LOVING COUPLE

Bergamo-Italy

On the way down from the old part of Bergamo, passing between the old walls and stone stairs illuminated by charming street lamps I suddenly became romantic and I saw in front of me a kissing couple. A story, a dream, a woman, a man, a kiss, love and what it's all about.

I borrowed my partners son Anders and his charming girlfriend Sofia to act what was in my vision. I took the picture from a "voyeur" angle to maintain the feeling of the viewer not wanting to interrupt and disturb the couple, slightly from down with the wall on the right side as I wanted to hide.

The sepia tone gives it a timeless feeling. Only from the clothes one can see that it's winter time.

To all of you I wish for 2009 lots of LOVE.

4X2 = 2x4

Sista fotografering inför JUL 2008. Leone och Jeannette mysade runt i studion för att ha lite svart-vita bilder på sig. Mamma och dotter, dotter och mamma, ett oäntlig kärlek som förhoppningsvis alla barn få uppleva här på jorden. Att se så mycket kärlek och må bra mellan två människor gör att man mår bra själv. Jag önskar alla barn på jorden att ha en underbar mamma eller en ersättningsmamma som kan ge en så mycket AMORE.

Det var riktig skönt att ha er i studion och kunna vara del av detta. Tänkte göra lite collage med lite närbilder på er två!

Njut av semester under julen.

Marry X-mas and a Happy New Year

To everybody I know, it's time to go on retreat.X-mas holidays are knocking on the door.

I will be working the 31st of December for a wedding but free the other days.

I would like to wish all my customers, friends, models, family a wonderful X-mas time.

Relax, enjoy doing nothing (ha ha, I want to see how I will manage that!)

Anyway I won't putting up pictures for a little while, but I will be back after New Year.

GOD JUL & GOTT NYTT ÅR, FROHE WEIHNACHTEN, JOYEUX NOEL, BUON NATALE, FELIZ NAVIDAD

Skådisar

Nu kommer de lovade bilderba från Andra Avenyns inspelning.


Hans Mosesson i rollen av Per-Erik Björn
Det är inte så att ha är arg på riktig med mig,
det var bara att han skulle se ut så här!

Fyr Thorwald i rollen av Roland Tegelbrand

Kaffeepaus för skådisarna på morgon inspelningen.

STATIS för första gång

Wow wow wow, det finns ju alltid första gång för allt.
Idag var jag som blev kallad statist för TV-serien Andra Avenyn.
Min roll som statist? Pressfotograf.
Det var riktig ett upplevelse.
8.50 skulle vi vara vid Killers Park där vi fick spela in fösta delen.
Sedan kl. 15.30 var vi nere vid Lindholmen och spelade in andra delen där vi fotografer och journalister skulle röra på oss, blixtra och fota.
Vid ett tillfälle skulle jag starta på knä, fota, ta mig upp till vänster,
fota, ta mig ner på knä i mitten för att sen ta mig upp igen till höger.
Och precis i den sista delen så bestämde sig mina benmuskel att inte samarbeta med resten av kroppen och patapums...... lag en röd klädd Cornelia med två kameror framför hela teamet mitt i inspelningen.
Fick ni en god skratt nu? Bra det fick jag med efteråt och hela teamet och en rejäl blå märke på knäet.
Lägger upp bilden imorron.

Värd att testa att vara med och se hur det fungera bakom en sådant
TV-serie. Hur kan man bli statist? Enkel, gå in på http://www.statist.se/
och kanske ringer någon upp dig snart.

LYCKA TILL

LUCIA

Here we go my wonderful model Rebecca as Lucia. During a fashion show in Partille this year Rebecca was choosen to participate to the annual Lucia competition.
Picture were place in the local newspapers and everybody could vote one of the 7 girls to become the Lucia of the year.
Unfortunately Rebecca didn't make it to the place of Lucia, but she became a Tärna, believe me I have no idea whatsoever what this in english means.
The 13th of december it's the longest day and the darkest one. So here in Sweden we celebrate it by lighten everything around us, the houses, the windows....we need light to survive this long and dark day/night.
Lucia comes from Italy and here you can find all the informations about her http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Lucy

TEA CEREMONY IN ZHENG ZHOU

Time to give you a little bit more informations about China.

Tea and the Tea ceremony.

