World Photography Day

Today, Wednesday the 19h of August is World Photography Day.

Everybody wants to capture that special moment. You want to cling to it, in your mind as well as visible on paper maybe. You want to show it, relive it. Over and over again.

Photography. Magic Moments. Whether it is about your first born baby, your lovely and adorable pet, family getting together, or landscapes, wild life. But how do you make these magnificant images? And more important, what is more important to you? The memory or the picture itself?

I do not have the most expensive camera myself. A Panasonic Lumix FZ45. And my mobile phone, Samsung Galaxy, nowadays A40. To me, to create is more important. I try to see what others do not see. Sometimes it is just a snapshot, and sometimes it really turns out well. I am purely making photo´s as a hobby and I am learning by doing. Some periods nothing works, some periods all photo´s are perfect. I am very lucky to live in Swedish Lapland and have beautiful scenery around me. But even city photo´s can be beautiful. You just need to look for it and see it. And be patience sometimes, especially if it is about animals or Northern Lights.

The picture in the header, a tale of a whale. Made in 2014 at Andenes in Norway. One of my favorite places to be, on the boat, on whale safari. The sea, the smell, birds around the boat, and hoping to see whales and that one moment….i got it all. The weather was perfect, the best spot on the boat, beside the captain on the highest deck.

And there we have our first tip;
No matter how anxiuos you are to make the perfect shot, do not forget to enjoy the moment itself.
We saw 3 whales that day and not all the photo´s are good but at some point i thought; Put the camera away and enjoy this moment! It became a day i will never forget, and i had at least this one good shot. Once i had the photo on my computer i say the seagull underneath the tail…..

Tip number two;
Sometimes you can sit on the ground, or bend through your knees to get the best shot. Your dog or child maybe playing on the floor. Sit, or lay down to get at it´s level. Or, look up in the sky, did you ever see the tree like this?

Our third tip is to try to see the beauty in normal things. Have you ever watched closely to shadows on the ground? Look into a rain puddle, mirroring the sky, yourself or other things closeby? Try it.
This is my favorite picture…………….do you see what I see? Underneath this blog you see what i see……

Tip four is to play with silhouettes and light. Silhouetting is one of the most interesting creative photography techniques. As long as the source of light is located behind your photography subject, the subject stays in shadow and automatically turns into a silhouette when you take a photo. If you shoot outdoors, it’s essential that the sun is relatively low above the horizon, which is why sunsets, sunrises, and winter days at higher latitudes are perfect for silhouette photography. This is my favorite photo, taken in February 2016.

Our last tip today number 5 is to use a mirror or a window. If you go somewhere by car, check your (side) mirrors.
A nice way to have a different view of the environment.

In the slider you find more of my own favorites. You can also check out these websites with some beautiful photo´s (not only in Sweden by the way) and even workshops if you like. Have fun and do not forget to enjoy.