Gated Community

"Gated Community" står ju egentligen för ett annat "fenomen", men jag tyckte att bildtiteln ändå kunde passa här eftersom det ändå är vid gaten...

- Väntan på avgång från Flughafen Wien-Schwechat till Stockholm ARN på valborgsmässoafton den 30/4, stränga restriktioner om andningsskydd gällde fortfarande! 

För mig var detta en mellanlandning och transfer från flighten från Hamburg, där ännu de allra sista dagarna av munskyddlagen gällde. Kl. 00:00 på måndag morron 2/5 skulle den restriktionen där upphöra...men kom då Tyskland att vakna upp till ett helt nytt "paradis" den morronen?? Vid tolvslaget infann sig ett helt nytt, fritt Tyskland??

Inte ett uns av flexibilitet eller tillmötesgående noterade jag de tre dagarna jag var i Hamburg - trots att jag hade fått 4:e sprutan och ett covid-test gjort i Hamburg den 28/4 visade negativt resultat!

Jag hade svårt att få luft med munskyddet tight påsatt, jag med min KOL-diagnos från förra året. Ett enda undantag från den hårdnackade inställningen mötte jag: En dam som jobbade vid flygplatsens info-desk, som jag flåsande frågade om hur långt jag hade kvar till min gate, sa generöst på eget initiativ att jag kunde gott och väl ha munskyddet nere om halsen!!

Nåväl, min kortsemester i Hamburg var ändå en positiv upplevelse totalt sett (som vanligt - jag brukar åka dit i a f en gång om året) och bl a jazzklubben Birdland, Gröninger Privatbrauerei, diverse fotoaktiviter och förstås besök hos företagen Meister Camera, Wiese Fototechnik mm.

Den sistnämnda är enligt uppgift från "vanligtvis välunderrättad källa" Hamburgs i särklass bästa kameraverkstad för Leica, Rollei, Sinar etc...

Bilden ovan är den sista på rullen Fomapan 200, den första som jag har provat av detta fabrikat. Jag framkallade i purfärsk D-76 1+1, vid 21° enligt Massive Dev Chart-appen,  och jag är klart impad av detta första försök. En av de första bilderna på rullen, dvs "Colonnaden" blev likaså en positiv överraskning, med bra teckning i skuggor osv. Jag kommer helt klart att prova Fomapan 200 igen! 

Måndag morron, en ny vecka har vi framför oss - fylld av nya möjligheter!! Lev väl och fotografera mera!! 

/Börje 

My first WAXHOLM visit - in the winter!

Image # 1 The Waxholm Fortress, 16th Century, so far never conquered by Russians! 

I might be surprising you by writing this blog in the English language for a change - it is just to make it a more easily "digestive" for dear relatives and friends in other countries and continents... 

The subject for this essay is, as the headline indicates, that in the normally coldest and darkest season there, a spontaneous trip to the well-known seaside resort Waxholm happened to take place on the 16th of January this year 2022.

"Hm...why in the winter?", you probably think.
Well - the immediate answer is of course - "why not"?

I´ve never been there before - it was about time now, and to be guided there by the eminent "ZeroEight" Tommy Lyngborn who is my best photography- and  traveling buddy (in addition to have the chance to meet up there in Waxholm with yet another analogue-photo freak like Tommy and me - who actually lives out there in Waxholm!) was something I hadn’t expected to be that exiting as it actually was! 

Prospects were surprisingly good - although we did not experience the nice weather that we had in the City of Stockholm on the day before. Gray, overcast, a little chilly (almost freezing) and fairly windy, (i.e.  "the 1/50 bl 5,6 milde-Sweden-weather") and the Sunday started out by getting us out there to Waxholm by a steamer, one of the famous shipping vessels (practically a type of "commuter ships", which the Vaxholm ships today are - a classical passenger shipping line with an extensive and interesting history, going back probably a hundred years or more!!)  

Image #2 A modern "Waxholmsbåt" - this is m/s Nämdö, they all have names that directly refer to the this part of the Stockholm archipelage

I started out with the train trip to Stockholm on the early Friday morning in January - the Östersund weather had been stable and fine for a few days, not much snow, so I thought that walking down to our railway station in Östersund would be easy, not having to have a full arctic winter outfit since I was going to travel light this time - pandemic and all. So a light rucksack and the aircraft-cabin bagage-sized wheeled suitcase would be quite enough.

Image # 3 Not yet really awake on the train...