Chinese do have a different relation to tea compared to us europeans. People drink tea all the time. Taxi drivers have their own tea bottle in the car. There are places were you can get hot tea and fill up your bottles. In this transparent bottles you can see green tea leaves swimming together, sometimes, with flowers.

There are varieties of teas in China, soooo good. The best is just to try them all out. Chrisantemum tea I do really recommend.

While travelling in Zhen Zhou with our friend Huang we got the opportunity to assist to a personal tea ceremony. Max number of 3 persons (4 is unluck in China). It was ZEN, really it was coming in another world. Our teamaster told us a story during the ceremony, I hope that Huang will be able to write us some lines about that story, that I forgot at the moment. All was in chinese, but it did not matter, is was ZEN.

We drank and drank and drank, and I got my first lessons of tea ceremony right after it.

It was amazing and we left that wonderful litle shop with small tea cups, tea pot and accessories and of course, plenty of good green tea or the chinese name "chá" that comes from the tea plant camellia sinensis or cháshù.

Things to know about chinese tea:

1) As a sign of respect: In Chinese society, the younger generation always shows its respect to the older generation by offering a cup of tea.

2) To apologize: In Chinese culture, people make serious apologies to others by pouring tea for them.

3) Folding the napkin in tea ceremonies is a traditional action and is done to keep away bad Qi energy in China as tea was regarded as one of the seven daily necessities, the others being firewood, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar（柴,米,油,鹽,醬,醋,茶）.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_tea_culture you find all about Chinese tea culture.

CALENDAR 2009

2009 calendar is ready now.

Few copies are on sale so order your copy now.

VENICE is 2009's theme.

To see all the month check out www.arkadiafoto.com,

Nyheter and click on the picture. The 12 months will

appear to you.

Cost if you pre-order it next week is 120:- (otherwise

it will costs 150:-).

Don't miss that chance!!!

B&B eller bättre sagt Belly and Baby

TYST, bilden pratar för sig själv!

TORV ÄR DETTA

Tidigare i höstas skrev jag om 7Heaven och en torvbehandling jag testade.

Nu har vi äntligen tagit fram bilder för Nina med Linda-Marie som modell.

Angelica Sandén sminkade och fixade allt så att det var klart att fotografera.

Och det där bruna är torven. Mer information om detta hittar ni hos Nina på www.7heaven.nu

Testa gärna det är värd att få tillbaka en super bäbis hud.

TITTA TITTA TITTA......PÅ MIG!!!!!!!

TITTA TITTA
TITTA TITTA NOGA,
det är jag ALFONS!!
Jag är busig, gullig, vacker.
Mamma och pappas älskling
och jag har varit första gång modell idag!

DEAR MOTHER...

A very simple way to make a mother happy...

Give hera portrait of yourself, your brother and sister, your children,

you and your partner. It's Christmas time....

MUSIK ÄR MIN GREJ

Här har vi stora sister Ella till Vera mfl. Hon fastnade för mitt trumset i studion och var så glad att kunna spela. Då undrar man om hon kommer vara nästa IDOL om 15 år kanske? Visst är det härligt med musik, titta vilken glädje i ögonen. Nästan att man börjar banka med henne.... Go on Ella! Rock it all!

JUL TOMTAR

Eftermiddagens uppdrag var för arkadia models modeller som jobbat ner vid Ahlén City för Make-Up Store.

tjejerna klädda i fina röda klänningar och med den senaste sminkningen från Make Up Store skulle stå som levande skylddockor och hälsa på alla som gick förbi, skicka pussar, vinka, osv.

Mellan 14.00 och 16.00 varje timma gjorde de även en liten visning för alla som gick förbi i affären.

Från vänster: Ida, Sandra och Emma

VERA mfl

Dagens barnfotografering hade som huvudpersoner Vera (7 månader) och stora syster Ella (3 år). Fotograferingen gick jättebra. Lilla Vera kunde knappt sitta men på mammas förvåning så satt Vera jättelänge och jättebra.

En stor stol, färgstarka kläder och en nyfiken liten tjej och här har vi vinterkollektionen 2008.

VERA mfl

NYFIKEN

Vad kan det vara som finns bakom en sådan trävägg?

Eller har damen bestämd sig att trotsa och inte promenera mer med hunden? Eller bankar hon huvudet i väggen för att hon har sorg? Hur som helst, tog jag denna bilden i helgen när jag var ute och promenerade i det kalla kalla men vackra väder.

