It's so goddamn cold!

And windy, and rainy… In other words people who say "Bornholm is not Denmark…" You might wanna tell that to the weather… Because it's cold outside now… 
And my car is at the auto shop. "You just make sure we have the car by 7:30 Monday, then we'll have all day to look at it." Well they've had all Monday, and Tuesday… Nothing has happened yet (went by both days after work to check on it…).
So i've had to ride the bicycle to and from work the last 2 days. 6.5 kilometers most of them along the coast line… That's cold and wet. Luckily i have a nice and warm house to return too…
In my dreams that is, because my 2 radiators is connected to the power socket, which on the power outlet is the socket right next to the light in my bedroom… So each morning (due to laziness) i'm turning of the power socket to my bed room lightning, instead of bending down in over my bed and turn of the light with the little switch mounted on the light… Long story short… My clumsy fingers also some times turn of the heat in my house. Which is what happened today… Dramatisation here:

So cold and tired as i was i went in through the door, noticing a slight raise in the temperature… First i take off my jacket… Then my shoes… My hallway is always cold, so i hurry into my living room… Which is as cold as my hallway… Feel the radiator... cold… Check the socket… GODDAMN YOU MORNING HURRY CLUMSY JONAS… I see that "morning hurry clumsy Jonas" has left the dive on the "2 chair comfy" i always have (where i eat, work, game, and watch tv… Anyway the lazy bastard most have felt cold due to the cold mornings… Then stretched leaving for work as much as possible (without being late) and then ran out the door hitting both the right and the wrong switch… Goddamn and bless him… (Damn for the cold… Bless for the duve… I turn on the radiators and decide i'm to cold to battle my "fireplace" or cook at the moment… After an hour of "regenerating" i decide to take up the battle with the "fireplace", followed by the mighty "dishwashing battle", and the cooking battle… And 10-20minutes later… Hot supper in a hot house with small slippers and fireplace burning… Seated in "the 2 chair comfy" nice and warm…

End of drama ;)

Uh… Did i mention that the circulation pump in the store had stopped working? No? Well there've been no heat at work for the last 2 days… cold… cold… COLD!

But if you had the choise what would you prefer… November storm, or November rain… I've made my choise i choose…


Novemer rain of course… Great songs beats crappy weather 

Say hello to my new friend

His name is Wilbur… He's white, a little creepy (he scared my colleague when he arrived.) Uh and he loves halloween… 
You wanna see him?

You sure you wanna?

I'm warning you! he's creepy!

No! He's not a Grasshopper…

No! he's not the Grasshopper Goofy uses to catch fish!




That's not him! 

This is Wilbur!

Wilbur the human skull… (replica of course)

Now Wilbur has come all the way from China to bee a model for me when i'm taking pictures… And when he's not modeling he's sitting in my "hallway" scaring away strangers… 

Strangers be like: "Oh Jonas is such a nice boy, faithful, skilled, nice, hot, sexy and so on… Let's surprise visit him…" 

Then when they open the door Wilbur's gonna be like "BUH!" And scaring all away (except the hot girls of course ;) )… Yeah… As if… No I always at some point end up getting ideas for shoots involving skulls… And i always run around asking everyone for a skull… Well now i've gotten my own.

You should watch my Facebook site carefully… I've already taken the first shots, and i'm gonna upload them as soon as they're edited :)

The clumsy unlucky mee...

Today (Sunday the 10th of October) i set out to find the chapel of Salomon... Now i have no pictures from the trip... Because i luckily left my camera at home. But i set out to find the chapel of salomon... A ruin probably as old as "Hammershus"... And with some help from my boss, who shoved me the right location on a map... I was able to find it... Guarded by an army of sheeps, and their sheep shit... I had to walk trough the army of sheeps, and their sheep shit, which was all over the place... Try to avoid it... YOU CAN'T! Stupid sheeps.

Anyhow i walked the distance, and found the Chapel. But darkness was upon me, so i took some mental notes, for the light painting idea i had, and then i started walking back... One problem though... It had become so dark i couldn't find the road... So survival instinct hit... I had my map, i knew in which direction the nearest city was, i knew in which direction the ocean was, and i could see a land mark... So i pulled out the map, and started walking... And i think i at first was walking in the right direction... But when i lost sight of the landmark (a light tower called Hammerenfyr)... I kept on walking in what i thought was the right direction. But when i came to an open spot where i could see the light tower again... It was closer, which meant i'd been going in the wrong direction... So i started walking in another direction. And i found the city... But not the parking lot... An idea struck: "Go to the city, and ask for directions... You're hungry, and have been going for 45 minutes (not kidding!)..." So i started climbing down this mix between cliff and danish forrest thing... And it just kept getting steeper, and steeper, until i got to this very steep and slippery spot. 

I realized that i had to sit and slowly and controlled stretch, and reach the next little piece of ancient seafloor (that's what most of the island is made of)... But when i was almost in sitting position... My foot slept... Sliding down the ancient sea floor, on to the next one, past that one, and a couple more... Oh yeah, and i was in the other end...Trying to grab what ever i could... Funny thing, i landed on my ass, almost lost my glasses, nothing broken... And alive... 
Now i know i didn't die... But that feeling of me loosing power over what happens next... I thought it would be a lot worse... I was sure that if i survived that fall, i would break something... It was very steep! 

