A while ago I was in Björlanda to shoot the photos at René and Cajsas wedding in Björlanda, just outside of downtown Gothenburg. After the traditional photos at the ceremony in church we headed out to a tiny island called Grågåseholmen. Lots of gear to carry but it was fun to see this picturesque scenery. Very swedish. As always with a wedding shoot it’s a challange to keep the schedule, as well as finding good ways to avoid the high contrasts during mid day.
I was honored with the assignment as the photographer at the wedding of Frida and Christian in late August at the beautiful manor of Åbonäs, just outside of Tranås in Sweden. Built in 1860, Åbonäs is still one of the youngest in the region, and for a wedding photographer a manor like this one offers a great deal of stunning interior, and exciting light conditions. At the end of the photo session we found a really cool looking room that took us back to the 19th century. I thought we were all done for the day, but still wanted to play around in the room a bit. After a while I realized that this is it, the best scene of the day so I called in the bride and groom again and made them pose for a few last shots. They turned out to be pretty nice looking!
We all had a great day together, even though the weather god didn’t respond to our prayers. It was great fun to get the chance to experiment with the soft and beautiful natural light from the big windows. Many of the best shots was captured with natural light and a big reflector. Here are a few more shots from the day:
Which one is your favorite?
My latest wedding turned out to be one of the most stressful days in my life… Earlier this year I got an inquiry to shoot a wedding at June 11. Since I knew my baby girl was due in the end of the month, I asked my girlfriend what she thought about it.
– Well, that’s almost three weeks before due date so it can’t be a problem. Book it!, she replied.
So I did. My pregnant girlfriend even agreed to be my assistend for the day, adjusting flashes, holding reflectors and diffusers… But so it didn’t turn out. The day before the wedding I held my newborn baby girl in my arms for the first time. Although happy and euphoric I desperately needed to go from plan A to plan B to be able to make the wedding shoot.
Problem: I had no plan B, and a wedding shoot can’t be canceled last minute. Furtunately, my girlfriend rocks. She let me off the hook for a few hours that day. I quickly recruited my father as assistent, and decided to meet him at home to pack all the photo gear. As soon as I got out of the car at the parking lot back home I realized that I left my home keys at the hospital. F@#@#ck. Back to the hospital, ended up in the Saturday midday traffic jams. As soon as I stepped into the maternity department at the hospital I realized another thing. The. Keys. Are. In. The. Car. Oh well, back through the traffic once more. I ended up just in time to meet the bride and groom, and we got to work.
A winter wedding in Sweden can be a real gamble if you want to do the shooting outdoors. Per and Lina Granlund got married on the beautiful island of Marstrand just outside of Gothenburg, and plan A was to do most of the shooting outdoors. The weather in Sweden can be very unpredictable; you need to be prepared for anything between very cold with lots of snow to very wet with heavy rain. And sometimes you feel very lucky and can actually spot the thing we call sun…
The weather turned out to be mostly on our side even though it was cold and occasionally windy.
Here are some photos from the shoot:
Using flashes and big softboxes on windy days and close to water makes the job impossible without a good trustworthy assistent. My nephew Alex made a terrific job making sure the Elinchrom Ranger flash stayed dry on land.
The moped wasn’t only used for props, it also served for effective transportation between shooting sites.
