Dissolving mist, Govggejávri, Lapland – July 2010

Govggejávri is a lake located about 1200 meters above sea level (a high lake in Swedish standards) in the Kebnekaise area of the Swedish mountain range. It is surrounded by a barren landscape, mostly consisting of stone. I spent the first couple of days of my most recent journey there and experienced everything from “t-shirt weather” to freezing winter temperatures (as you can see in the previous post).

This image is a little special to me in that sense that it was made early in the afternoon when I usually don’t come up with any good photographs because of the hard light. But the quality of the light is more than just about time of day, it’s also about the weather conditions and the reflecting surfaces. At the time the air was very humid after a heavy rain and there was still some mist left which helped to filter the sunlight to a beautiful soft glow.

The image was made with my 90 mm tilt-shift lens and I used the shift to gain resolution and a little wider angle of view (somewhere near 70 mm).

Frozen Lake, Abisko mountains, July 2010

I have now been home awhile after my recent trip to the Abisko mountains and this image is one of my favourites from the trip. The lake, at 1050 m over sea level, was still completely covered with ice but there was some melted pools and open water near the shoreline.

The image was shot early in the morning of my fifth day out (03:30, is that even morning or is it still night?) and after photographing for an hour or two I returned to the tent for some well deserved sleep.

I enjoy the somber mood of this one and to me it shows the grandeur of the place in a little more intimate way.

Twilight, Ramsvikslandet, April 2010

Ever since I started photographing I have been fascinated by the delicate quality of light that takes place before sunrise or after sunset. Twilight. The light at this time of day is directional yet the shadows are very, very subtle which, for me, worked well in this image.

As for the technical notes I was using a 17 mm tilt-shift lens and used the shift mechanism to make two frames which I stitched together in Photoshop. This gives me a square aspect ratio without having to crop (actually I’m gaining resolution instead). How lovely!

Receding wave, Ramsvikslandet, April 2010

Last month was a hectic, but fun one for me. I spent every weekend teaching workshops, which is something I love to do. I made this image after teaching a black and white photography workshop at Ramsvikslandet, a beautiful location on the Swedish west coast. This evening though, was all about color.

I found a spot where the waves made some graceful shapes while receding back into the ocean. The sun was just above the horizon when I made the exposure, painting the scene before me with warm, soft light.

Ice and Sky, Landsort, Stockholm archipelago – March 2010

I made this image during a workshop I taught on the island of Landsort (Öja) last month. What really spoke to me was the different tones in the landscape. The glowing bright ice against the dark sea and the contrasts of the cloudy sky. All coming together nicely. The photograph has an abstract and almost surreal quality to it. The lighthouse at the horizon, which is barely noticeable in this web-sized image, becomes an important element of the composition in a print.

The image is in fact three images made with a newly acquired tilt-shift lens and then stitched together in post-processing. The result is an image with great detail and one that prints beautifully.

Clouds over Virijaure, Padjelanta National Park, Lappland – August 2009

I recently got a request from the scandinavian nature photography magazine Camera Natura for a series of black and white images to run in the next issue. I knew I wanted to make something out of my images from the scandinavian mountains and spent some time browsing through images from last years treks.

Some images came to mind instantly, but a few were new findings. This month image is one of the new ones that didn’t make it all the way into the magazine. Nevertheless, I really like the mood of it.

Oh, the magazine will be out within a week or so.

Snow Covered, Jotunheimen, Norway – September 2009

I will start off the new year with an image from a trip to Jotunheimen, Norway in September last year. We were to late for the autumn colors but got some fabulous snow conditions instead. To me, this image shows the delicacy of nature with the fresh snow covering the rock face and the waterfall running through it. I really enjoy the graphical quality of the photograph.

Though the subject is almost monochrome in itself, I think that the subtle color add to the photograph. I’ve found that this is often the case with near monochrome subjects.

Some images just don’t cut it in small sizes so I’ve put up a larger version for you to view here.

Alesjaure, Lappland, Febraury 2008

Winter is one of my favourite seasons for photography as well as just being outdoors. There’s something about the light and the clean air. The sounds get caught by the soft snow, making the world a much quiter place (except for when the winter storm is howling).

This image is from a skiing tour along Kungsleden in february last year. It was a great experience, though sometimes tough.

How I long for winter right now.

Första snön, Nissonjohka Kanjon, Abisko – September 2009

Efter att ha tillbringat några dagar i tält invid denna kanjon i trakten kring Abisko så fick jag en kväll då första snön för säsongen singlade ner och lade sig även på den lite lägre höjden som jag befann mig på. Det var en fantastisk upplevelse att få vara på plats när hösten så sakteliga övergår till vinter.

Jag visste efter försök under tidigare dagar att den bästa tiden att fotografera just den här vyn var en bit in på morgonen då ljuset kom framifrån och var tillräckligt skarpt för att skapa kontraster men fortfarande mjukt och stämningsfullt.

I mitt fotograferande söker jag ofta efter intimitet och närvaro även i de stora vyerna och för mig är det här en bild som har det. Ibland blir bilder till av ren tillfällighet. Ibland blir de, som i det här fallet, till efter flera försök. Envishet är en bra egenskap som fotograf.

Höstmorgon, Abiskofjällen – September 2009

Jag vaknar upp till ljudet av ett lätt duggregn mot tältduken. Molnen ligger som ett grått täcke ovanför dalen och min dagens första fundering är huruvida det blir sovmorgon eller inte. Jag bestämmer mig till slut för att sova finns det tid för andra dagar och kliver upp och ut i regnet.

Utan att ta några bilder går jag runt och njuter av denna stilla morgon. Det är något speciellt när det är helt vindstilla och duggregnar. Luften är fuktig och frisk. En känsla av välbehag och lugn infinner sig.

Efter ytterligare en stund börjar det spricka upp lite i horisonten samtidigt som solen når över bergen i öst. Ljuset sipprar in i dalen och lyser sporadiskt upp bergsluttningarna.

Och så var det ju det där fenomenet med regn och sol som i kombination kan bli ett vackert skådespel. Regnbågen. En påminnelse om att det ibland lönar sig att trotsa oddsen.
Att lyssna mer på hjärtat än hjärnan.

Magnus