Getting up that morning at 4:00 a.m., I looked through the window and saw that 6-8" of fresh snow had fallen - "no, I won´t rearrange my baggage...it couldn´t be that bad to walk downhill to the station even if it has snowed some".  I actually had to carry all my luggage - the snow was too deep and mushy for the small suitcase with wheels I have, but I got there to the train in time - however not quite effortless!!

Image #4 "We up here in Jämtland are so used to snow, that some snow on walkways are always a "walk-in-the-park..." This is the place where I live...the photo was taken through my living room window.

I arrived in Stockholm C towards noon - a nice trip, very few other travellers most probably because of Covid restrictions...a face mask was recommended, only every other seat was bookable, but no hugging or close contact with strangers etc was allowed. Fine with me! I never was much for hugging strangers anyway!

Image #5   Rödabergsbrinken, the small local street (inserted view) where my aunt lives in a small but comfortable flat, and the bigger picture is a part of the neighborhood "Vasastan" which has always been very attractive to live in...

Rumour has it, that high up in one of the two towers, the famous Zlatan Ibrahimowicz had one of his apartments - the price level for a high class penthouse up there is assumed to be about 70 million SEK! 

As soon as I arrived, I took the Subway to "the Red Mountains", i.e. in the Vasastan quarters, where my aunt Agda has her apartment. A perfect location for this senior citizen´s somewhat suspicious adventures (me), occurring repeatedly in our Capital - "Auntie" Agda has access to a small single bedroom guest flat, at a very attractive price - and that alternative to a hotel room is always very comfortable and practical for me, as well as it is nice for her to now and then have her nephew visiting nearby for a couple of days.

She is in good health, knows that part of Stockholm well, and she is since many years very active and successful with her genealogy research - our ancestry both in Sweden and overseas , and then we can easily "indulge" in some of our common interests. Her baking skills have also really impressed me several times! Not the least to mention, her the delicious "Apfelstrudel",  the Austrian dessert speciality served warm with vanilla sauce as you well know. 

Image #6 My "Landlady" for the weekend - Auntie Agda, who is very dear to me - and a great "Apfelstrudel" baker! This photo was taken with my old artifact camera - "the one I tried to sell to Tristin",  see Image # 16 below!

Image #7 Another famous view over Stockholm, from "Söders höjder" overlooking the water.

My plans for the Friday were, as agreed with Tommy L, who also is the classic car magazine “MG Bulletin” editor, were that he would pick me up with his car and then we would first drop off my recent "acquisition", the TLR Ikoflex camera at Jonas´s workshop in Sumpan for a CLA service. The photo distance adjustment wheel was somewhat jammed, and might need some professional attention. Quickly said and done - Jonas Vikström is a great analogue camera technician to be helped by.

Further north then by car, to Järfälla half an hour away, where I especially looked forward to meet up with a "long lost friend", Per , with whom I haven´t had any contact with for about 40 years. We were close "study buddies" for 3-4  years during the early 70´s at the Umeå University up north - and we both had a particular interest in classic sports cars - his "cup of tea" was the 356 Porsche series, and my favourite car was the magnificent Alfa Romeo.

Image #8  An old analogue photo - taken in Skellefteå early in the spring 1977, when we both had the opportunity to "pose" with our dream cars side by side. The JP wheel rims on my Alfa 2000 GTV 1973 is not that great looking, but the original wheel rims had tyres with spikes for icy and snowy roads on at the time. Per´s Porsche 356 SC 1965 was apparently newly washed and waxed and obviously shines somewhat brighter than my Alfa! Especially the Bertone GTV line - of which I later came to own several models, was the best at that time in my youth.

We both, Tommy and I, were very welcome home to Per that Friday in January - I had managed to reconnect with Per just a few weeks earlier, and it turned out to be a very pleasant reunion. It is some magnificent two-car garage he has now, of course two different 356 series Porsches - adjacent to his house, including a very useful greasing-pit for a serious classic auto enthusiast!

Image #9 Something really out of the ordinary - the Porsche 356 Carrera (1958) type 547/1 engine - now overhauled and ready to be inserted! 

Image #10 Basically the same type 547/1 engine that I photographed 1976, but slightly dismantled or prepared for storage - then it also was a magnificient piece of equipment even for an Bertone italian car freak like me!  

That was about all that day - Tommy dropped me off in the city centre near Auntie´s address, and on entering her cosy flat, dinner was already on the table and the wine bottle opened when I entered! 

Image #11 A refreshing Saturday mid-day walk downtown through Vasaparken - its skating grounds is amazingly popular and pleasant to watch!

