips and so. That means I'm keeping her, but I'm thinking about what to do with her. Since she's such an intelligent dog, she needs to work, and I'm having some ideas that I'll want to pursue. What I want to do with her, is to work in the volontary defence stuff - I have no idea if it's called something specific in English, but hopefully you get my point (Hemvärnet, på svenska).

So - I am very, very pleased to see and to know that I can actually do good and make a difference with my photography as well.

 

This is how a wedding shoot may look; a mix of traditional, sweet and tender, humor, colour and b/w. Enjoy :)

 

For years, I've been wanting to participate in different photography competitions or salons or whatever they may be called. For years, I've never done that, because I'm too lazy and distracted to keep track of whenever they are, where they are, how and when to submit, et cetera.

Now, I've been searching a bit for competitions, and am thinking about submitting to at least one or two of them. The only problem is, the information is starting a lot of ideas and thoughts in my head.

Thinking about it, there are two things I'd like to adress here.

First;

Is it possible to compete in any artistic area? I mean; technique gets you only so far, and after that it's just a matter of taste. Basically, anyway. This question must've been discussed so many times - there are numerous and countless amounts of competitions world-wide, in art, dance, music (just look at the schlager-festivale in Europe - does anyone other than me think it sucks?).. The whole idea of competing in the liberal arts is of an aesthetic nature, and as is the matter of most philosophical issues, the answer is too long, I believe, ever get a satisfactory limit to. And it's not what's to be done here.

Second;

Västerås, the city where I live, is rather boring when it comes to art and especially photography. The last photography exhibition I can remember, was few years ago. Oh, I've seen two here that I can remember, and both of them were exhibited few years back. Both were fairly good (one of them very good, actually), but too few. And the photographers were outside the local area, which is a bit sad to me. I'd like to see a photo exhibition with local, professional photographers. The subject matter of such an exhibition is of less importance, although I have quite a few ideas 'bout that as well, but the basic idea is something I'd really, really like to see. And how hard could it be?

So; the result of this is that I'm thinking that maybe it'd be a good idea to make this happen. How 'bout I plan some kind of photo competition or salon or whatever it may be called..

The more I think 'bout it, the more I want to do it.. thoughts are rallying around inside my head right now, and I think I need to start taking notes before I forget.

I've told you about the secret project that I'm working on, haven't I? At least that I am working on a secret project :)

Well, I'm in the last week and a half of photographing now. It gets rather intense, to say the least. And it's fascinating how things that you try to plan so carefully, rarely turns out that way. It's like that with this; I and my contact made a very good timeline which has been broken over and over again the last two or three weeks :) we both blame it on the extremely hot Swedish summer, and believe me; I could not have worked properly during those weeks...

As for now; I'm planning for a nice late evening before bedtime. It's time for apple pie and some good reading. I got to prepare myself for Wednesday when I got two booked photo shoots. I really hope it'll work out all right...

 

At first, I was thinking about the project that I'm working on right now. I got an idea few days ago, which fell in good hands when I told my contact about it. It's always nice to get positive respons on your ideas - and in time, I'll tell you all about it :)

However, my mind went to something else. It's an idea that I've had for - oh, maybe about a year or so. It came up when talking to a friend of mine, who I've been working with earlier. Last year, we and another friend exhibited together at a small gallery in Sala, where I grew up. Now, this new idea that I have has everything and nothing to do with religion and how it is expressed. It struck me that I would actually really like to do that. Not sure of how, exactly, but the idea as such is quite interesting and well worth examining - both photographically and through text/words. I think I'll bring this up with my friend again, and see if we can't make a new project from it.

And speaking of ideas; I went to see another photographer's website, and was so amazed over how very different her imagery is compared to mine. When I was younger, I always felt inferior to others, not realizing that only because one of us is good, it doesn't necessarily mean the rest of us are bad. It's just that we have very different ways to express ourselves. Sometimes, I think it'd be very interesting to gather a number of young photographers from the area where I live, and do some kind of exhibition together. Just to see how different we are, and to let Västerås and Västmanland see what great photographers we have.

Anyhow; at the moment, I wish I had a lighter head. I have a headache and fear that I may be getting sick. I don't really have time for that, since I need to get on with photographing for this project that is to be finished in a month. Oh, damn, just a month...

I am working on finishing an advanced thesis in art history, in which I am (naturally) discussing photography. The topic for my thesis is truth and how we relate to it in our personal experiences of looking at a photograph.

