Benny Anderson in Aula Magna,

Benny Andersson visited the Stockholms university yesterday , invited by the department of Musicology and Performance Studies, in Aula Magna, and talked about his music and compositions.

Stockholm University 2008 doctoral awards in stadshuset.

It was some weeks ago when the Stockholms university awarded its doctoral degrees for the year 2008 in the magnificent enviroment of the Stadshuset (the City Hall).

The ceremony took place in the Blå hallen.

It started at 5 pm and it was the University's principal who adressed the new doctors as well as the rest of the University's guests (here you can read his speach in swedish). 

The first who went up the stairs were the 27  new professors, inaugurated by the principal.

Then it was time for 153 new doctors to receive their diploma in accordance with a wreath or a hat (depending on the institution).

One of the honorary new doctors (latin doctor "honoris causa") was Peter Wallenberg.

During the ceremony we had the chance to listen to a new version of "Mamma Mia", sung by the chorus, in honor of Benny Andersson (from the ABBA) wo was also named honorary doctor this evening.

He showed really moved by it, taking away a couple of tears from is eyes and clapping his hands standing up after the end of the song.

The dinner afterwards was offered at the Gyllene Sal.

After the dinner lots of the new doctors came with their friends and family members to be photographed at our portable studio.

Among them Maria and Göran, whom i had the pleasure to photograph their wedding a couple of years ago! :-)

It's so beautiful to see all the people in their best mood and in really nice clothes enjoying the evening. I like it especiallly to see swedish in national costumes or people from other nationalities in their traditional local costumes.  

At the studio we are also visited by representatives of the student union, who also attent the ceremony.

The evening continued as usual with dance and music untill 1 am!

If you would like to see the photos of this evening follow this link.

If you would like to see a video of the ceremony follow that link.

The awesome colours of autumn!

Last Friday i was at the Lärarhögskolan (the Stockholm Institute of Education), at the Konradsberg campus, to photograph a booked portrait there as well as to take autumn pictures of the campus.

It's just so beautiful there!

I had not been there since i finished my studies there, a couple of years ago, and it felt so nice to be there again, and to walk around in the area, through the corridors and in the library. Felt good to meet again some friends and teachers who work there too!

But the best was to walk around without too many people and noise. Friday afternnon and most of the students are already gone for the weekend... :-)

Congratulations for the new job, Mia!

Today is the first day at Mia's new job as a photography teacher!

During the summer she got the question from Ådalskolan in Kramfors and she was more than glad to accept. So from now on, for the hole 2008-2009 school year she is going to travel every Thursday from Stockholm to Kramfors (a distance of approximately 500 km) to be with her students, and then come back on Saturday.

That's a part time job and during the rest of the week she will continue working as a photographer, the way she has done for so many years.

I have to admit that i feel a little jealous, not only for the job itself (new photographers, the feeling of offering knowledge, fresh ideas, the new colleagues and working enviroment...) but also for the travelling! 

It feels so luxurious to have 4-5 hours in the train just for yourself, to read a book or to do something that you like, without stress!

Well done Mia! Congratulations and have a nice new school year! :-)

Islamic Fashion.

Yesterday, the last day of ramadan, there was a presentation and a catwalk at the Nordiska museet, arranged by the projekt Islamic Fashion in Europe (more information in swedish can be found here).

We were more than happy to see two of our pictures in the pages of "metro" and "Stockholm City" this morning!

Josefin and Åsa in "Allt om Bröllop"!

Our photos of Josefin and Åsa can be seen at the latest issue of "Allt om bröllop", one of the 3 leading wedding magasines in Sweden.

Looking forward to photograhing on Friday!

This Friday Mia and I are going to cover photographically the annual ceremony of conferment of doctor's degrees of the Stockholm University.
It's going to take place in the Blue Hall of the Stockholm City Hall and a dinner will follow at the Golden Hall.

This ceremony we have photographed for many years and it is always an amazing feeling, not only because the enviroment of the City Hall is magnificent but because of the people we meet and photograph there.

Well this year, among the other honorary Doctorates we are going to photograph Peter Wallenberg and Benny Andersson ( i am just mentioning ABBA!).

And one of the new doktorates this year is a bride that I photographed last year! :-)

Looking forward! ...

Raining at Stadshuset...

Last Saturday Sandra got married with her Johan under a very rainy weather!

The weather was a little cold, the traffic was a little troubled because of the "small Marathon" of the city and the rain was heavy and constant... 

But the light was magical! :-)

We photographed at the Cityhall, among a dosen other couples that got married at that place the same time and among their photographers who were trying to find an empty space to take their pictures! 

Somehow it happened to seem like we were alone there! :-)

Bensin in the blood!

It's almost a week since i came back from a weekend at Djurönäset, some 40 km from Stockholm, in the swedish archipelago. There was i invited as guest of Svenska Interpress AB, together with 50 other persons, at the company's annuall "kick off", taking part at the happenings and covering photographically the meeting.

The second day of the meeting, early in the morning and after a hard days work, a "hard night" at the club of the Conference Centre and just 3-4 hours of sleep, were we all invited to go to the boat house, near the water, where a surprise was waiting for us; we would all have a sightseeing tour at the archipelago, travelling at 60 knots!!!

Boy, such a way to really wake up!!!
Wow! what an experience!!!



I shall not describe the feeling of the speed, the air wheeping the face, the sharp and painfull turns of the boat at such high speeds or the beauty and the colours of the nature that morning.



But i need to describe the feeling of the"melody" of the 2 turbo charged Mercury "monsters" of 300 hp each, that were singing (or rather screaming) just half a meter behind my head!

It was wonderful!!! :-)))

And just to paraphrase Lieutenant Colonel Bill Kilgore's "Napalm" epical speech in "Apocalypse Now": "... "You smell that? Do you smell that? Bensin, son. Nothing else in the world smells like that. I love the smell of bensin in the morning." 

Ha, ha, ha!  :-))

Yeah! Bensin in the blood! :-))

(the pictures were taken by Metin and Maria, with their compact cameras, and i played a little with the photos in Ps)

Mica and Johan

Next week Mica and Johan are going to get married on a little island of the swedish archipelago.

I met them on Sunday afternoon in front of the Cityhall of Stockholm to plan a little about their "big day", to enjoy the late, warm light of the sun and to take a few pictures of them.

It's always nice to meet the couples before their wedding day and to photograph them!

Everybody is so relaxed, it makes the photography session of the wedding day so much easier, and it gives the opportunity to the couple themselves to see in advance  how they look like on the photos, what flatters them and what they should avoid, and how nice they actually can be on the photos!

And when the couple get this kind of confidence, they are even more relaxed and happy during the wedding photography!

And their photos look even better!!!  :-))

Greek classical beauty in Gotland!

Elisabeth is Greek from her father and Swedish from her mother. I was not surprised when i met her, to see that this had been a ... lethal combination! :-)

I was not surprised either when i met Andreas, the handsome lucky guy!

Some years ago we had photographed the wedding of Elisabeth's sister, Magdalena with her Ted. Well, obviously they liked our (their) photos and recomended us to Elisabeth and Andreas.

Andreas' roots are from Gotland and it was an obvious choise for them to have their wedding there!

We photographed at Ljugarn, a dramatic landscape with sculptured rocks by the seaside, and the wedding ceremony took place at the Lye church.

Now that Elisabeth and Magdalena are married, there are 1 more syster and 2 brothers left, waiting for their turn!
We are also ... waiting! :-) :-)