A good night´s sleep in the guest flat - in the other building, and then a Saturday with lots of sun and fresh air!
Another old friend from my home town, and also the Umeå University, had the initial "vernissage" of his photo exhibition in the famous Jazz Club "Fasching" in Stockholm´s City centre - he exposed a great collection of his own jazz photography in that club´s premises .

Picture #12 The exhibition "Curator" and "Exhibition General" Kenth together with another admirer visiting  

Over 80 images, most of them black & white, of various jazz musicians that he had portrayed. Lovely! And a glass of champagne on this opening day while I was trying to get a sublime feel if his photography style now is the same as back then 1970 - and his photos were certainly much appreciated. Awesome!

Image #13 The photo exhibition covering one of the walls in the famous jazz club "Fasching"

The exhibitor Kent Wångklev was also, like me, a Canon enthusiast back in the days - at the end of the 60´s he had the Canon FL lens system, I chose the new Canon FD lens system at the beginning of the 70´s. I have blogged about that earlier,  here on Fs. (www.fotosidan.se) if you recall.

Alright, then Tommy and I discussed what to do on the Sunday - and his idea that "why not make a winter expedition out to Waxholm?" OK - fine with me!

Waxholm is a right famous spot in Sweden - my immediate associations when hearing the name Waxholm was, that the fleet of ships covering a large part of the Stockholm archipelage not only for working people but also for leisure and tourism, is quite unique in its own way - the lyrics of the song "Waxholm Ettan" rings a bell in my mind right away. The well built old steamers here, like our own m/s Thomée and s/s Östersund, (built and "inaugurated" the same year 1875) always interest me, since such vessels then were so important for the infrastructure back then in the middle of the 19th century - also up here in Storsjön, and are well known to Jämtar/Norrlänningar... 

We got off early that Sunday morning, I took the Subway out to Slussen, and met up with Tommy there. Tickets were bought, and even a SL card would well be accepted also for the boat fare.

Image # 14 The Stockholm Subway, the "T-Banan" Green Line end station "Slussen"

Off we sailed, and while waiting on the quay at Slussen for the ship to be ready for boarding, the two apparently far travelled girls ahead of us on the quay, had waited longer, and were very nice to talk to.  A mother and her daughter, from Florida,  that were going up to Nordkap to see the Nordic Lights, "Aurora Borealis" and discover more of Sweden as well as Norway. Of course, one can hardly expect to see the Nordic Lights in the summer up there, so it seemed perfectly reasonable to do such a trip in December.

Image #15 Waiting to get on board and the ship´s departure - a dull rainy day with weak photo light...hence the lack of sharpness 

They had a lot of luggage, but seemed to manage that quite well without any help from nearby standing male "porters". Tommy and I didn´t ask - which we probably should have done, but at least I got the immediate impression that they were quite capable of handling their luggage themselves!

What was especially impressive, was that the daughter, who couldn´t be older than in her early twenties, is a professional civil pilot flying passengers all over the North American continent! Awesome!  

We talked during most of the sea voyage out to Waxholm, and I just had to show my recently acquired Zeiss Super Ikonta 531,  note that the image below looks like I am trying to sell them my old artefact camera!

Picture # 16 Tristin (in full awe!) over the features and the provenience of my old camera! (Smart phone photo by Tommy L)

Now, they showed a true interest in what we told the about Stockholm and how to get to Sigtuna by bus/train or similarly. I receommended them, for travelling up to Nordkap, that to use the Norwegian Hurtigrutten´s great possibilities in Norway and travel along the coast instead of inland by train in Norway, but the travel cost on that shipping line might be fairly high.

I myself have in fact done such a cruise, from Harstad (southbound) to Trondheim via Lofoten islands, so I felt I could well recommend them to cruise with Hurtigrutten northbound up there from Bergen on the Norwegian south coast. The present off-season could even mean lower cruise prices, I thought. 

Image #17 Not many people on the quay this morning - in the background the historically important fortress of Waxholm. 

Well arrived in Waxholm after about one and a half hour sailing, the girls headed off to a part out there that I did not know about, a short ferry distance to another nearby island, I believe. We wished them good luck and a safe onward journey - hoping that parts of their huge luggage would be successfully air freighted back to Florida for their travel conveniance.  

Tommy and I walked around the harbor area of Waxholm - we both took a few pictures (analogue!) across the water, of a comparatively small island opposite of the quay, where the famous big fortress of Waxholm rises. In the year 1548 the first part for protection of the  inlet to Stockholm was finished, and successively there were other extensions added. During the year 1833 a total reconstruction was begun, that led to the present shape of the fortress. Since year 1548 it has been situated there intact, and is one of the few Scandinavian castles that the Russian forces never have been capable to conquer or surpass, not ever, during the more than 500 years of history!)  