I got up... Damage check like the terminator: "Any systems reporting errors..." "Yes! Ass is complaining a lot!" "Okay... But everything else is working?" "Yes..." "Then tell ass to shut up, and start climbing again... We've gotten a lot closer to the city now... And the map... Where's the map?! Oh what the fuck... We don't need that... Go for the light!" 

I got down to the city, and found a sign that said my parking spot was 2 kilometers in a direction i didn't think i could come at the top of the cliffs/ancient seafloor... So.. With ass still complaining i started walking... And i came past this kiosk which was closing, and i saw some guy drop a bag of sweets... Now i'm a nice guy... But still i'm young... And young guys in Denmark has a bad reputation amongst some old people... And this guy was old... Here started a mental discussion with myself...  A part of me wanted to be nice, and pick up the back and give it to the old man... But another part was afraid that he would think i was stealing it, and shout and say things like: thief or vandal... So that part just wanted to keep walking... But i don't wanna live in a society where you'll have to be afraid to help strangers... So i walked over, picked up the bag of sweets, and said: "Excuse me i think you dropped something..." And the guy surprised as he was said: "Thank you, and you just happened to see that." Me feeling kind of awkward: "Yeah well have a good evening." And then i walked away, hearing him talking to a coworker: "That was a nice thing that young man just did"... Now i don't think i've changed that man... But i want to change society... I want clean environment... And young people helping the elders... Or just people doing good deeds... And how do we get to that... Well my pictures depicts society as i see it right now... The wake up call... So what we'll have to do is: "ARK"... one Act of Random Kindness at a time... We need to make random kindness acceptable... By doing random kindness... I'm gonna start... And i hope people will join me.



   

Juust a slight detour...

Now as a photographer... An adventures one... You have to travel some, and take as many opportunities to learn, and try new things. 

So some time ago, i heard about this "photomeetup" in Copenhagen allegedly the biggest one in Denmark. And i was like: "I live on Bornholm, that's not that far away from Copenhagen... I better get one of those "Bornholmer Kort", so i can travel to Copenhagen cheap. 

Only one problem... There's only one cheap way to leave Bornholm, and thats by ferry... AND FERRY LEAVES PORT 6:20! I'M NOT AN A PERSON!!
It was a miracle i got out of bed... I think i thought i was dreaming the alarm i set for 5 woke me up. It was only till i heard the one 5:10 i started thinking something was wrong with the alarm clock... "It's not 5 yet!" I thought... Then in some kind of morning haze i accidentally looked at the clock... 5:15... 5:15? 5:15!!! Omg! I need a shower, clothes, and a 30 minute drive to Rønne... Now you're thinking: "That's more than enough time." But me i'm very slow in the morning... And i know it... So speedy, speedy... And i remembered my tickets, equipment, and almost everything else... BUT i forgot my "Bornholmer Kort"! Which meant i had to pay full price... Very important for me to get to Copenhagen, so i paid... No reason to cry over wasted milk. 

3 hours travel... Luckily i love traveling. It's so relaxing, and you can watch that movie you haven't had time to watch.

9:20... Copenhagen. I got out of the bus, looking forward to the photomeetup. the sky was blue, the air full of poisoned CO2. I took a breath, and almost killed myself... Nah, i was fine.
But my white "photo umbrella" didn't survive the trip... So i thought: "Hmm... I could try without, or i could go looking for the nearest PhotoCare..." I looked up: "PhotoCare København". I thought i could go in there, and buy something used... Maybe butterfly him a little by telling him i WAS from another PhotoCare, and also maybe say something about i'm looking for an internship. Buut, it was Sunday, and Sunday means that almost all stores are closed, including PhotoCare.

So i started walking towards my first stop... Christiania... It's a tradition, i love that place, so different and free. 
Anyhow... This is what you find when using a public toilet in Copenhagen

It says: "ONLY cannulas goes in the cannulabox..." 

When seeing that, i immediately said to myself: "Welcome to the big city..." And then a little later i met some... I think danish tourists, who asked me for directions... Now i'm from Jutland... And i've only been in copenhagen 3 times... I replied: "I live on Bornholm..." And they were like: "Ooow... Well thanks."

So after being reminded about how different Copenhagen is, compared to Herning, i started my journey to christiania... And with a black leather jacket, and my big photo bag, and maybe  just a liiitle of jutlandish gumption. I arrived 40 minutes later, an was met with the same feeling of excitement as the first time i visited Christiania. 
It's like... You walk in this modern city, with people acting like robots, driving the same volvo, having the same children, in an automated search of happiness... But then you get sick of that, and start looking for the spectacular, the different... And then you find this special place in this new, and modern city... It's, just so magical... And then you see all the drugs, and some guy just stares at your camera: "Is it off?... It better be off... I'm gonna let this one slide." But if you look past the drugs... And seek out the real christiania (where you can take pictures). You'll find this magical ravaged place, where you wonder why anyone can live there.

