Last Saturday...

It's almost a week gone but it's only now that i found the time to go through the photos from last week. Maybe because the weather today was awfull compared to Saturday's weather.

That day was really perfect for the Stockholm's marathon (well, maybe a little bit too warm though...)

Late in the evening it was time for some music. Cool temperature, cool participants and cool music.
The place was Stockholm university and the festival PopDakar (www.popdakar.nu).

Kick-boxing...

Today i photographed for more than an hour at Frescatihallen for the staff magazine of Stockholm University.
That was part of the sport photos we needed and it included spinning and boxing (we had already photographed other sport activities both in the area of SU and LHS the previous week).
Those who trained plus their instructors where so very kind to permit me being there and i got many nice pictures.
This photo though really stuck in my mind and i have been coming back to it all the time.
I just looove the way she is looking! She is so focused and "gives it all" while training! I really love this picture!
ps: it is possible to download the magazine in pdf format from the University's homepage. These photos though are going to be published at the next issue that comes out of the press in a few weeks.

"Skånsta Ryttare" riding club

Last Saturday we visited the local riding club in Åkersberga, to have a look there and ask about riding lessons for the children and the activities there.

That was the first time i saw horses being used as drag power by somebody who is skiing! :-) 

Well, it was rather smart and judging from the smile on the face of the young skier, it must have been lots of fun too! 

Chilling out with tennis!

After the last two weeks' intensiv work it felt just so natural to chill out a little from photographing commissioned sessions.

I met with my friend Jannis,  also a photographer, and together we spent many hours photographing the tennis finals at the "Nordic Light Open" tournament, in Stockholm.

Since my equipment, and especially the zoom lens, are not really the best for this sort of pictures, i just "played" with the camera in case i should be lucky to get a nice picture. Then, i continued playing with the photos in Photoshop! :-)

Yelena Isinbayeva!

Who Yelena is does not need to be explained for anyone interested in classic athletism and especially the women's pole vault.

I had the chance to meet her two years ago in Stadion, Stockholm, where she participated and, of course won.

I was amazed by how polite and humble she is! Always smiling and always replying "of course!" to all the demanding reporters and photographers who flock around her asking for her attention.

I met her again at Stadion, after she had just won (again!), on her way to the changing room.

She was stopped lots of times for pictures, interviews and autographs and she did not mind at all to come back from the corridor leading to the dressing rooms, when i called her and asked if i might photograph her!

"of course, of course!" she smiled and asked what she should do.

I photographed her hands, still dirty after her efforts to jump higher than 5 meters.

Being the only woman in the world who has ever jumped higher than 5 meters, and having broken the world record 21 times, it feels that she is going for a new record at the Olympics in Beijing next month!

tags: Yelena, Isinbayeva, Stadion, Stockholm, Sweden,pole vault

DN-Galan 2008

I am in love!!!

Yesterday i attended the sports meeting at Stadion in Stockholm, taking pictures that will be used as feature pictures in different articles as well as the webpage of the University of Stockholm.
Nikon was also there to support the proffesional photographers of the meeting and lend them equipment to use and test.

I borrowed a Nikon "D3" and a "AF-S 70-200/2,8 G ED VR"!
What a combination!
Beautiful, sharp photos every time, that almost don't need any kind of post produktion at all!

I loooove this camera!
(i wish i had borrowed also the AF-S 400/2,8 G ED VR, but at the price it has and at the kilos it weighs maybe i was lucky not to...)

They are sooo beautiful!!!

This Saturday was "wedding-free"!

Instead i stayed in Åkersberga were the finals for the "Greyhound 2008" took place.

God, they are so fast and powerfull!

The camera was firing at a rate of 10 frames per second at a prefocused point and it was just a matter of luck to get them in focus! 

Here is the winner ...

... and here is the happy owner carrying his "baby"!