My First Front Page

It feels good to wish you a Merry Christmas with some good news. This is my first front page photograph. Not the best quality I can show as I had to scan the magazine. It all came about in a great hurry so there are (in my opinion) a few flaws - but I'll do better next time.
Photography-wise, 2006 has been a good year and I am hoping 2007 will be even better.
Health-wise I have had better years, but the meds are figuring out what is wrong and soon I'll be feeling better, that is what I have got my head set on at least.
Money-wise. grrrrrr. The economy in Iceland is not as strong as it has been lately and the krona has been losing ground throughout 2006. That means that I am getting less and less for my pension as it is in Icelandic currency. Since January 1st, it has lost almost a quarter of it's worth as the krona has been devalued time and time again. It's is sad so see money disappear in that way and there is bugger all I can do about it. The latest news from Iceland indicates that matters will get even worse in 2007. I'll cope, some way or other. Hopefully the parties in majority will lose in the elections in May and hopefully things will turn around.

But, I wanted to sign off this year on a more optimistic note. Lets sharpen our pencils and hope for a colourful new year with new opportunities, new adventures and good health.
I wish you a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous New Year!

Christmas

Only seven days till Christmas. These lights were part of the Christmas decorations in Aarhus in Jutland. The whole pedestrian street had this starry sky above - gave a wonderful cosy atmosphere. I need to post one more so you can get the idea.


It was so wonderful to stroll under those lights, do a tiny little bit of Christmas shopping, enjoy the fact that the streets ARE meant for us all, with or without a wheelchair. The authorities here in the capital could learn a lot and they don't have to travel far. Cobble stone is hard for many wheelchair users. Designing two lanes on each side of the street, laid with concrete slates makes a huge difference, and those slates are pretty too.

Theana

This fur hat and the army coat is something I found in Praha or Prague a few years ago. When dpc had a challenge called Bond, James Bond I can't say that I was inspired by the title, but Theana has been visiting Denmark for a few months, and I knew she would make a perfect model. This is only a tryout - but as she couldn't make it on the day we had decided to meet and to a real photo shoot, I decided this one had some good things going for it and decided to submit it.
Tomorrow Theana goes back home to the US. Have a safe trip - it has been so nice to have you around for a while - we will miss you.

Barsebäck Closing

In the distance there, straight up from the lone paddler, you can see the Swedish powerplant at Barsebäck. Building a nuclear powerplant so close to another country was being daring to say the least, and yes, many Danies have protested throughout the years. At the same time the have been dependent on the electricity - and bought kw or two :)
In the Spring of 2005 the last reactor was closed down and a few days ago the last load of radioactive waste was shipped from the plant. In 2020, or thereabouts, the whole place will be gone.
I used to live not far from that place when I studied at the University in Lund, never did like the idea of nuclear power, still don´t. I'm thrilled that it has closed down.

My First Front Page :)

The next number of RYK! Magazine will have this shot on the front page. I took the picture in April for another number of said magazine, an article about Amager Strandpark, an area here in Copenhagen that has gone through a total makeover and special attention has men given to those who use a wheelchair to get around. I had set the shot up and then I saw this woman approaching so I made sure I got one with her too. This is close to the airport, so there are planes coming in for landing all the time, but I am glad that the timing turned out to be really good.
You can see it here: www.ryk.dk

Playing with 2 Photographs

Hungry!

Still the same fantastic weather and a joy to go out with the camera. This swan is still young and therefore not white yet, but in a few months I am sure it will be white and wonderful.
I am not sure, but there seem to be more swans on Søerne this year than before.
Was practicing to take tilted photographs, therefore it looks like this.

Postcard from Rügen, Deutschland

I made this shot from Sellin into a postcard. It was one of the challenges on dpc and it did pretty good. Many really beautiful postcards in that challenge - voting was like travelling all over the world.

Golden Autumn

Global warming is indeed a huge problem for our planet. Imagine driving around the beautiful roads of Rügen, Germany in 17°C on November 15th. Look at all the leaves still hanging on. In Denmark this has been the warmest Autumn ever. Never has November been so warm, not since the Danes started to record the weather conditions in the 19th century.
Yes, it look beautiful but the fact that so many leaves are still on the trees is not a good sign. I got this caricature from a friend who does care and uses her time wisely, trying to put up a fight, standing firmly on nature's side. I am sorry to have to say that the point being made here below goes for too many leaders in the world, it is as if they could not care less. For clarification, J. Howard is Australia's Prime Minister.

No name

I never did give her a name, but she has been around for close to 50 years. My daughters loved her too and so does my granddaughter. A little spooky maybe, but she is a great friend.