Anyhow moving on to the photomeetup, there was like a LOT of people... Sadly but expected more photographers than models. Many showing off with big advanced flash systems, and fancy cameras... Me, i had my light stand, one speedlight, and a broken photo umbrella... And also some spare batteries, and extra lenses... Simple packing... 
I started asking around if someone had an umbrella i could borrow for my flash... And after a little while the guy who arrenged it all came to me: "Are you still looking for an umbrella?" I of course replied yes... And then he said: "I might have one in my car, please follow me." When we then came out to his car he just out of the blue said: "Here, hold my camera." (A very expensive Nikon D4)... Now i know Nikons never break... Have one myself... But i don't have 40.000 kr. to spend on a new camera... So i was verrry carefull. Looking at it, touching it softly. And then he gave me an umbrella, and i was like: "When do i return it?" And he said: "Keep it, i don't use it anymore..." That really saved my day...

So i started "shooting" some pictures, when my phone said someone had written a comment to my "checkin" on Facebook... You know, i had to tell Facebook that i'm in Copenhagen of course... Anyhow, it was an old friend whom i hadn't seen in many years... He asked if we could meet, so i gave him the address to the photomeetup. So i took a break from shooting, and caught up with my friend, had a blast, and we visited Christiania, before he took me back, and saw me "shoot" for some time, then we said goodbye. 

Now besides from meeting old friends, i met some photographers, and models... And actually the one photographer i talked most with, was a guy that i'm following on Facebook... (I first found out about that some days after i got home...) But we pretty much agreed on that it was a little sad to see all the 35+ women in "sexy" outfits... He inspired me to be more outgoing, and not so much an "underdog". 

At 17:00 people started going home... I'd gotten pretty much what i came for... So i took off, and started walking back to the bus... And when i was almost at the bus stop... I saw something i hadn't seen for around 2-3months... A McDonalds restaurant... And this is where it get's dangerous... Because... I was hungry... And i had some spare time... SO I ATE A BURGER... okay! I know i'm gonna be fat... But it was soooo good... Damn you Copenhagen... Clean for 3 months... And then this... I'm weak! 

Burger done... On the bus... Then on the ferry... And then home! And then sleep!

One of the many great things about Bornholm

They have the most beautiful Nature over here... And lots of old cozy cities, which are very small... And filled with "death trap corners"... Some places you have ZERO visibilities, so you'll have to like stretch your neck... Looking very concentrated to your left and right, while moving the car forward slowly because... BAM! a wild tourist can appear out of the blue (and they are an endangered specie at this time of year, and therefor protected)... 

But these small cities. Now there's a reason to why they are not for cars... They are very old. And here's the amazing part... They are filled with all these old beautiful buildings and churches. I'm actually making a series with most of them. 

Olsker Round church (tallest of all the round churches)

Gudhjem Church

Magnificent buildings... I was thinking about light painting them... But i really don't wanna be at a graveyard at night... YOU JUST DON'T DO THAT... Respect the dead... Some people might say: "They're dead!" Not me... My dad is looking down on me from paradise judging me, and explaining to god why i do stupid things when i do stupid things... (He does the same with my little sister, and little brother (what a mouthful ;) )... So because i respect the dead, and graveyards are scary i don't walk there at night... This is one of the FEW things i don't do in the line of art! (Viking grave hills is an exception... Don't as why... I don't have an answer).

Uh, and i'm coming to Copenhagen this Sunday! YAY! :D  

Old habits... They tend to die really hard...

I've since i arrived at Bornholm, been looking for abandoned houses... But they're apparently hiding for me... I mean... People are pretty much leaving Bornholm, or dying (which is a shame by the way...) But there's not a lot of abandoned houses over here... I think i've found one... And i've heard of another... 

But i still wanted to do some light painting again... So i had to come up with a new idea... Light painting on old fisherman "houses", and small old factories... 

I found some places in "snogebæk" (that's the name of the city where i live for now)... And i brought my old faithful

I've been using that flash for all the abandoned houses i've photographed... Of course i was using that one again, and not the new and fancy one i bought after almost destroying this one... (It's a matter of rituals and luck ;) )

Imagine me on a bike with all that on my back... I really had some problems with my balance, due to the extra height... And then because it's cold outside, i was also wearing my old "hjem-is" jacket... (It's a good jacket... Nice and warm, got it from my old work place... No need to buy new, when the old is working perfectly... More money to spend on photography!)

This was actually nice... Didn't feel that much alone, didn't hear or feel "monsters" creeping in the dark... If this turns out well, i might do something like that again...

Well... This was me taking a step back... Trying something i'm actually good at, and trying to sort of do it in another way... Haven't had time to edit yet (diner was at 22:40)... And after a long day i just relaxed and watched an old danish movie: "Olsen Banden i Jylland"... Because i wanted to be reminded of home... And it's funny as.....! 

Oh, and this is me when looking for abandoned houses, when i get the right address but my GPS fucks it up (It's an inner fight, part of me wants to go home, and another won't give up) :


Sorry clip is in danish ;)...

The week from hell

All week i've been a nerve wreck... New print packing software wasn't configured, and we're in the middle of school photography season... Now if anybody says it's easy to do school photography... I'm gonna kill you... Slowly...  

Because of that, i've had to set other projects on pause...

Most people say i work too hard... But when i get an assignment... I really want to be the best... I'm afraid that i'm not good enough, and i really want to show the world that i'm what i say i am... I fear people think i'm lying... I wan't challenges, but i fear if i screw up people wont trust me when i say I can...

