Month: maj 2015

Update on the blogs I read – Ohdarling Helena and her photos of me

When in Stockholm last weekend I spend my time there with another blogger, named Helena. She as a blog I follow on a regular basis called ohdarling.org. Helena writes about travel. She love England and I love her post about the Brighton Pier that has amazing photos. I have written about her before and linked to the post last weekend on our trip to Stockholm, but here it is again. Helena and me had such a good time, and it is something extra having your portrait taken by another photographer. Katarina Check out the photos of me by Helena downbelow and other bloggers I read  in the post ”the blogs I read” and ”Update – the blogs I read – Resfredag”.

Making syrup from spruce shoots / granskotts – sirap

Yesterday Martin headed to the forest to collect som spruce / gran to make some syrup. Getting back home he started the process.  I´m enjoying more and more when Martin is working the kitchen. The process in itself interests me. This time though, I fell asleep in the middle of the process so two of the photos from the end result is Martins own, the third and the forth from the end. Enjoying that Martin now know how to use my Canon EOS M3, at least on fully automatic 😉 First time picking Martin thought he picked the wrong spruce (in Sweden we have toxic ones called idegran/ yew). In the end this wasn´t the case after calling giftcentralen (tox centre) and we learned that idégran look different. But you need to pic the spruces in the forest and it is your own responsibility that you pic the right kind. If you are unexperienced, ask people who are experienced. Recipe for one jar 1/2 l spruce shoots 1/2 l sugar 1 lemon Mix the ingredients …

Miss Voon

 Monday Caroline, Markus and I visited Miss Voon, one of the F12 – groups restaurants in Stockholm. With high expectations but not so much knowledge we took the bus to Stureplan for a seven dish course of Asian fusion food. Writing anything interesting about a restaurant is somewhat difficult. I haven´t much knowledge of the Stockholm food scene (even if I am aiming at getting some when moving there this summer) so this will be a short post of my main impression of this restaurant. Situated at Sturegatan 22, close to Elite Eden Park Hotel. You can book online. For the price of 750 sek (around 100 dollars) you will have a seven dish tasting menu, excluding wine at Miss Voon. Getting there I got my food adjusted for being vegetarian, still having fish and shellfish. The waiters where professional and polite and we didn´t have to wait on the food even though I got my menu adjusted. If to have any complaint, this would be that some of the dishes tasted less then the others. Maybe …

Visit Fotografiska – a place for fun, a place for knowledge

Monday I visited Fotografiska for a second day in a row and decided to buy an one year membership at the museum. Is it weird to say you love a place and that you are going to visit every exhibition from now on when moving to Stockholm? Well, maybe it isn´t entirely true, but I most likely will visit a lot, maybe even take a photocourse on my spare time. I am looking at them now and I see that I have some blank spots of knowledge to fill that can be filled or at least partly filled with these courses. You can´t get to much knowledge right? Happily situated at Stadsgårdskajen close to Slussen (subway/metro) it is possible to visit Fotografiska everyday, all day, between the hours 09-23. Fotografiska is more a meeting place for photographers than a museum.  Göran Segeholm is one of the teachers here. The same guy that holds both Bildradion and Fotosidans pod-radios/casts. I must say that I love them and him as a telling voice, so I can understand why his courses is so …

Stockholm Travel Massive at MSC Cruises – talking photos and travel industry

Third time is the charm! Waking up early, I took an early bus to Kungsträdgården where I met Helena for a joint adventure, taking bus 76 Norra Hammarbyhamnen to Ropsten, for the third Stockholm Travel Massive. Travel Massive is a world wide event in many countries for travelbloggers and people in the travel industry to meet up, network and interact. A fantastic possibility to meet new contacts if you are interested in making a buisness out of your blog or just meet friends. At the moment I go within category two, but in the future I might turn the page into something else and then these events and contacts will be important. During the long – lunch event on the boat MSC Sinfonia, MSC Cruises and Travel Massive cooperated to give us a great time. Lola spoke about taking better travel photos, good and concrete ideas for travelers to make their photos more interesting. One of the tips was not shooting to much close-ups when taking photos of food but try to take photos in its natural environment. …

Third times a charm – the upcoming Travel Massive

Being part of networks is a privilege. At the moment I am on the train heading for Stockholm to take part of the third Travel Massive, a free travelnetworking event for writers/bloggers/press/companies in the travel industry. In Sweden, three travel blogger ladies arrange the event. I have written about them twice before and they are also on the above photo taken on the first travel massive I attended and the last photo taken on the second I attended, showing Annica/ Resfredag and her baby. In the front you see Lola and in the back Sofia. The next event isn´t taking place until Tuesday where I hopefully meet new and old travel blogger colleagues. Until then, adventures on Fotografiska and other awaits with my friend Caroline, checking out familiar and unfamiliar streets in Stockholm. Katarina

better bloggers

Having a blog keeps you update on several areas on the internet. When changing your theme, CSS, comes into play having the trouble of links disappearing and turning up, not working properly and the need to redo embeded code for links to your social media accounts. Today I registered at a new site, better bloggers. Being a blogger is so much more than just posting a post a day. Nowadays, a well handled blog is equal to business inquiries. With this inquiries follow much work but also a lot of questions. This question can partly be answered by better bloggers, a network for the professional bloggers. Something necessary for the future if I want to continue to blog, which I hope and think I will, is to develop my skills. better bloggers is a network for Swedish bloggers in Sweden, but probably exists in other countries as well. Katarina the photo above is a food shot I never published. I have started to develop my section of food, well, who could resist in the long …

Bergen, oh Bergen!

