Vernissage, Advent Mingel & Hurricane Henning | Sunday Get Together

By December, Sweden has very few hours of daylight. The first Sunday of Advent comes as an eagerly awaited sign that Christmas is approaching. Time to light the candles, heat up the mulled wine, or glögg, and get into the Christmas mood.

So this past Sunday, which was the first Advent of 2014, we’d planned a get together with friends & family at our place. The other occasion for this event was the exhibition of my photos, a vernissage if you will. I’d printed and framed 12 of my best photos to “showcase” for our guests.

It was really fun to see the photos displayed on big prints, and get to talk about them. I even got a couple of orders on some prints...yeaaay :)  

More importantly, we enjoyed spending the Sunday with our friends & family. So thank you guys for coming, it was a blast!

During the entire day I was so occupied with catching up and socializing so there was not much time for taking photos. Nevertheless after all the other guests had left, we had the pleasure of spending more time with our dear friends Jenny, Filippo and their super cute children Greta, Edith & Henning.

Henning, who is the youngest in the family, I bestowed with the nickname “The Hurricane”. This sweet little boy is by far the most energetic baby I’ve met in my life. Also, he's already a full-fledged climber. Living room tables, dining room tables, chairs or sofas, you name it, he will climb it!!

Here are some photos I had time to shoot by the end of the day. Other than being photogenic this family is the super-cute-&-smart-family that we love to spend time with!


Lost in the alleys of time | Istanbul Wknd Trip

Istanbul has been on our places-to-visit-list for a while now. It gradually climbed higher up on that list since I got more and more hooked on photography. You always see such beautiful views shared from this city. So as you can imagine I was very enthused about this trip.

I gotta say that Istanbul, which is the largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural and historical heart, did definitely not disappoint!

The biggest draw remains its historic center, and it’s no wonder that it’s partially listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Everywhere you go, especially in the Old Town, there are reminders of great empires & people long gone. If open for it, you can even feel the passage of time and presence of great history inviting you for a glimpse into the old days. Back to the city known as Byzantium founded by the ancient Greeks.

In case you’re interested in the short history version; Istanbul has served as the capital of four empires: the Roman Empire (330–395), the Byzantine Empire (395–1204 and 1261–1453), the Latin Empire (1204–1261), and the Ottoman Empire (1453–1922).

After having strolled around this part for most of the first two days, eventually the CRAZY tourists taking selfies EVERYWHRE annoyed the heck out of us. So we decided to explore other parts.

We crossed the Golden Horn through the Galata Brige and up to the Galata tower which is a medieval Genoese citadel. Not far from here we found ourselves in the cultural and entertainment hub of the Beyoğlu district. This part of town with its quaint design shops, cozy cafés and cute art galleries was very much our cup of tea. Here we mostly hung out during the last two days.

In short; Istanbul is a melting pot of different cultures, home to the friendliest locals I’ve ever met on a trip, with the highest rate of kebap-erías you can ever imagine and with crazy amount of tourists, shops, boutiques & bazars selling all kinds of products. Last but not least it provides wonderful scenes for any travel photographer. So I would highly recommend a visit to this beautiful city!

Here are my favorite photos from the trip.


Hagia Sophia (Ayasofya in Turkish) constructed in 537 is a former Greek Orthodox Church, later an imperial mosque, and now a museum. 

The Galata Tower (Galata Kulesi in Turkish) — called Christea Turris (the Tower of Christ) by the Genoese — is a medieval stone tower in the Galata/Karaköy quarter. It’s one of the city's most striking landmarks, dominates the skyline and offers a panoramic vista of the city.

My beautiful wife Shams strolling around in the Beyoğlu district.

My beautiful wife Shams strolling around in the Beyoğlu district.

The Maiden's Tower (Kız Kulesi in Turkish), is also known as Leander's Tower since the medieval Byzantine period. It’s located on a small islet 200m from the coast of Üsküdar in Istanbul.

In search of Scotland's finest | Edinburgh Wknd Trip

The past weekend I was on a trip to Scotland with my brother Radin and his friends Dima & Alosha. 

On the occasion of Radin’s 30th birthday earlier this year we'd chipped in and surprised him with this weekend getaway.

The idea for our 3 day journey was simple; visit a Whiskey distillery, spend one day in the countryside and do some sightseeing in Edinburgh.

 

So how was it? Well I got to say that I liked the part of Scotland we had time to explore very much.

The distillery that we ended up visiting, Glengoyne, comes highly recommended. Edinburgh or Dùn Èideann in Scottish Gaelic is a charming city and rich in associations with the past. It has many historic buildings such as the Edinburgh Castle and an extensive Georgian New Town built in the 18th century. 

My favorite part of the trip though was the Scottish countryside. The Highland with its misty, vast and green scenery is incredibly beautiful and photogenic. Think Game of Thrones but without the civil war for the Iron Throne of the Seven Kingdoms. It’s definitely on my list of photo locations to return to in the future.

As for my travelling companions, or should I call them "The Golden Terzetto of Gothenburg", it was a blast hanging out with you guys!

Here are some of my favorite pictures from the trip.


Radin, Dima & Alosha aka The Golden Terzetto of Gothenburg.

Radin, Dima & Alosha aka The Golden Terzetto of Gothenburg.

Glengoyne Distillery is located in a wooded glen, just a few miles outside of Glasgow and a few miles from the beautiful shores of Loch Lomond.

Glengoyne Distillery is located in a wooded glen, just a few miles outside of Glasgow and a few miles from the beautiful shores of Loch Lomond.

The place where it all happens. Slowly. A picture postcard distillery with the most informative, entertaining visits in the Scotch whisky industry.
— glengoyne.com
20140913-1433.jpg

Edinburgh Castle is a historic fortress which dominates the skyline of the city from its position on the Castle Rock.

Edinburgh's Old- & New Town are jointly listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Xingya & Hao 20140822 | The Dinner

I've finally had time to edit the third & last batch of my premiere wedding shoot.

Two weeks ago Xingya & Hao got married at Högaberg Gård in Lidingö. I had the the chance & honor to attend to this special occasion as first lensman.

Hair & Make-up done by Catrin Söderdahl with the Absolutely Gorgeous BCN team. Check out their website at absolutelygorgeousbcn.com.

So here you go, photos from the dinner.


Xingya & Hao 20140822 | The Ceremony

Second batch of the wedding shoot is now ready. It features the ceremony between Xingya & Hao at Högaberg Gård in Lidingö. 

Hair & Make-up done by Catrin Söderdahl with the Absolutely Gorgeous BCN team. Check out their website at absolutelygorgeousbcn.com.


20140822-1616c-2.jpg

Xingya & Hao 20140822 | Prepping At Home

Hello cyberspace!!

On my first blog post I thought sharing the photo story of my premiere wedding shoot. I had the the chance & honor to attend to this special occasion last week.

The lovley couple Xingya & Hao got married at Högaberg Gård in Lidingö last friday. During the weekend I've had time to edit the first batch.

So here you go, photos from the preparations at their apartement with the closest family.

Hair & Make-up done by Catrin Söderdahl with the Absolutely Gorgeous BCN team. Check out their website at absolutelygorgeousbcn.com.

Next batch coming up soon so stay tuned!