Rügen, Deutschland

Back home after three days in Northern Germany. Combining work and pleasure in wonderful surroundings was a real treat. We were based in Stralsund but managed to see a lot of Rügen, Germany's largest island. The weather was fantastic, over 15°C. This shot is from Kap Arkona.

Stormy November

Dark and stormy evenings - this is another onw from the evening Rebekka and I went for a drive. We were equally fascinated by the strength of the wind, the big waves and all that water covering the roads.

Going for black&white

I have not done much black&white photography, but a dpc-challenge sent me on a b/w mission. The conversion is done in Photoshop and as I might enter something into the challenge, I can't post any of the shots here untill later. But I did fool around with this shot a little bit. Winter came very suddenly on November 1st, but now it is getting warmer again; the weatherpeople say that we might get up to 15°C next week. Here I was, looking forward to a real winter, thinking it came early this year. A beautiful day it was and this shot was taken just before sunset.

13 of my shots are in flickr explorer

And it is impossible for me not to brag. I have had 12 shots in there for weeks now, but finally there are 13, for now at least. It changes from day to day so I grabbed them while I had the chance.

Surreal Pink

The light yesterday was breathtaking but strange. Can't remember seeing anything like and am thrilled that I brought the Nikon. I took this shot almost half an hour after the sun had set and the moon had taken over.

Almost Normal Again

And here we are, yet again and things are back to normal here on this beach. But many places in Denmark are still floaded. Denmark has not seen anything like this in more than 100 years.

In the Middle of a Storm

Same place, but not the exact same view, as I would have been in water up to my waist. Rebekka and I enjoyed our hot chocolate sitting in the car and looking at the waves. You can see the sticks almost right in the middle of the shot, I stood there when I took the shot right below here only 3 days ago.

After the Storm

Wonderful Autumn days even though there was a storm this weekend; the first Autumn storm of the season. Going out to Klampenborg and just looking out at sea from Bellevue Beach is a favourite place. During this time of the year we frequently go out there; a relaxing place. In the Winter the birds love a visit from anyone that brings bread, so that is what we do - bring bread.

Before the Storm

I managed to take a few shots yesterday and it turned out that my timing was good; the first Autumn storm came last night so a lot of the leaves are now on the ground, or in the water in this case. The shot above would hardly be possible today but the one below would of course. This little lake is in Slagslunde Skov, not far from Copenhagen but yet it is out in the country. Actually not far from where Janke lived when she was in her early teens. Beautiful surroundings and I would have taken many more if we had been there a little earlier, but the sun set while I took these so we just headed home.

Autumn

The fact that we still have 15°C almost every day and it is late October is probably due to global warming. I am hopeful and sure we will find ways to turn things around. This planet is so precious, we can't move house, pick another planet. Not yet anyway.
You can help out by not taking the car at all times, there are busses, trains, trams, bicycles, wheelchairs and your own two feet.
The shot is from this afternoon in Fælledparken.

Tivoli Gardens

The Tivoli Gardens have been open this week. The schools are having the usual Autumn break and therefore they opened for a week with halloween as a theme. In November they will open up again and stay open till just after Christmas.

Trains & Railroads

That one is not good enough, but despite the rain, I am going out now intent on getting a better result. Something to match that Platform nine and three quarters.

Birthday and Christmas coming up :)

And as a service to all those that have constant complaints when picking a present for me, I have made a wishlist on Amazon, the link is posted just below the clock here on the blog (at the top).
Remember that buying used books on Amazon is a great idea. I have done so many times and always go for the "as good as new" ones (if there are any). They have all been just that - as good as new, with one exception, so it is worth it as there is a huge difference in price.
Yours truly rates photography books very highly at the moment.

ICE & US - WPL3 starts on October 29th.

The new team in World Photography League is ready to start shooting. 7 participants, 6 ladies and one gentleman. In a few days the site will be up and running, and you are welcome to follow us there. The shot I used to make our logo is made by one of the teammates, Sigrún Þorvarðar, and the eye belongs to her 16 year old daughter. Many of Sigrún's shots have a texture that are truly beautiful. She takes good shots and seems to master Photoshop better than yours truly, much better. Here is a link to the WPL site: http://www.knology.net/~scottwhid/

Woody in the Wilderness

Trying to discover new places in our hometown, Janke and I drove as far out in Nordhavn as we could without getting our feet wet that is. I guess the whole area will be developed and a bit boring in less than ten years, but till then, we will enjoy our little picnics. Ms. Woody here had fun and was glad we brought her along for the outing. There is a Woody challenge on dpc this week, but I am not entering, just enjoying the ribbon.

