A GOOD CATCH

Stone Town has a lifely market with a section for fish, meat (beaf and goat), chicken and vegetables. As usually it was really warm when we went there, but fisherman had been up since late in the night and now it was time to see the fish catched.

HAVING A GOOD TIME

What does people do when it's hot and where electricity controls your life. Coz. this is one of the major problems in Zanzibar. It comes and goes whenever Dar Er Salaam wants, coz. that is where the electricity comes from, transported via a cable in the water that was build in the 60'ies.
So young people that are not addicted to computer like we in the western countries find more funny things to do. Maybe a little bit dangerous but at least it's like a free party going on every night.
Jumping into the water from a high wall along the shore of Stone Town.
The water temperature in January might come to 30-32 degrees so don't worry nobody gets a flue.
Foreigners and locals enjoy sitting on the wall and watching the sun go down and people jumping and making funny figures in the air, some of them more brave then the other. There is a good sistem going on. One of the boys controls that nobody is down in the water and another one screams out loud "Go".

UKULELE PARADEN

Här finns numera mina bilder upplagda på Ukulelel Klubbens hemsida från Ukulele Paraden.
http://www.ukulele.nu/content.php?279-Rekordparaden

Njut och glädjer dig med oss!

PORTRAIT FROM SAMOS

I thought I want to dedicate todays pictures to some of the people I have met during my holidays in Samos.



All started at the Tourist Fair in Gothenburg last spring. There I met Kleoniki who was working and representing Samos for the Tourist Office of Samos. This was also the main reason why we choose Samos as a destination for our holidays. I liked Kleo very much. She offered us some sweet Samos wine and after that I was lost and said to her, that we would come.
Kleoniki was very kind to meet us in ther home town Pythagorion for a cup of coffee down at the harbour. It was a lovely afternoon and evening. So thank you Kleo for your kindness.

In the village Platanos we had the choice of three restaurants that were in the center of the village. Vi choose LEON, it was just a feeling I had. Well, mother Irina is an eccellent chef.
We ordered: Stuffed tomatoes (the best I have ever eaten), tsatsiki, fried aubergines, greek salad and drank greek coffee and retsina. Gnammi, gnammi.


Platanos a little mountainvillage, Samos,

Taverna LEON, Mother Irina and daughter Leonida
Leonidas Rigas, Telephone 83200

I started photographing people only 7 years ago. Before it was all sorts of nature and my own family. Today I mostly take pictures of people. When I travel and I want to have a good portrait I want to have contact with the person. I can take pictures, just like that of people, but sometimes I feel I am going into their private life and I don't feel all the time comfortable of just taking the picture because of taking it. I want to have a connection with me behind the eyes of the persons I photograph.



It was not different in Samos.


We stayed at Kokkari for a week. The first night we went to the village to have supper and to look at the shops. We found a little jewellery shop called COOL CAT. I am not the kind of woman that stays in front of jewellery shops and just admires gold and diamonds. But I have a weakness for silver and for special designs. So Cool Cat was in fact a cool shop.


I fell in love in a ring but it was too big for my little fingers. But owner Apostolos looked at me and said that he could make the ring for me for the next day in the perfect size for my finger. And I already felt in love in the ring not to say no. So, the next day his lovely girlfriend Daniza, was there as well when I picked up my ring and we found eachother talking like friends. Not that I am a shy person, but some persons you feel connected to immediately.


Kalimera Daniza!



Apostolos and Daniza of Cool Cat in Kokkari, Samos
http://www.jewelery-design-samos.com/



Saturday, the 12th of September I had the honour to meet this wonderful person.
He was walking with a long aluminium stair on his shoulders and two crutches along a little street of Mytilinii, a small village in the center of Samos. It's the only village without any view to the sea. I looked at the man and was completely fascinated of him. I went close to him with a big smile and asked, pointing on his hat, if he had been a soldier. It was love at first sight. He smiled back and started talking. We had a very intresting conversation in greek (which I know 10 words of), italian, german and english and the most of the time mixed with body language.


I figured out that he was 87 years old and that he had survived the 2nd world war and the liberation war. He told us about three german planes flying over the island and bombing, of italian soldiers occupaying the island of mine fields where he got injured and lost his foot.


He also told us that he never was married and was happy and thank God! But we never found out if he had any children out there, anyway I look at him and said that he must have had a bunch of ladies with those wonderful eyes he had. I surely believe he understood me, coz. he smile at me so warmly and like a little cheecky boy.


I asked him gently if it was ok if we could take a picture together and then if I could take a portrait of him. And he posed and said that he would love to have a copy, which I will send to him this week.




Panagioti Baba Kostantinou, Mitylinii






These are the meetings that I love when I travel. They are part of the country, of the culture, of the place, of history. They make my holidays specials and no more the less, my picture too.

TUR Mässa Göteborg 2009

Spiderman in action på Tur Mässa

Nu var det dags igen för TUR Mässan. Som varje år så är jag där och njuter att gå runt på alla monter och prata med folk, fotografera, skapa nya kontaktar och förhoppningsvis nya fotouppdrag.Men det allra bästa är att träffa människor och prata med de, berätta vad de gör osv.