However, towards noon we were both very thirsty, hungry and somewhat frozen, so we decided then to have lunch somewhere nice - "Hamnkrogen" seemed to suit us fine. A large draft beer to start with, then a Hamburger plate for Tommy and the classical Swedish Meatballs with a cream sauce for me, it all tasted very good indeed.

Image #18 At last - that beer and the food in addition, was exactly what we needed then!

At the same time we also rang our friend Sigvard Eklund (another fotosidan.se member and analogue photo enthusiast) as promised, who lives permanently in such an interesting environment. I had called him on the phone the day before, to hear if it would be possible for him to meet up with us on the Sunday..."Certainly" he said. "Give me a call some time after 12 - then I´ll catch up with you"... he said. This was also the very first time we met, both for Tommy and me, and thanks to the Fotosidan membership we thought the we probably would have the about the same taste for b/w photography! 

Image #19 This was a very good place - "Hamnkrogen" is definitely no "greasy spoon"...delicious food to reasonable prices!

Yes, by the time we got to the coffe after the luncheon meal, Sigvard turned up at the pub and also had a cup of coffee with us. That was actually the very first time him and me met IRL, so that was about time! He is also a photography enthusiast, owning the same type of camera as  Tommy (Yashica 4G) and my Ikoflex - a twin lens mirror reflex, analogue camera for 120-spool sized film.   He and Tommy told me that visiting Waxholm in the summer is an entirely different thing - jammed with people - lots of life, tourists, yacht owners, sailors and much more to see and enjoy. 

Image #20 Me and Sigvard, enjoying our coffee

After lunch it started to rain - and Sigvard drove us around the tiny centre of Waxholm, to give us a glimpse of the idyllic scenery there and the narrow streets with old but well maintained houses. Must be a real treat to live there in the summer!!

Image #21 The Waxholm City Hall, analog (probably the worst picture in this blog!)

The thing is, that I´m not quite comfortable yet with the special viewer of that camera - I have to rely partly on my experience of focal length and lens angle width - which nevertheless was a complete failure for especially this picture. The least you can expect of a photographer who is trying to portray a certain building, is that the whole building is visible on his final picture. Which I sadly did not manage this time!

The camera is old, so is me the owner - the camera (Tessar 7 cm f3.5) lens was manufactured i Germany in April 1936 - many years before I even could hold a camera safely. But I am confident that I will cope with the viewer in due course, an also always remember to tilt the camera vertically for landscape views! Why? The negative size is 4.5 x 6 centimeters, enabling 16 frames on a 120 size spool - standing! 

Later that afternoon, we boarded the ship back to Stockholm City, and I took the Subway back to Auntie and Tommy returned home to his flat in Kärrtorp. I had some shopping to do during the following Monday, and late that afternoon I railed back to Östersund on the evening train. The summary of this "Big City Stockholm" weekend trip was perfect in nearly all aspects - only the poor b/w Street Photography during the dull weather on the Sunday in Waxholm was maybe a disappointment but can always be justified by the old saying "there is no bad weather - only unsuitable clothing (and too low film sensitivity for any artifact camera)" 

I have now developed the negatives taken - fine, good b/w technical quality in some cases but no real surprises - my initial digital photo of the fortress was perhaps one of the best (digital) pictures I took that weekend.

Tips/recommendations/corrections concerning e.g. facts in my blog are gladly received by me - your comments are most welcome as usual!!

Au revoir...!

/B

Bra köp på nätauktion?

1. jag tycker mej ha gjort en bra affär…köpte denna gamla analogkamera billigt på nätauktion nyligen. Superfint skick, fick paketet idag, och nu ska jag ladda den med en Ilford HP5 och ta lite testbilder i morron…
2. Kanske framkallar jag filmen redan i morron kväll? 
3. Mera info kommer!
4. /B
5. (varför min text blivit en numrerad lista förstår jag inte - jag har bloggat från min iPad!)

Tillägg till bloggen julafton 2021: …Och så är cirkeln sluten!! se bilden nedan…

Bilden togs troligen sommaren 1951 då jag var tre och ett halvt år...och så började mitt fotointresse!

Jag håller i farsans gamla Zeiss Ikoflex 6x6, som jag hade kvar ända tills jag sålde av alla mina analoga fotogrejer 2008 - den här kameran borde jag ju ha sparat, vid närmare eftertanke. Min mamma Ebba hjälper mig att hålla kameran rätt - hon ville nog inte att jag skulle tappa en så dyr kamera...!