Och damen på bilden är inte minns våran väninna Toril med hunden Trolle som titta på de duktiga skrysskoråkare på Ruddalen.

SKUMMA SKUGGOR

Det är söndag, det är solig, det är iskall. Men det är söndag. Man har fått sin frukost och nu är det dags att ta en sväng ute och frysa sig ihjäl. Fötterna är iskalla, fingrarna pratar vi inte om, glad att jag hittar knappen för att trycka av våra skuggor i vinterljuset vid Ruddalen. Objektivet dimmar igen när vi kommer in i värmen.

TA EN PAUS

Nu glöm inte att ta en paus. Julstresset börjar. Alla presenter ska köpas, alla kunder vill ha allt innan jul, det ska bakas, det ska städas för att släkten kommer till besök, det ska till och med flyttas och det ska fixas och grejas. Inte minns det så börjar alla julbord och fester och då är man nästan aldrig hemma på kvällarna. Men hallååååå där!!! Anda nu, sit ner, ta en kopp te i lugn och ro och njut av din egen närvaro. Annars tappar du bort dig och sen har varken familj eller dina kunder någon nytta av dig!

WORLD LISTEN UP......THE WALL IS BACK

Last week my dear fiancé invited me to a concert at Brew House in Gothenburg. I didn't really know what I was going to see, I just knew it was something about Pink Floyd and The Wall.

Well, born in the late 60-ies of course you grew up with Pink Floyd and who the hell did not , by that time see or listen to THE WALL?

I have to admit my expectations where not high, because Pink Floys is Pink Floyd and you got to be really good if you want to succeed in copying them.

Now suddendly there was this group called HIGH HOPES. A bunch of about 20 amateur singers and musicians from an island outside of Gothenburg wanted to make the impossible.

I waited anyhow unpatiently the start of the concert. I was definitively curious.

Just a few words...about the concert. GUYS you made me close the eyes and rock again! The whole concert was like beeing inside the movie and be there! Your voices, your god damn guitars made my evening. So THANK YOU!

I would have loved to see you on big stage and a huge crowd and I am sure I will sooner or later.

Thank to you legends live again and maybe todays youth can learn about Pink Floyd, coz they seem not even know who they are.....

To everybody who reads this check out http://www.highhopes.se/ for updates for concerts, pictures and informations about the group and hey you guys out there that have money and are intresting in rock, INVEST in High Hopes, because it's worth every cent!!

The next day I went back to the concert with a pass and photographed the half of the concert.

So here some of the pictures!

...YOU SEE....

Lika bra att börja som liten att diskutera fram saker, som lilla Nico gjorde med mig i studion förra veckan.

Han använder redan duktig sina små söta händer och förhandlar något med mig, kommer dock inte ihåg vad. I alla fall verkan han vara Made in Heaven!

SCARED MERMAID

Finally the 4th and last element on the series for Linda-Marie Karlsson, make-up artist.

Amanda was model this time and I got help from Kim, apprentice and Amandas friend.

Peter Nyitray gave the last touch on photoshop.

Linda-Marie made a marvellous job with colours and sea stars. We filled an Ikea bag with water so that the hair could swim a little bit and we got the feeling of ocean. A blue filter and and another small flash made the rest. I was up on the leadder a few meters over Amanda and hoped not to fall down. Heating was on max and we had our good fun.

QREATIVA Företagsmässa

Det har hänt en hel del i förra veckan och jag var ute på olika ställen.

I lördags, den 15 november så var jag med på en Företagsmässa i Lerum som Kvinno-nätverket QREATIVA (http://www.qreativa.org/) hade organiserat.

Jag är medlem hos Qreaktiva sedan några månader tillbaka och vi träffas en gång i månaden för ett föredrag eller för att mingla. Tjejerna är jätte mysiga och trevliga och alla satsar verkligen på det vad de älskar.

Så i lördags var jag tillsammans med Angelica Sandén (make-up artist) i Lerum på Tingshuset och sminkade och fotade gratis under flera timmar. Det var full drag och vi passade på att markandsföra oss i komunen.

Jag bifogar en bild med ett exempel vad smink gör för en fotografering.