I want to be the best so bad, that i'm hurting myself sometimes... I fear yelling, and people being disappointed with me... Sometimes i focus so much on not being a "screw up", that i become clumsy... I seek recognition... But when i get it... I sometimes end up thinking i'm better than i am... Life is so tough sometimes... I gotta figure this one out sometime... 

But this is why i'm working overtime not getting paid, this is why i push myself to the limit... I want the impossible... I want to create the one picture that changes the world... The one that ends all misery... The one that ends all wars... BUT IT'S NOT POSSIBLE... IT CAN'T BE DONE!! But still... I have to try... 

I'm poision to myself sometimes... But then again, aren't we all sometimes?

Ohhh... My 22 year old bag...

WTF happened... I came home Thursday 4:30am... Slept one night in my soft and cosy bed... And then bam 16:00 my back says fuck you, you treated me nice now i'm just gonna hurt for the rest of your life... Pain killers, heat lotion... Please i'm really pissed of those things dosen't work... Stronger pain killers... HA! I still hurt...

Oh it's Friday now birthday celebration part 1. Well don't think you can sit down or pick something up without me hurting... And that's a lot of usefull presents that you're gonna have to bring with you to Bornholm. MWUHAHA... MWUHAHAHAHAHA... 

Saturday... Surprise visit and celebration part 2... More presents to bring with you to Bornholm... Did you say public transportation? MWUHAHAHA... 

Sunday... Traveling day AKA HELL! Biiig heavy suitcase... Not that nice DSB personal, "you'll have to put that heavy suitcase up there... Or a place where you can't see it... I'm sorry i can't pass with this wagon..." And then he walks right past me... And i'm like: "But you just... bu... MY BAG HURTS!" Now luckily i met some nice strong men who could help me with my bag... Oh thank you my prince... Yeah right... They were nice, and they helped... But i'm not gay... sooo... 

Unfortunatly after changing in Copenhagen i had to put my bag up again... And i tried doing it myself first... Some funny noises came from my bag... And now... Now i fear sleeping on my hard bed on Bornholm again... 

So... My back hurts, maybe i should sleep, and lookup a chiropractor tomorrow or something... Best idea ever...

Now, i really enjoyed 4 days home again, with mom, little brother, little sister, Bailey (my beloved one and only dog), my grandmother, and the rest of the family... They never disappoint when it comes to celebration... Because... Well they're the best... I love em all... And i already miss them.

Funny customers, and busy, busy, busy little me...

Ha! This is one of those without pictures...

Yesterday i had this nice old lady as a customer, and she told me that on Bornholm they had these kind of special cakes called "øretæver" which directly translated means "earbeatings", and it's an old danish word for beatings... 

But if i didn't take good care of her memory stick she would give me "øretæver"... Today she came back for the pictures i'd printed for her, and two CD's which i had forgotten all about... (Oups) And she was carrying this white box from the baker store... And she asked: "Do you remember what we talked about yesterday?" I of course replied: "Yes..." And then she put the box on the counter "I have some "øretæver" for you"... And when i saw the cakes we both laughed... I'm kinda sad i didn't have anything for her, and i'd actually forgotten about her CD's... So i had to apologize to her... And make the CD's at once... But she didn't mind. What a nice lady, i really hope to see her again... That saved my day... I love helping people with what ever's wrong with their camera... It brings a smile to my face when i see a happy customer... (No shit)

Responsibilities... 

When boss is not at the store, my responsibilities grows... So does my co workers responsibilities also... And we share most of all the responsibilities... But when it comes to computers and photography that's my headache... New programs for computer, stuff we need to figure out, and assignments that come in late... Well i had dinner at 11pm tonight... But that's what they call normal for photographers... Could i just had left at 5:30 where my day ends? Yes... But i never leave when i have a job that's not finished, and needs to be... And that's stressing, and bad for your health... I had planned to have spareribs... But instead i'm sitting here with the leftovers from a frozen pizza...

BUT i've LEARNED so much, and i've found out about myself that despite my physical deficiencies, and me not being able to learn fast... I've sort a grown tired of excuses to why i can't do stuff. And instead i say: "This has ruined me before, made me into a "loser" this is what i'm recovering from..." Instead of saying i can't because i'm not strong enough, good enough, smart enough... I'm now saying then i'll have to become: Strong enough, smart enough... And i'm good enough"... You get nothing from not trying! And that's why when you're down, and feel like you're in a hole, you have to "grow a pair" and stop feeling sorry for yourself... And start climbing... In fact:   

And if you can't "get out the door", then ask a good friend to help you... But not me, i'm busy ;)... Naah just kidding 

When simple photography light knowledge can be used for other things than photography...

Now this might sound silly... But i'm actually a little afraid of the dark... Mostly because i'm cursed/blessed with a pretty vivid imagination. Which with just one wrong thought in the wrong conditions can leave me sleepless for a loong time... What kind of thoughts then? Well... If i see something unidentifiable in the dark, my head starts spinning... And then it just comes: "What if it was a werewolf? Yees they murder people, and makes it look like an animal attack..." Now, this is where common sense kicks in: "They don't exist." But the "what if is still in there"... And from here on my head is just one battle zone...

