Some times you just get lucky...
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| Michael Gehrisch |
Tuesday, March 7, 2006
As the Sun Sinks Slowly into the West
While photographing owls, a gyr falcon and other birds of prey along the South coast of Sweden we ended the day watching a beautiful sunset. Armed with my 500mm lens +1.4extender for a focal length of 700mm, I noticed a couple walking along a shore several kilometers away as the sun set behind them. Just enough clouds to prevent the sun from overexposing the shot, yet not too much to hide the sun and the sunset colors.
Some times you just get lucky...
Some times you just get lucky...
Monday, March 6, 2006
Nature Photography is 90% skill and 90% luck,
March 6, 2006
Due to the exceptionally early and heavy snows in Sweden there was an owl invasion in Southern Sweden. Not an unusual phenomenon, but new for Johan (13) and I. We were used to fighting for a glimpse of an owl at sunrise or sunset, or seeing the few resident owls in the botanical garden in Lund sticking their heads out from their nest box. You could almost hear them laughing at us. It was not a pretty picture.
But this winter was different. Owls could be found at any hour of the day, sitting on fence post, sitting on the ground,or hunting along the coast where there was a small stretch of open ground where the sea water melted the snow. Johan and I used this knowledge and managed to take quite a few decent owl shots during this winter. But the best shot of the winter was just plain dumb luck. After ten hours in the field from 7:30AM to 5:30PM we had a few so-so shots of owls and a gyr falcon. So at 5:30 I decided we had had enough and pulled the car over to the side of the road intending to turn the car around and head for home as soon as the cars behind us passed. After a few seconds Johan spoke up from the passenger seat, "Aren't you going to photograph him?"
"Who?" I responded.
And then Johan pointed to the short-eared owls sitting on the fence post directly across from us on the other side of the street, which was why Johan assumed we had pulled over. Panic! Get the camera, check the sittings, turn of the car, turn off the radio, roll down the window, DON'T SCARE THE OWL! And then slowly, agonizingly slowly move the camera into position and start shooting.
And then the owl was gone, and we pulled around and headed for home. The day went from being mediocre to being great, all it took was two minutes with a short-eared owl.
Due to the exceptionally early and heavy snows in Sweden there was an owl invasion in Southern Sweden. Not an unusual phenomenon, but new for Johan (13) and I. We were used to fighting for a glimpse of an owl at sunrise or sunset, or seeing the few resident owls in the botanical garden in Lund sticking their heads out from their nest box. You could almost hear them laughing at us. It was not a pretty picture.
But this winter was different. Owls could be found at any hour of the day, sitting on fence post, sitting on the ground,or hunting along the coast where there was a small stretch of open ground where the sea water melted the snow. Johan and I used this knowledge and managed to take quite a few decent owl shots during this winter. But the best shot of the winter was just plain dumb luck. After ten hours in the field from 7:30AM to 5:30PM we had a few so-so shots of owls and a gyr falcon. So at 5:30 I decided we had had enough and pulled the car over to the side of the road intending to turn the car around and head for home as soon as the cars behind us passed. After a few seconds Johan spoke up from the passenger seat, "Aren't you going to photograph him?"
"Who?" I responded.
And then Johan pointed to the short-eared owls sitting on the fence post directly across from us on the other side of the street, which was why Johan assumed we had pulled over. Panic! Get the camera, check the sittings, turn of the car, turn off the radio, roll down the window, DON'T SCARE THE OWL! And then slowly, agonizingly slowly move the camera into position and start shooting.
Sunday, February 6, 2005
The Coolest Spot in Sweden
Our good friends Aurelie and Aurelién, two graduate students from France spent a lot of their free time travelling around Sweden, Scandinavia and Northern Europe. I'm pretty sure they have seen more of Sweden than most Swedes. But being a "immigrant" myself I suggested the most exotic trip that I could imagine; a trip to the Ice Hotel in Jukkasjärvi followed by a trip to the 400th annual Jokkmokks marknad the first weekend in February.They were up for the adventure and we booked a flight to Kiruna, the nearest town where we rented a car. We spent the first day in Jukkasjärvi visiting the Ice Hotel, which is open for visitors until 5PM when the guests get to move into the rooms.
Check-in for hotel guests is 5PM, during the day visitors are allowed to view all the suites and rooms in the Hotel.
There is even an Ice Chapel where you can get married, or simply enjoy the peace and quiet.
After leaving the Ice Hotel in the afternoon we headed towards Jokkmokk for the 400th annual Sami market. Jokkmokk which normally has 3000 residents, swells to 30,000 during the market making finding accommodations a bit of a challenge. We wound up staying in a sleeper compartment of a train parked in town. 5 people with baggage in a compartment for 6, it was cozy to say the least.
The Samis are the indigenous people of the Arctic region called Sapmi which includes Northern Norway, Sweden, Finland and the Kola peninsula of Russia. One of their main livlihoods throughout history has been reindeer herding, and reindeer is not only a chief source of nuturition and hides, but also a source of material for some of the most exquisite handcraft you can imagine. The primary materials are reindeer horn, birch burl and reindeer skins, and during the Jokkmokks marknad you can see the crafts from many different artists on display at Ájtte the local museum and school.
It was difficult to photograph the crafts, so I would suggest a visit to one of the many sites that do this, such as Risfjell.
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| The entrance to the Ice Hotel, Kristina on a "spark"(Swedish for kick) the traditional transportation |
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| Guest bartender Aurelien |
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| The chandelier, chairs and drinking glasses are made of ice |
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| Bed formed as a dog sled, pulled by dogs of ice |
After spending a couple of hours in the Ice Hotel we made the three hour drive to Jokkmokk to explore the market.
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| Traditional Sami festival clothing |
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| Wild Hasse, one of the traditional participants |
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| reindeer racing in Jokkmokk |
After leaving the Ice Hotel in the afternoon we headed towards Jokkmokk for the 400th annual Sami market. Jokkmokk which normally has 3000 residents, swells to 30,000 during the market making finding accommodations a bit of a challenge. We wound up staying in a sleeper compartment of a train parked in town. 5 people with baggage in a compartment for 6, it was cozy to say the least.
The Samis are the indigenous people of the Arctic region called Sapmi which includes Northern Norway, Sweden, Finland and the Kola peninsula of Russia. One of their main livlihoods throughout history has been reindeer herding, and reindeer is not only a chief source of nuturition and hides, but also a source of material for some of the most exquisite handcraft you can imagine. The primary materials are reindeer horn, birch burl and reindeer skins, and during the Jokkmokks marknad you can see the crafts from many different artists on display at Ájtte the local museum and school.
One of the foremost Sami artists is Erik Fankki who has his own website with a gallery of his work.
Although it's rather cold in this part of Sweden in February, the humidity is very low, and it is usually not windy, so it is quite bearable with the right clothes, and if you're lucky you might be able to see the Northern Lights.
More images from this trip can be seen at my website
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