My very first ribbon on dpchallenge

I know. You have seen this shot, it might even be visible on this very page. But I simply can't resist uploading it again since the results in the Electricity challenge have been recalculated and the shot that was in 3rd place has been DQ-ed. That makes me the recipient of the yellow ribbon.

Shot is taken in Fyn in September when I went to Hobro in Jutland to meet Janke and we drove back together, in slow mo actually. Took all the country roads in Fyn as I have never been there properly. Lots of times by train and by car, but that does not give photo ops. I really like the landscape, not as flat as most of Jutland and Sealand :)

At Statoil in Fredensborg

After a long drive last Sunday, the windshield looked pretty terrible. I know that it was October 1st but this Autumn has been like no other. We went to Tisvilde and had our lunch outside by the water and people were going in, in bathing suits, not wet suits. The insects are out there and the windshield is like a battlefield after a day on the road. I have always hated driving around with a dirty windshield, so I just had to wash it while at a tank station.

I might be almost six feet tall but the VW Caravelle is tall too, so I have to stand on the bumper in order to reach all the way.

Up close and personal

Borrowed an old 400mm lens from a friend. Really interesting to get so close and yet stay far away. 400mm on a digital camera, in this case my Nikon D70, is the equivalent of 600mm on a filmcamera. I tried it out yesterday for the first time, forgot the tripod at home but I will remember it today. This lens is pretty long and hard to keep still; tripod is a must. No VR here like on the 70-200 I have on my wishlist.
One of my pals on flickr commented that this was not so good a lens "wrinklewise" but this good looking woman, a totatal stranger by the way, does not have to worry, I think she looks great.

Some months ago, I started geting a bit more serious about flickr and my profile there. It is a very different place than dpchallenge.com as there are no competitions and the discussion are about anything and everthing and in a different way, more relaxed. My shots are getting views and comments and faves and this morning I saw that 9 of them are on flickr explorer.

You see them all here: http://flickr.com/photos/myndir/

Silhouette-training

Standing in front of a church in Valby last night after enjoying som Indian food, hot Indian food. It is fun to (try) capturing a good silhouette - this one is not half bad.

At the Busstop

If you live in H.C. Andersen country, you must be prepared for just about anything - like spotting a real fairy about to take the bus.

Summer in September - Part Two - Take Two

At long last, Blogger was on my side today and I was able to upload. Click on these first two and view them larger, you'll find that it is worth it.
Rebekka and Janke and I spent last Saturday out at Amager Strandpark. In April I took a shot of the Russian Church towndown knowing that the Danish princess Dagmar, who later became Empress Maria Fyodorovna was going to be reburied in September (see my blog from May 8th.) A 140 years ago, last Saturday, she left Denmark. So it was appropriate to chose that day for her remains to start that journey again. Her reburial is today, in St Petersburg, Russia were her husband Zahr Alexander was buried so many years ago.

This wessel, Esbern Snare, carries her remains.

Rebekka got her ears pierced last week, looks very nice. And I have now got the diamond studs that Anna made for me last winter. Yes, we are looking pretty sharp these days :)

A dreamy look into the future and I hope the sun will keep shining for her.

Two souls comparing their soles.

There was a techno party not so far from were we had our picknic, this young woman was very happy - her dancing does convey that I think.

A young girl taking a bike-ride on a specially built tricycle - most probably very happy to have the opportunity to ride a bike like most Danes do on a daily basis.

From Fyn, Part Two

I entered a dpchallenge with this one, so I couldn't post it untill today. It did very well, a new personal best. Tha case continues.

Summer in September - Part Two

Well, I have several shots from last Saturday. But Blogger has got indigestion it seems, can't upload. :/

Summer in September

Yes, it is September 21st and it should be autumn here in this little corner of the world, but with temperatures above 20°C, it is more like summer. We went for a long drive today. First a picknic in Hellerup, by the sea and then we went to Raadvad. We visited both places last winter when the temperature was below zero, a huge difference of course.
The sky above was both very big and very blue but these two guys wanted to occupy the same place in space.

Circus - an adventure

One of my childhood memories is seeing the film Toby Tyler, a film about a boy that wants to become a a circus artist. My childhood friend Kristín and I still talk about that Sunday when we went to see the film. As I remember it, we saw that film more than once. I had no circus-artist-dream and it was only last week that I saw a real circus for the first time. I went with Rebekka and all her friends from kindergarten.
It was a treat of course and this afternoon Janke and I went for a stroll to visit the circus - the family that runs the Cirkus Dannebrog are friends of hers and as they are situated just down the street while they are in Copenhagen, we went to say hello. I took the camera along and this is Agnete, born and raised in a circus family.