So if i can, i need to turn on some light, or else it can do some serious messing with my head... And sometimes it happens that the actual thought: "Let's think about shipwrecks, or sharks..." (My 2 biggest fears)... Need light to kick out of that... 

Which is why when the bulb for my "night stand lamp" shorted like bulbs do... I had to come up with a new "light system", and all i had was a flashlight... And i created this much light with it:

How? Well a flashlight delivers a concentrated beam of light... So it needs to either be diffused, or "bounced"... So since my bedroom is solely white walls, and white is one of the best reflectors... Point flashlight at wall, and it bounces of to the other walls, and voila... You have light... Now of course bigger room means you're gonna need a stronger flashlight... But it works... The clear light is made by the flashlight, and the "orange/yellow" light is coming from the living room, but it's not enforcing the light in my bedroom that much, when lights in the living room is off, bedroom still looks pretty much like this... 

And that's how you avoid "monsters under the bed" when you forget to buy a new bulb...  

An old smell i haven't smelled since far to long ago...

Now many of you don't know this bottle... But you can probably guess what it's used for... 

It's a fix for photographers. We mix it with coffee and put it into syringes... NO. It is a fixer... For analogue photography... It's step 3 of 4 for development of B/W negatives and B/W papers... And it smells a lot... Get it on your fingers and they're gonna smell of vinegar the rest of the evening...

And i love that smell... It tells me that i've been working, and not sitting on my ass doing nothing.

The whole wonder of working for Niels in PhotoCare Nexø, is that he lets me borrow stuff, and use his studio, and darkroom. And since i've gotten a key for the store i can take pictures during daytime, and develop at nighttime...

And when an old friend of mine, is sitting somewhere in Århus, making some funny ass radio over the internet... Everything just gets funnier, and better... You people should actually try listening sometime... Don't know when next time's gonna be but he has a Facebook page: Radio Replay... Funny shit... But a fair warning if you like Rock as much as i do... They will play it... But soften it up afterwards with some "TV2" or "Birthe Kjær"...

mmm

Now back to the good part... I developed 2 "films"... But do to a "Jonas" error there was nothing on one of them, and only 5 pictures on the other (5 perfectly exposed pictures ;) )... You see when working with exchangeable backs, you have to remove a little silver plate before you take a picture... Of course i forgot... And i was even stupid enough to use some kind of "override can't shoot when plate in" button... Well one more lesson learned... Now next time it's gonna be perfect...

But i'm planning something big, which i'm gonna unveil sometime soon hopefully... At least now i'm trying to make deals, and other things... Might wanna stay tuned... 

See this guy also tells you to hold on... He even asks if you can feel it? 

So lets see the house then...

I've told stories about this house to some of you... Told you how big the spiders are... How many bugs, and how old it is... Well now i've finally eliminated all the problems in the house... So i'm ready to take you for a tour now...

Lets start with an overview of the property... Yes... I brought my car with me to Bornholm... Of course... I'm not going on an adventure without my faithful car... 

Now... That's the gate to my house... Very important to have one of those when living in the city... Why? I don't know... I'm a farmer boy... Not a city person... But very important.

I also got garden furniture... Quite nice when living on the sunshine island.

A non working fire place... Could i fix it... I actually don't know... But there's a Weber grill in the tool shed... So i'll manage 

A KITCHEN DOOR! Don't know why i think it's awesome. After all it's not isolated... At all.

So when winter comes... But for now quite awesome... And filled with spiders... 

Tool shed, woodshed, and a shed with extra beds...

Lets take a closer look...

That's the sleeping "shed"... Now i don't use that... Mostly because it haven't been used for a loong time... And also because i hate walking outside every morning, or every time i have to pee... And well... There's one bedroom inside the house... Just enough for little me ;)

A tool shed... Now do i know how to use one of these fabled tool sheds... Of course i'm from Jutland... And i actually mowed the lawn last weekend... So now i've got the prettiest lawn on Bornholm... (That is part of the adventure... Keeping the house nice.)

fwafwa

My wood shed... Aka "what once was some kind of "medieval" toilet, but now a wood shed"... Again millions of spiders... Lucky i'm not suffering from arachnophobia. Because sometimes i think Snogebæk is like the place in all Denmark where all spiders go every summer... Like tourists... Spider tourists... No, i'm not smoking weed right now... Haven't gotten any ;)

Now just look at that lawn... Oh god, i sound like an old man... Imagine me in 40 years... (Old rusty old man voice) Noooow my son, when iii was a young man, i moved to Bornholm for 6 months... And during that period i always kept a nice lawn... So you just go out there and mow the lawn, while i sit here with my newspaper, smoking some pipe, and drinking a glass of old expensive scotch (whiskey)." Yeep... Fighting to be a rich successful photographer...

 

  

My cosy little living room... And my "me spot" in front of the TV... (Nothing has changed there... Still a cosy head). 

The kitchen... A land of many mysteries... As you may notice, no dishwasher... All old school dishwashing by hand... Has it's downsides, when you have one of those days where you don't have the time after breakfast, and after diner... So it just grows, and grows... Some days.

My bedroom... Not much to say about that... Except that Bruce is always guarding it... Now apparently i caught him sleeping on duty, hiding under my iPad... 

And the bathroom... Now only have 5 minutes of hot water when showering... So i can't take my 30 minute showers anymore :(...

