A city of many colors
At the risk of horribly paraphrasing an excellent Dolly Parton (R.I.P.) song I think this blogpost can sport that title, because the city of Malmö, Sweden definitely showed a healthy amount of different colors on this October Sunday. I attended the monthly photographers’ brunch and photowalk and that is always an enjoyable experience, no matter the weather. It is just great to catch up with friends over yummy food and then stroll for a little bit along streets and footpaths.
December streets of Lund
Just before the Christmas and New Year holidays I had some errands to do in Lund, so I strapped my shoulder bag with cameras onto myself and got on the bus into town. The weather was actually quite alright and I could get a nice backlit photo or two before the early winter sunset changed that and turned everything a much darker shade and less interesting light. Still it was nice to grab a few black and white, rather contrasty street photos again since it had been a while since I had done those.
October in the city
There’s been a lull in my photography again this year, once again due to illness in the family, but that is okay. I would be a pretty shitty family member if I didn’t put the camera down and focus on what’s important after all! However I did have the opportunity to take a few photos when my photo club had a bit of a photo challenge around the Davidshall square in Malmö, Sweden on a pretty chilly October Saturday afternoon.
Another festival for me
My last blogpost was related to the Malmö Festival, which is put on by the City of Malmö for a whole week with lots of food trucks, many performances and other culture events, including big artists playing in front of tens of thousands of spectators. This blogpost is about another festival in Malmö. Same city, but VERY different! The NGBG festival is put on by volunteers and the participating artists and culture workers, many of them independent artists, and it’s held along a rather worn down street called Norra Grängesbergsgatan, filled with car washes, workshops and second hand stores. Over a weekend in early September there were at least 400 different events at well over 20 stages, housed inside the workshops and stores where normally cars are serviced, as well as on temporary stages along the street that was blocked of with a huge cargo container at each end of the street.
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.
Photos in a haze of exhaust fumes
There is an annual tradition in my small south Swedish hometown of a big motor festival right around June 6th (our national day), or at least a weekend close to that. This year that happened on June 7th and the whole of Main Street as well as several side streets as well as the town park were blocked off to be part of the parade and later display area for the dozens and dozens of vehicles that people wanted to show off and see for themselves.
Nerd Parade Time!
One of the nice traditions I’ve enjoyed in the last decade or so (minus Covid years of course) has been to take photos at the local Nerd Parade, put on by the Sci-Fi Bookstore in Malmö, Sweden, to celebrate the inner nerd that resides in all of us. This usually manifests in cosplay from various sci fi/fantasy properties, many of which I do not have a clue about. Many of them are from various anime and manga universes, which I have yet to explore. That’s perfectly okay with me, I just enjoy seeing how multiple generations get to enjoy shared interests and not be mocked or ridiculed for an interest in a certain character, genre or story.
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!
The light is back!
On March 2 I took my Fujifilm XT-3 and a 35 mm lens with me to the monthly photographers’ get-together in Malmö, Sweden where we fill our bellies with various delicacies on offer at the Coffee Square restaurant (I strongly recommend it to anyone in the vicinity!) and then we do a little stroll together for an hour…and sometimes a bit longer. It’s a very nice way to see old friends and geek out about photography and whatever else we can come up with to talk about. And eat some good food…which I’ve already mentioned I suppose…moving on!
Cold by the coast
When the sun shines on a cold winter morning (the thermometer was at -6 C or 21 F) it feels just right to pack oneself and the constant photo partner (a.k.a. Dad) into the car and head down to the coast at Falsterbo. There’s just something special about seeing that horizon line that makes me feel more harmonious inside!
Night Streets
I wrote in the last blog post that I didn’t really have any plans for what I am going to do with my 2025 photographic or creative year and that still stands. No clue yet…however I also wrote that I’d try to get out there more to take more pictures, even if it is still pretty meh around here as far as light and weather goes. It IS getting better though, the days are getting longer and you don’t risk freezing body parts off when out and about (provided you wear sensible clothing of course!).
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.
Festival Days are here again!
For the last almost 40 years (minus the Covid years) there’s been a city festival in Malmö, Sweden during the first half of August, and this year was not an exception. For a week (Friday to Friday) the city is full of concerts, food trucks, cultural events and lots and lots of market stalls selling all kinds of (mostly unnecessary) things. So of course I had to take a bus into the center of the city to photograph at this event.
Here comes the Pride parade!
Taking a bus to the center of Malmö to photograph and show support for the annual Pride parade has become a part of the summer “ritual” for me in the last ten years or so (Covid years excluded of course) and it’s always fun! For a street photographer who often converts his photos to black and white it is also a welcome change in the photos into all colors of the rainbow (and then some!). As I always write though, it’s not just a celebration of everyone’s right to self-expression and love, it is also a protest and a show of strength and unity. I like seeing that!
There's images out in them streets!
So far 2024 has been a very low-volume year for me when it comes to photography. I guess I hit that mid-winter slump that usually strikes when the light is almost non-existent and the weather seems determined to be the worst it possibly can be. So I am okay with there being a lull now and then (I’ve written about it several times before in this blog so I won’t dwell on it in this post. That was why I decided to hop on a bus into the center of Malmö for a stroll down my usual “hunting ground” in the downtown area.