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