That conclude our tour of my little house, now as you can see it's not much, but it's home...

And by the way, if you should be thinking: "Bornholm... Never been there... I wanna go there..." Then you're more than welcome to call, or write... I will happily let you crash in my little house... Just one rule... The Bedroom is MINE! Bruce is guarding it ;)  

 

 

Operation "get off your ass and take some pictures"...

Yeah... I've been sitting on my ass too long... Settling down, but i now feel i'm ready, i know the island, i got ideas... And i'm working on something that for me in my current situation is quite big... But i don't know if it's gonna be possible... But if it is, i'm gonna give myself the kick in the ass i need right now... If i can pull this one off well it's all on me... 
Now i'm gonna be a real prick, and don't tell you what it is... But i can tell you i've been buying lots of 120 films both color and REAL B/W... And i've borrowed this from my boss

The Mamiya RZ67 with film backs 

Yes, a real middle format, i figured i wanted to use the big viewfinder to try something i haven't done that much of before... It weighs around 2-3 kilo... Now for a "gadget freak" like me it's like heaven... But since it's not my camera, i'm guarding it with my life... NO chances... If i wanted to take chances, would have borrowed a Canon camera ;) 

Now well, things are going pretty well for me now, joined a club for young Christians... Yup, i am a believer... And if you didn't know that about me... Well then it's because you don't know me that well... I pray before eating, and before i sleep, been doing that pretty much since i could talk... 

So i know some people is gonna be like i didn't know that... Don't worry people, i'm keeping it pretty much to myself normally... Don't see why people need to know, they might judge me wrong... So nobody freak... I'm still the same Jonas, and i always will be... With a camera in my hand, and my family and friends in my heart... I seek to change the world... 

ONE PICTURE AT A TIME... 

-Or a dusin in "continious high" mode ;P

  

The tourist Warning system...

A car door, car interior, and a "leather" (skin) jacket... Now how can that be a warning system... Well, you see it's actually quite simple... I'm SO tired of tourists just walking out in the middle of the road without warning, when i'm busy... So i thought... "Must be because they can't hear me... Should i drive around honking the horn all the time?... No... Don't wanna scare the tourists away from the island..." So i figured... If i turned up the volume on the radio... Rolled down the window... Then they'd have to be able to hear me! 

And what about the leather jacket? I wear that all the time... Outside... Not inside in my little house no... But also when people hear me, they might turn around... And then the jacket should work as an: "OMG he's a really badass... Let's get out of the way before he hits us... Look at the front of his car... He's hit someone before..." (Old accident... Haven't run anybody over... Yet...) 

But the tourists on the road is actually a plague over here... They act like they own the place... Like it's all one big camping spot where you can cross the road anytime without looking for cars... BUT IT'S A GODDAMN ISLAND WITH CITIES WHERE CARS DRIVE 50 KILOMETERS AN HOUR... (i'm not used to live in a tourist city... I need my space on the road;) )... 

Warning system actually kinda works... Most people are looking... And more and more are moving away from the road... And it has a benefit... I get to listen to loud awesome music... Like my James Bond CD (yeah... I'm a Bond fan... Not as big as i once was... But still a fan...) Imagining i'm some sort of secret agent... And my car is an Aston Martin... It sometimes takes the "pedal" a little closer to the "metal"... But that's all right... Sometimes you just need to live your life... And just let go... "There's no point of living... If you can't feel alive" Robert Carlyle (Renard) - in the movie: "The world is not enough"... YES... A James bond quote!  Or... More like a James Bond Villain quote... But still! 

About Analouge photography...

Analouge photography is an AMAZING world to enter... Yes, yes... Photography itself is an amazing world itself... But for a guy like me who's experimenting with the techniques and story telling... Well then the analogue photography is like a play ground... And i'm the little kid who wants play with all the toys... 

Why am i writing about analouge photography? Well i stumbled upon this link today: 
So You Want to Shoot Film - Peta Pixel

It's a great starting tutorial... But i have some corrections to it...

Correction number: 1

When "agitating" your film you can do it like he does... But you don't have to be careful and all that... I'm always brutal, using development of pictures as an exercise... No harm has ever happened to my negatives... 

Correction number: 2

You don't have to be "on time" when changing chemicals... I always take it nice and quietly... 

Correction number: 3

If you use the Kodak HC-110 developer like i do... You can pour the chemicals you've mixed back into the "mixed container"... DO NOT MIX WITH THE CONCENTRATED CHEMICALS... It'll ruin the concentrated chemicals... and they are VERY EXPENSIVE...
But the developer doesn't "die" like he says in the video... It gets weaker... But you can use it... around 10 times... Just remember it needs to be changed around once every 3. week... Because it also weakens over time...

Think that was all the corrections...

Analouge as art...

Yes analogue is mostly for art photography now... And almost all we hear about is 35mm film, medium format, large format, and old negatives... And that's all very nice... But the real interesting techniques is techniques like these...

Liquid emulsion...

I've been rambling about this technique a LOT to my friends... Every time someone just mentions analogue i'm like: "Uh, UH, UH! You know what you should try? Liquid emulsion..." And they're always asking: "What's that?" And then hell breaks loose... I start one of my famous long explanations... Starts something like this: "You don't know what liquid emulsion is? (Sigh)... Okay... Well years, and years ago..." And then it just goes on...

