Busy market day!
Summer is market season in my part of the world and over the years I think I’ve been to almost all of them at one point. One blank spot in my market memory was the one in Sjöbo*, even though it probably is the second largest attendance of all the province’s markets after the one in Kivik (I’ve not seen official numbers but the expectation was for 100,000 visitors over two days, so that will give you an idea). So to remedy my lack of visits to this market I convinced my photo buddy (a.k.a. Dad) that we should drive the half-hour east and experience this market.
Pictures from a Town Fair
One of the annual events in my little south Swedish hometown is the Bonnamarknaden (literally meaning Farmers’ Market, although there’s not much related to farmers these days). I don’t go down there every year, since it tends to be more or less the same thing every year, but I figured I’d have a go at it this year, since I’ve not done much street photography lately. I can always do with some practice, to keep my observational skills honed and ready!
Christmas Market Time
The three months ending the old year and beginning the new (November to January) are usually the slowest photography months for me, usually because the light is pretty much non-existent bar a few days when we have clear skies and (maybe) some snow covering the ground. Those days are good for photography, but otherwise…perhaps not so much. I usually put my camera away for much of this period since I find the lack of light so uninspiring. However, to combat these photographic doldrums and feelings of “why bother” I ventured into the center of Malmö to see if the ongoing Christmas market stalls and people there would inspire me.
One day at the market
Summer is market season in the southernmost part of Sweden so a street photographer will have plenty of opportunities to catch some good scenes. Therefore I decided to pack my shoulder bag and head to Sjöbo in the middle of the Skåne province for some wandering around all the knick-knack stalls, food vendors and amusement park rides. It was also a pretty nice day weather-wise so it felt good to be out of the house for a few hours after some rather dreary, gray and wet days.
...'tis the season to be jolly (etc etc)!
The weather has been unusually cold and snowy in the southernmost parts of Sweden this winter so it made for some extra Christmas vibes when it was time for the annual Christmas market at the Malmöhus Castle, the old renaissance fortress in the center of town. There’s just something special about walking across that causeway through the old gatehouse (thankfully no drawbridge or portcullis anymore) into the courtyard and experiencing the good vibes of the place.
Small town market time again
It’s been quite a few weeks since I posted to this blog, mostly because I haven’t really felt I had a coherent group of photos to post as a “story”. I’ve been out and about photographing the oncoming spring, but not to the extent that I have a selection of photos to share. Today though I think I do have a little something to share.
Music and Market at the Castle
November is over and done with and probably not missed by a whole lot of people! The darkness and wetness associated with that month is just not a whole lot of fun! Now though Christmas is approaching and it seems everyone is more positive (me included…which I am sure most people around me appreciates! ;-) ).
Vikings and Odd Sports
These last few weekends this analog film shooter has done quite a bit of digital photography (sacrilege I know!), since I’ve visited a few events where there are more action filled elements and I am not really good at capturing action with my analog cameras…yet.
Out in the streets again
The weather is no longer arctically (is that a word? if not it should be!) frigid outside, so the Swedes suddenly sport all kinds of color in their choice of clothing rather than the dark blue, black or brown we seem to wear during the winter months (yep, I am guilty as well with my black coat), so it seemed like a good idea to head out there again for some street photography. I’ve not done a whole lot of it this winter, and the little I’ve done I haven’t really felt the urge to post on the blog.
Christmas Market time...again
During the month of December (just like in every other part of the world I am sure) there's a tradition for Christmas markets around these parts of southernmost Sweden. I've been to a number of them through the years, and this year I chose the one at Jakriborg, a faux-medieval housing area a short commuter train ride away from Lund. It has a definite North German feel to it with its narrow buildings with steep roofs, even though it was all built in the 1990s.
Street Photography at the Market
2017 has been an interesting year for me photographically so far. I don't think I've taken as few pictures with a digital camera since at least 2005. However I am not at all troubled by that, because I've done quite a bit of analog photography so far this year. I've yet to develop the films so it'll be interesting to see how bad I've managed to screw it up so far!
Christmas is market season
Just like summer brings on the market season around this province we get a lot of markets around December, selling all kinds of Christmas related things and knickknacks. I've never been to the market held at Katrinetorps Gård, an old-style manor house turned living museum, just outside of Malmö, Sweden, so I figured it was time to go.
Vikings all the way down...*
One of the favorite things I like to shoot is historical locations (side effects of growing up with a history teacher for a father) and reenactments are often part of that. For many years I've gone to Foteviken Viking Museum to shoot during their market at the end of June/start of July, but this year I had other obligations, so instead I went to the somewhat smaller market in Trelleborg on the southern coast which took place a week later.
Life in the Viking town
Every year for the last twenty years there has been a Viking market during the last week of June at Foteviken Viking Museum a few miles south of Malmö in Sweden. Hundreds of "Vikings" as well as visitors and curious onlookers come together to live as or look at Vikings in many ways. There are lots of market stalls and artisans show their skills as well as their wares. There are also reenactments of late Viking/early Medieval age fighting which always draw large crowds.