Emma S. en av tjejerna som kom fram i lördags

ASIAN FASHION

Zhen Zhou, shopping area. Huang, Kåre and I was saying hello to Huans girlfriend who works in a jade shop. Just outside I suddenly saw cameras passing by and photographers. My attentive eye just send a message in my brain: "photoshoo". I jumped up on my feet, ran out and yap, just outside 2 photographers and 4 models were having a photosession. I took out my camera and went out, started to shoot. Suddenly the photographers looked at me and I presented myself. I told them that I was taking pictures in Sweden and I showed them my portfolio. Then I got the permission of taking myself some pictures of chinese models. It was just fun and it was very different working with asian girls. They pose completely different then ours.
They were out taking catalogue pictures. It was a very nice surprise.

HOBBY & FAMILJ

I lördags var det Linn och My som kom med föräldrarna till studion för att ta några kort.
Det skulle vara favoritkläder och hobbybilder och familjebilder så klart.


Hela familien

Det finns olika sätt att ta porträtt. Den ena är att visa upp det vad man älskar mest i den perioden av livet man kommer till fotografen.


My med sina ridkläder.


Linn älskar att spela flöjt.

JORD - del 1

Glömde att lägga upp del 1 av Linda-Maries sminkjobb.
JORd är tema här.
Modell är Amie som syns nu på en del spårvagnar i Göteborg.
Gillar Amies blick i bilden. Blicken är för mig en av de viktigaste
saker i en bild. Det ska sugas in.... det gör det här, åtminstone
för mig. Och vad säger ni?

HUANG

I met Huang in internet at a travellers side called VIRTUAL TOURIST. Before leaving for China I went into Virtual tourist and wrote some lines on the forum, looking for information on the Shaolin Temple. How to get there, where to sleep, how far from the train and so on.

Huang answered very kind and helpful. He offered himself to be guide for us during our stay at Zhen Zhou and said that he would happily follow with us to Deng Feng City. His girldfriends family was from that area. Huang happened to be a very curious, gentle young man. We found him extremely helpful and he really did everything to welcome us in his country. We felt at home with him and we are so thankfull for all the wonderful things that we saw and experienced with Huang.

XIE XIE

KINDNESS

During our trip to the shaolin tempel, my good friend Huang took us to a restaurant for breakfast. We had travelled by night train from Beijing to Zhen Zhou and then took the bus to Deng Feng City. WE arrived around 11 o'clock in the morning and were starving.

We were the first customer in the place. The restaurant had about 15 tables and there were 7-8 girls all dressed in red. They were so curious that we (long noses, that's what they call us in China) had come to their place, far out from the tourist attractions.

We were the highlight of the day. I just want to share with you a picture of me and the girls, that went crazy to get a picture with us. they were so kind and I tried with my poor chinese to get somehow contact to then.

ELD - del 3

Det var dags för del 3 igår. Denna gången kom modell Linnéa i studion och Linda-Marie hade på program det 3:e elementet : ELD.

Det blev ett riktig samarbete. Inspiration från alla håll och kanter och efter 2 timmars sminkning var resultatet framför mina ögon. Nu gällde det att hitta rätt ljussättning för att få fram känslan av eld, orange, gul och röd.

Vi använde oss av tyll och ljussatte den med en orange-filter samt att Linnéa fick en gul filter bakom huvut för att få fram glöden.

Nu är det bara vatten som är kvar innan Linda-Marie är färdig med utbilningen.

KÄRLEK

Igår var det Isak och Nenas tur att visa upp sin kärlek framför kameran. Det skulle vara en bild att ge bort till barnen och barnbarnen. Det blev en del bra bilder men jag fastnade för denna bilden mest. Tyckde att svart/vit förstärker känslan. Vad tycker ni?

BAMSE

Grävade lite gran i min bildförråd och hittade en gammal bild från förra året med BAMSE i duschen. Visst är han söt. Vi fotade honom i min gamla studio där det fanns en dush och Bamse älskar vatten.

Hans smilar till och med!!

FULL FART

Det var full fart på lilla Rasmus idag. En go kille, som le och skratta nästan jämt. Ibland så stannar han till några sekunder att fundera och sen är det full fart igen.

Mamma Angelica kämpade sig igenom alla flyktförsök men vi fick till underbara bilder.