Ytterligare tillägg:

Första bilden: Ilford FP4+, Kodak D-76 1+1 i 11 minuter 20°, avfotograferad m Tamron SP 90 mm f2,8 macro, 5DMk3, Cr2, (iso 640 Bl.8 1/13 sek) samt bildbehandlad i Ps.

OBS: (Jag har precis ersatt den hittillsvarande bilden på bensinmacken Frösövägen 34, 2021, med en nyfotad, nyframkallad och nyscannad bild från nyårsafton/-dagen 2022..., på "skorven" m/s Thomée nere i Badhusparken Östersund)

Det är möjligt att det finns en del att anmärka på (slarvig scanning med mkt dammprickar etc..., reflexen (??) uppe i högra hörnet?), men en nytagen bild ur kameran är det i alla fall.  Och så pjåkigt är det väl inte för ett objektiv tillverkat i maj 1948??

Även denna bild, ("Toppenbild" - inte pga bildkvalitet utan för att den är tagen uppe på toppen av Frösöberget, den högsta punkten i Östersund m.o.) tagen senare på dan...

Det kanske fortfarande finns kvar några dammprickar som borde ha klonats bort?

1/50, Bl.8 - uppe på Frösöberget, där man når Gustavsbergsbacken och den nyare Ladängen, båda med skidlift, och så finns ju där fortfarande Frösötornet med café mm. Tillgängligt med bil, tillräckligt med P-platser för det mesta.

Min bil fick utgöra huvudmotiv, när jag tog denna bild - inte med oändligt avstånd inställt utan jag fokuserade på registreringsskylten för att kolla om kameran fokuserar rätt.

Framåt mot nya djärva mål under 2022!!

/B

Nytt tillägg 9/1 2022: Den gamla Ikoflexen, dvs farsans kamera som jag håller i vid unga dagar (3,5 å5) ovan, hade inte Tessar-objektiv utan Novar (75 mm f 3,5?) och jag hittade just ett gammalt kvitto från NFC i Umeå, från 1972: Med ledning av serienumret på kvittot (Nr.734561 )kan kan då man avgöra hur gammal den kameran var, och var det också en typ Ikoflex 1a?? Numret på kvitton har 6 siffror - Tessarnumret på min nyförvärvade Ikoflex 1a är 7 siffror...stämmer det?

Se hela kvittot nedan:

Notera också priset för servicen...är vad en film kostar idag! (fast jämförelsen är väl iofs ointressant...)

/B

Första filmen med Zeiss Super Ikontan

Nu har jag framkallat första filmen tagen med "artefaktkameran", min nyligen förvärvade Zeiss Ikon Super Ikonta 531, med Tessar-objektiv 7,0 cm/f3,5 tillverkat i April 1936. Motivet här, Af Chapman på Djurgården, förevigades med bländare 8, 1/100 på 120-filmen Ilford FP4+, körd 11 minuter i D-76 1+1. 

Negativet i storlek 4,5 x 6 cm är avfotograferat på ljuslådan med min DLSR Canon 5D III, och Tamron 90 mm macroobjektiv på stativ. 

Jag är förstås mycket nöjd - och ser fram mot fortsatta äventyr med den gamla trotjänaren! Riktigt roligt! Nu drar vi fram filmen och går vidare mot nya bilder -  vi analognördar, låt oss inte nedslås av de digitalfantaster och vanliga husbehovsfotografer som inte fattar varför vi envisas med gammal teknik! Men vi dissar ju inte det digitala för det, eller hur?

En särskild eloge vill jag ge till Peter Hennig som guidat mig i Zeiss intressanta historia och gett mig bra tips. Likaså stort tack till Bob Bovin, bra tips om CLA hos Jonas Vikström, Analoga Kameror i  Sumpan.

/B 

Styrelsemöte i Coronarider

Det var länge sedan vi kunde samlas på detta sätt - och vi var ju i alla fall färre än 8 pers här. Jag som adjungerad i styrelsen (”får tycka men inte rösta”) och försedd med mobilkamera och Lightroom-app däruti för att obemärkt kunna ta bild i rawformat, kunde dokumentera läget.

Men föreningens framtid är ännu mycket oviss...nu planerar vi ju att försöka genomföra årsmötet som ett digitalt Zoom-möte. Men det är inte lätt för gamlingar som vi som inte bara ofta möter den trista ålderismen nuförtiden men vi är också noviser på det datortekniska!

Obsevera bara att Odd-Fellowloggan på kaffekoppen inte alls har med föreningens verksamhet att göra!

/B