I should have learnt, one might think, that my oringial ideas never turn out the way I think they are. I had - no, I have, a very clear idea of how I like to settle the matter of truth. It is a rather philosophical idea, and I was so certain that it would work out the way I wanted it to in my thesis. Imagine my frustration when it didn't.

That, in combination with the project I'm working on right now, makes the whole idea and concept of truth very interesting. The project I'm engaged in, is trying to make certain points. The interesting thing is that none of them could be classified as truth. Not a proper truth, anyway. Because - and this is one of the points in my thesis - at the end of the day, all of us perceive the world and the reality differently, depending on who we are, what experiences we have, what we know and believe of the world. Surely I'm not the only one to think this can be known as true :)

Ah well. It is, however, extremely nice to be working with a camera again. I haven't photographed much as of late, and I find that I miss it. I'm quite good at what I do, and it'd feel sad if I couldn't do it.

Oh - speaking of which; I applied for a job as a photographer for the police in the area where I live. The job description says one has to photograph evidence, crime scenes, go through details in both photographs and motion film, etc. You cannot even begin to imagine just how much I want that job. Damn... Talk about showing as much of the truth as possible in single photographs!? Although that is open for discussion as well, I'm thinking. =)

For a number of yers ago, I worked as a portrait- and wedding photographer. It is something that is quite nice - if you can choose to what extent you do it. Back then I couldn't choose, which ended with me growing extremely tired of it, quitting it altogether. A few weeks ago, I helped my old boss with a wedding shoot, and it was such an experience. I really enjoyed it - and I'm not sure if I did because the couple was so lovely, or if it was the whole thing itself. Anyhow; I realized that I actually am quite good at it (like my dad tells me from time to time), and then I decided on the spot that I'd show off some wedding photography on my new site, which is this.

So - now there's the first wedding gallery to be seen. Later, there'll be another with photographs from the actual weddings themselves; that is, the ceremonies. But one thing at the time.

Enjoy!

I just found a really old friend on Facebook. I haven't spoken to her for years, although we've been very close friends. We used to be best friends when we were.. about 8 - 10 years old or so - we are now 34. We went to school together when we were children, and then she and her family moved quite far away. We stayed in touch, however, and she's the one who made me interested in photography. If you read this, my sweet, then you have my deepest thank you for the photo shoot we did in your room at the age of about 18 or so - I don't really remember. It took me a few years before I began photographing myself, but we've had fun with it, haven't we? =) Anyway; it just came to me now that I found her, and I felt the urge to vent it. I'm very pleased to have found her again, although from now on our lives will be further apart than ever before, since she's having her first child in few weeks. Anyways; I should get back to gathering photos for the galleries. I got onto another track the other day when I was working with it, but I thought I'd try to get at least some of it done today. We'll see, no? =)

For many reasons, the amount of photography I've been practising lately has been rather low. Then it's very nice to know that there will be some more in the few coming months. I'll be working on a top-secret project for about two months, and now I just got a call from a woman I photographed last summer. She is extensevily tattooed, and she wants me to do a photo shoot where the result will be published in a Swedish tattoo magazine. I won't get paid more than for my time, but on the other hand I'll get my name in a magazine and business where I haven't really been involved before. And since I like tattooes, that's more than fine with me. The top-secret project is something completely different. I can't really say anything about it quite yet, other than it will be released and open to see/discuss in a couple of months. It will be most interesting and challenging to work with, and I really look forward to seeing the result. It is such a pleasure to work with what you love the most. I never feel so qualified and competent as when I work with and talk about photography. In Sweden, most people find it disturbing when someone speaks of how good they are, but I've never been that humble. I happen to be good at what I do - otherwise I wouldn't do it. So - now I'll get back to go through, sort and add photographs to this site. So far, there's a gallery with photographs from a funeral. Looking at them brought up many memories - the deceased was a young woman who I photographed when she got married the year before. Unfortunately, she found herself having cancer, which in the end had her dead within the year after the wedding. Exactly one year after her wedding day, she was buried. Extremely odd and very, very sad for her family. Her funeral was, however, very beautiful. It is my intention that the photographs will show that feeling. Let me add a small note on how it is working during a funeral. It is quite similar to working at a wedding, with the obvious difference in feeling. Where a wedding is a happy event, a funeral is filled with grief and sadness. I haven't photographed any other funerals, but mad as it may sound - I actually liked it. I like to express things through my work, and funerals and weddings alike - there are so many emotions. Ah well - back to work.