ZEN MUSIC SHAOLIN GRAND CEREMONY

One of the highlights of my trip to China was the Zen Music Shaolin Grand Ceremony very closed to the Shaolin Temple in Deng Feng. My very good friend Huan came with us and fixed us tickets for the show. Now you have to imagine the movie "HERO" with all those beautiful colours, the monks and the fights. You get involved in something mistical, that does not belong to us really.
One thing is it to see it at the movies, at home in front of the TV, another is it to be part of it.

For an evening I felt part of a big big fantasy, meditation, admiration. I felt hypnotized by the chants and the music, by the music of the water, the movements of the monks. The only negative thing that I can report are the rich chinese people that come there, eat and drink and talk and scream out loud during the concert. But beside of them I can say that I have never been so touched by a concert like that nigh. It's China's biggest seightseeing performance.

Unfortunately I can only share with you some pictures that I took that night.
Check out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLpscIVjgSU&NR=1, close your eyes and dream. SWEET DREAMS to you all

BEIJING OPERA

Before I travelled to China I heard about the Peking Opera a lot, but I didn't knew exactly how it was. The last days of our 10-days trip in Beijing our guide helped us to find tickets for the Opera. (I will come up with the name later on, cause I just forgot it). The theatre was part of a big hotel, which made us a little bit suspicious. We just hate big hotels full of tourist.

We came in advance and ended up at the restaurants hotel for a light dinner. The restaurag was huge. We thought "Oh we are going to spend a lot of money", but in fact it was not at all expensive and there was a young girl serving us and standing just close to our table all the time. I told her that she moved gracely and she did not left me the entire time. She even accompanied us at the entrance of the theatre afterwards and was so happy. Before the beginning you have the chance to see how the actors paint themself and make-up. I got the feeling of an intruder however. Like hey "here are the shimpanzee, look at them". Even if I am very curious I like to talk to the persons I want to photograph and everything was so made up. But they did an amazing job.

We knew our guide bought us VIP-tickets. Once in a lifetime. When we entered the opera we could see how the stage was built. First 2 raws tables and chairs, one stair up on the perfect hight with the stage, tables, decoreted and full of tea and sweeties, and then sitting place behind it. We ended up in the middle and a perfect place for me to take pictures. It was not forbidden and I was so glad I had my 70-200 mm, 2.8mm with me that night. On the sidewalls signs in "english". I offer you a good laugh.

Before the actores entered the stage and showed us an amazing act of acrobacy, act and singing, the musicians came up with their wonderful instruments.

Then it was time for the amazing story of ......... I an came back to you with the right name of the piece.

The actor made us really laugh and feel comfortable. Beeing in the right position I got many good pictures with actors looking straight into the camera, which warmed my heart, cos. not everybody had this opportunity. I am thankfull for all the wonderful moments that I could share and live in China.

The Peking Opera is a MUST. Look at the faces, the expressions, the clothes. It was a wonderful evening with good tea and sweets.

BEIJING MODEL

Believe it or not, my heard for models beated even in Beijing. One day we were sitting at our favourite little café having café and grapefruit juice and I saw this girl passing by. I jumped up, went down the stairs and straight to her. "Can you just pose a little bit for me? You are so special and I would like some pictures of you". She didn't speak so good english, but her sister did. I got a no as an answer and I said it was ok. 3 minutes later they came back and asked me why I wanted to take pictures. I said: just because you are so special, you look good. Then she agreed and this is the result of a 2 minutes photoshoot in the street of Beijing.

HOW TO GO ON....

There are ways and ways to move from a place to another in Beijing.
Let me introduce you some of them.
















Downtown Beijing you might find it really caotic. Taxidrivers without driving licenses, bus drivers, 2-wheel drivers (motorbikes, millions of bycicles and other sorts of bikes).
Now here you can see how it is in rea life...try to come over the street now...it works fine fine. Nobody is showing you the fingers "as we fine european people would do". Everybody is calm and it works.















Another way is that you have a little bit of money and you get onto a rickshaw. Believe it or not I did not try. We found it too touristic and my partner said that it was using people to serve your dreams in a poor way. So, we watched them instead.

Central station / bus station. Hundreds of persons are there waiting for their connection to somewhere in the rest of the country. They sit, calm, sleeping, reading, smoking, chatting, playing, eating on the floor. And they wait patiently.

.