Here's the short version... 

Basically it's a process where you make your own paper by "painting" The light sensitive material onto whatever surface you want to develop on... A table, a cat (cannot recommend that one) ceramics, a book, a wall, hell... I even once heard a story of a guy who took a picture of him driving naked, and used liquid emulsion technique to develop the picture on his car door... 

I did'nt make this, or anything... 

Inspiration... Look at this: http://www.rayknoxphotography.com/gallery_130492.html#photos_id=3407832

Or this:

http://www.emilschildt.com/EMULSIONER.htm

"But Jonas you've made a lot of liquid emulsion before... We want to see your pictures... We want to see if you really know how to do it..." Well dear readers... I only have one liquid emulsion picture (as far as i can remember) that i've posted on the internet... And as of right now i can't access my flickr account (don't know why)... But yeah one (maybe more) on the internet... The rest hanging on the walls of my mothers house... Why? Well i don't like what happens to my pictures when i scan or photograph them... 

Cyanotype...

Cyanotype is the same principal as liquid emulsion... Just easier... You paint the photographic material on a surface of your choosing... But the chemicals are different... Slower... And your picture turns blue... And can be toned with tea, vine, coffee, anything without sugar... But the most amazing thing about this process... 

When you've painted the material on your surface... You make a negative the size of the picture you want... And then you press that negative and whatever you've painted on together with a glass plate... And put it out into the sun for some time... Yes an analogue development technique which requires sunlight... 

And there are so many more techniques... 

I could go on... And on... But as an end thing... Try searching for the "bromoil" technique on google... You develop the picture like a normal liquid emulsion picture... But after you've made a perfect picture... You "bleach" it... And use special oil painting to bring back the picture... But now it's gonna look like a mix between a painting and a photo... (Looks mostly like a photo of course... But it's still an amazing process...) 

Yes i'm soon going back into the darkroom... Have an idea about mixing some analogue with some digital...  

  

Operation "Trash can"...

When on an epic adventure...

ALWAYS MAKE SURE THE TRASH IN THE TRASH CAN GETS REMOVED BEFORE TURNING INTO SOME BIOLOGICAL RESERVE...

Why... Well let me tell you a story...

Once upon a time, there was this "adventurous photographer..." Let's call him Jonas... Now Jonas had on his adventure had to move a lot... He was going to stay at this fairytale house... But due to somethings he already knew about... He started by living there one week... Leaving the trash to the "newcomers"... Because he thought that the trash collectors would take it away... And also nobody had told him where to dump it... 

He lived happily the new place... Not knowing that the "new comers" just kept pouring trash into the trash can... And no trash collectors came for it... 

When coming home... Jonas noticed the trash can was full... And asked his boss what to do with it, since it was his house... ANd he said: "The trash collectors will take care of that..." So Jonas kept on working hard and with a smile... Until he'd been waiting long enough (1 extra week)... Now the trash can had not been emptied for one month... And Jonas then asked again: "What shall i do with the trash..." And the Boss answered: "Didn't the trash collectors take care of that?" Jonas said no... And the boss said: "I don't understand they should have... But there is this place close to where your house is, where you can dump the trash..." And so Jonas was going to... But he became lazy... And let the trash can stay for 3 more days... 

Until he finally one day decided... Now's the day... But the trash can had gone rotten and filled with bugs and maggots (Not kidding!!!)... And Jonas had to put the trash "bag" (take it out of the can and it's only a bag...) into his beautiful caret... So he took another bag to put over... But oh no! Some kind of rotten stinky fluid was coming out of the bottom of the bag... Only reasonable thing to do... Put another bag on the bottom... That made a very unstable construction... That almost cracked in two like the "Titanic"... And tore a hole in the 2 bottom bags... Jonas put the bag on some campfire thingey outside his house... He had to come up with a new plan... But then he felt something on his feet... Felt like a snaked... One thought quickly entered Jonas's head... "THERE'S A SNAKE IN THE TRASH... AND IT'S CRAWLING ON YOU PANIC!!" And he started jumping and screaming... Only to find out that it was rotten fluid spilling onto his shoes... And shorts... Now he was pissed and smelled like garbage... And since it was already halfway split in 2... Jonas decided to split the garbage in 2... And use an extra bag on each... And he did that... And put both bags into his caret... And drove the caret stinking to the garbage dump spot... 

Only to go back and clean his shoes and shorts... Without a washing machine it looked like this:

Gotta use whatever methods you can... To survive... And smell nice

Now Jonas checks the trash can every week... No more "operation stinky trash can"... Nope... Going for operation: "Nice and not smelly trash can"

To be continued... but just without anymore stories of trash ;)
 

The battle of the dogs...

On my adventure i've met many obstacles... The biggest came from home... Now i've written a little about it before... But now the "war" is over... And both my family and i lost two dogs... (They're not dead... But we had to get them removed)... We still got 1 dog... Our most faithful and quiet dog a mixed race dog called Bailey... Worlds nicest dog... He means the world for me... I've cried by his side, i've laughed by his side... He means everything to me!