Italienskan i Alger, Komisk Opera av Gioacchino Rossini.

Hoppas att få möjlighet att se denna opera även om den kommer att vara på svenska och ikke italienska. (men som sagt, jag få ge den en chans, säkert bra för alla som pratar svenska)

Operan kommer att visas på Läckö Slott. Bara det är ju värd att vara där! Här poserar stolt Mezzo sjungaren Iréne Hansson, så gå in på http://www.lackoslott.se/ och boka inför sommarens visningar.

Olde Hansa Medeltida Restaurang i Tallinn, www.oldehansa.com

Vill man då åka lite längre bort men ändå inte så lång bort, så finns det ju Estland och det underbara staden TALLIN med sina medeltidsrestauranger och titta här..... vi är ju i medeltiden! Visst är kläderna helt underbara!!!

På Skaraborgs monter har de satsat istället på.....sovande statuer... det fanns lite av olika slag. Jag skulle nog inte orkar stå stilla in en sådant position. Tänk om de somnar!

Fotograf Anders Ryman var på plats och visade sina bilder från LIVETS STEG utställningen.

Underbara bilder som berör alla. Var tvungen att köpa till och med ett vykort av en nybliven munknovis. Så är ni på mässan stanna och titta på bilderna! Helt underbara!

Last but not least träffade jag.... Mr. Älg!

HEJA SVERIGE och alla älgar som jag fortfarande inte har sett ute i naturen, förutom i Slottskogen! Så snälla ta mig till en älg safari!

2 WAYS TO SEE THINGS

Passing by a metro station in Milano, look what I saw!

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.

PARTY TIME

Saturday, 4th of october it was time to celebrate 5 years of Arkadia Foto.

Friends, customers, and family came. In the afternoon we had some activities for children and grow ups. Nina from 7Heaven gave head massages to customers. Angelica Sandén, my make-up artist painted some children / grown up children as cats and Mimmi (who was practising) took pictures of them.

Then it was time for the party in the evening. Pizza, kanelbulle, muffins, wine, chococalte, te and coffee was served.

Everybody brought wonderful flowers, which i am thankfull and chocolate and books.

Jouline and Jenny dances bellydance, my good friends Toril and Kerstin made up a song in italian telling the story about me coming to sweden and starting taking pictures. It was so fun!

Christer sang 2 italian songs and I had the opportunity to show my 10 favourite pictures.

I want to THANK YOU All for supporting me and my job and the studio, by helping me, when times are hard and encouraging to continue.

SAMBA & MIDNADSLOPPET

Otroligt men sant.....nu springer folk på gatorna i Göteborg mitt på natten, samtidigt som en del näst halvnakna kvinnor dansar samba och trummorna förstör hörsynd till löparna.

Men det var kul. Lördag natt, den 23 augusti så var det dags för första Midnattloppet här i stan.

Det var fullspakat med folk, på Avenyn var det svårt att hitta plats ute. Det var varmt och en underbar sensommar kväll.

Vad finns det då bättre än att hoppa, dansa, skratta och ha det kul!!!

SALUHALLEN, Göteborg

If you are a tourist in this beautiful little city of Gothenburg don't miss going into Saluhallen, the market hall in the center of town. Looks more like an old train station but inside you will find fish, meat, fresh vegetables, tea, coffee and whatever you want.

And of course friendly people helping you choosing.

BLICKEN MÅSTE MAN HA

Och här några andra bilder som väntade att bli färdiga.
Dessa bilder togs i samband med en kalenderfotografering för bikini. Men när man väl ha en vacker människa framför kameran, så tar man alltid lite mer bilder, ifall man behöver dem och här föredrog jag att fota lite porträtt.
Som modell är det otroligt viktig att kunna meddela känsla igenom blicken.

Jag säger oftast att antingen så har man "THE IT" eller så har man inte det.
Och vackra Isabella har definitift något alldeles speciellt i hennes blick som bara suger in betraktaren.

Sen är det alltid frågan svart/vit eller färg?Personligen så älskar jag ansiktsbilderna i svart/vit men ibland, som t.ex. på den översta bilden, så funkar det även i färg, det är varma färger som gör mig glad.

Rösta gärna vilken bild ni tycker bäst om och varför!

UNIFORMS ON WHEELS

A wonderful morning just outside of our B&B I saw passing these two policemen. I can only suppose they were riding to their post or strolling around the hutong area to see if everthing was fine, or maybe on the way to arrest someone?? The year is 2008, in case you might not see it, but YES we have a mobile phone in one of the policemans hand....and isn't that forbidden to drive with a mobilephone?

LOVE & FASHION

Fashion photographer yes or no, I just coulnd't let go and not take a picture of this couple. For me they are representing the young generation of China. Men in good health and not poor as you can see from his little belly showing that he has food and a gorgeous young lady in high fashion sunglasses, bag and fancy t-shirt.