But 2 dogs gone, wasn't happy about it... But then again, just talked to my mom for a long time trying to understand the crazy neighbor who's been complaining and threatening her... And she told me that after the first complaint... Someone had taken some bricks laying out in front of our fence and thrown them into our drive in... Where we let our dogs run when we're not home... Uh and there's stories about him harassing other dogs in the local community... Yep... I'm pissed... 

2 dogs lost... NOT LOOSING THE BEST DOG I'VE EVER HAD!

Hoping that i haven't bored who ever's reading my blog... But i had to get it out of my system... It's been nagging me... Stolen my focus on the job and everything... But it's over now... No more threats against my mom (That also pisses me off)... And no more complaint about dogs!


Happy again :)... And to do like regional news in Denmark... I'm gonna end this post with something happy... A movie called: "La vita è bella" ("Life is  beautiful")

Something about needing to push myself...

I've through danish model website called "modelportalen.dk" and through my friend Nikolaj gotten myself some model contacts... I've gotten some ideas that i need to try out sometime... But i still got two problems... Problem number 1 is that i'm afraid of texting or calling them... Second problem is that i can't see the details in my ideas... I've gotten overall ideas about making something like "that"... But when working with models... You need specifics... Because they can't see what you're seeing... Gotta work on that... Gotta get those ideas out of my head in specifics... And i'm gonna have to take the plunge, and start booking... 

But then again i'm still location scouting... Maybe the specifics comes with the right location...  Well, i gotta keep on working... Gotta keep taking pictures... But most important... I'm gonna have to "man up!" That was after all one of the many reasons to why i took this job over here... 

About moving back to my little house... Having family and a good friend over... Learning to deal with stress... And running out of gas for the first time...

Moving back "home"...

I'm now finally where i'm supposed to be the rest of my time over here... Back in the little blue summerhouse in snogebæk... Uh... And guess what! I've GOT WI-FI NOW! Yes... i'm an internet junkie... But i'm not ashamed... No... That's how life is now... It's gone viral... I've accepted that like so many else... Yes, i was like a real junkie before i had wi-fi at "home"... Finding public wi-fi spots to "smooch" of... But i made sure every time to make a trip out of it... To enjoy the real life also... And i'm still gonna do that...

But now i can start to really settle down... 

And who else than family and friends could help with that...

Weekend after i moved in my family and Kath came over... Not the whole family... But grandma, mom and little brother Markus... They left little sister Martha at home taking care of our now 1! dog... 

We only have one dog now... And i'm PISSED about that... That some neighbor who's single goal in life is to get rid of our dogs... He's been yelling at my mom, calling her things, and threatening her and the dogs twice... Both times leaving her crying... Now she's to nice... Which shouldn't be a bad thing... But it is... I mean... Yeah you need to be nice in life... But if your'e to nice... Life's gonna fuck you over... But in the best interest of the two most noisy of our dogs she's gotten rid of them... But i'm not done... When i'm gonna get home... i'm gonna walk over to the neighbor have a calm and nice talk with him... None of us in my family want's to be enemies with our neighbors... We want peace... That's why i'm only gonna talk... And nothing else...

But in spite of those bad news... We had a blast... Visiting Hammershus... Eating at restaurants... Playing UNO... Uh and they brought my good freind Kath over... She was there for all the things... And then she stayed with me every evening... (Wasn't room for the rest... They lived at a hotel...) So at daytime we were all sightseeing... But at the evenings me and Kath, would be doing a little drinking, going to a: "Havnefest" in Snogebæk... 

And also one evening when me and Kath was on the way back home to my house... The car started loosing speed... And no matter what i did... It stopped... Me knowing what was wrong instantly... Started banging my hand on the dashboard... "NO! NO! NO! F**K!" No gas... Yeah... In my defense... I was trying to stretch fueling until after the 1st. ... So i could get my paycheck... And then fuel the car... So now i've tried that also... Luckily the first car that passed us, was a nice young boy, who drove us all the way to Nexø, and back out to the car again... That's nice... But not to nice... 

Little brother is not so little anymore... Reminds me of me... Just more troubled 

That's my "little" brother... he's 14, and almost as tall as me... And almost as strong as me... I still give him the occasional brotherly "wrestling"... And he's always like: "Mercy! Mercy! Merrrcy!" Then when i walk away... He jumps up, and attacks from behind... And then i have to put him down... Again... Hehe... Still the big brother...

That's Kath... And her cellphone... 

She sort a hated that i always had my camera with me... Something about me being like: "Oy! Pretty!" Down on the ground for hours... And then "click"... 

What can i say? I'm a photographer and an artist... When i see something that "catches me"... I try to tell it's story...

Like this church...

Look at the colors... I'm happy... Not my style... But sometimes... You gotta try something new...

Don't know this guy but i loved the whole scenario...
The curious explorer exploring what is new... To him...

Yes... Good times brings great pictures... Bad times can also bring great pictures... You just have to know how to get the feelings you have into the pictures... Good or bad... Because that's what photography is... TO ME... It's all about feelings and emotions... Getting something out... Telling the world who i am... 

And just as a finish...

When driving in tourist season

And can they move? NO! Just wish i had a plow ;-)

That's how the fridge looks after Grandma and mom have been visiting... FULL? Yes... Only had like 5 things in there before...  

Uh! And i've gotten myself a Bison Oxen... His name is Bruce :-)... And he's
gonna help me find his taller friends :-)...