Surprise struck me when mom and I entered the city of Bergen in Norway. A half big city, inbetween mountains on the west side of Norway. ”You had sun?” people comment when they see my pictures, apparently it isn´t a very common phenomenon in the fair city. Mom and I arrived late Thursday evening, checked in at the hotel Radisson Blue Bryggen and then took a stroll around Bryggen. Bryggen the hotel we stayed at had good standard and was happily situated on Bryggen, the part of Bergen that has it roots near the medieval ages and is on the World Heritage List. As Visby Bryggen is from the Hanseatic era and also on the world heritage list due to this reason. Arriving in Bergen, the first thing that strikes you are the beautiful colours of Bryggen. I shot several photos of Bryggen from across the harbour. Strolling the streets in Bryggen is something extra, something even the most experienced traveler isn´t prepared for. Just by stepping in between the old houses, feeling the wood floor …

Vårruset Örebro

Today the event Vårruset took place in Örebro. Some of my co-workers and I attended the event, that was filled with color, laughter and shifting weather, in the end mostly sun. The event vårruset takes place every year and are held 2015 in 17 cities around Sweden, it is for all women of all shapes and forms. Old and young/ fit and not so fit.. Apparently we where in the first class of the classes that started, which ment ”runners”. Well, we hid during the start and ended up in class three of four where the walkers where, much more my my kind of situation. I am not and will probably never become a runner. After walking the 5 km I got home around half past ten, took a quick shower, quickly edited the photos in lightroom and are now off to bed. Katarina Photos shot with Canon EOS M3 and 40 mm pancake lens (with adapter). Edited in lightroom.  

A smeared chocolate cake a´la Katarina

Yesterday Martin cooked a yummie past with shrimps and spices. For desert I made my smeared chocolate cake making me drool just by thinking about it. this Wednesday the 20 th of May Vårruset takes place. Me and some dear colleagues are heading for Örebro in the afternoon to undertake the mayor task of running/ walking from Gustavsvik to the city center and back during the evening, entertained by music ending with a picnic- basket. Are aiming to take some photos during the event so might get back with some photos later or tomorrow, if I have the time and energy when getting back home. Might die an early exercising death. Anyway, I still have a piece of this delicious cake to give me the energy back. Recipe, down below. Katarina Photos shot with Canon EOS M3, with EOS M adapter and 40 mm pancake lens, edited in Lightroom. Recipe 3 eggs 2,5 dl sugar  2- 2,5 dl flour 4 table spoons chocolate powder/ cacao 100 g / 1 dl melten butter Any other ingredient you …

Whats left in the kitchen on a Tuesday shrimp pasta

  After changing the theme I felt so happy about my food section that I right away wanted to take photos of more food and post more recipes. That resultet in ”Whats left in the kitchen on a Tuesday shrimp pasta”. Made today. So Martin cooked and I shot photographs. Whats in it then? Bean pasta, shrimp, cauliflower, cabbage, onion, broccoli stems, fish saus, fermented chili paste, Worcester shire sauce and honey. Sprinkled with black sesame seeds and sesame oil and basilica and coriander sprouts. Do I need to tell you that even a  Tuesday isn´t dull in this kitchen? Fry the chili paste and cabbage. Boil the cauliflower. Put the broccoli stems and onions in water. When the cabbage is done, add cauliflower, broccoli, onions and shrimp, add Worcester shire sauce, honey and fishsaus. Mix. Serve with a smile! Katarina ps. if you don´t have this ingredients, be creative about it, it will work anyway. a pasta never fails

Sooting nature.

When work demands the most of you and when everyday life seem difficult to manage, a walk in nature is the best medicine. At least for me. Working with a new theme is demanding and frustrating, I tell you. You need to rethink all the different angle and relearn postings posts and more. This theme for one example has a million widgets. Today work was great, I got some important work done and then headed home for a cup of tea and some CSS struggling. Will continue tomorrow. Now Martin and I are looking at for us a new tv-series, Sleepy Hollow. Intriguing. Katarina Shot with Canon EOS M3, different lenses and editing in Lightroom

Canon EOS M3

Now I have owned this little beauty for a while and decided that it is worth a simple ”What do I think about it then”. I also gave it a stylish shoot on my kitchen table, I think it deserved it. Canon EOS M3, one of Canons first mirrorless compact DSLR and goes within the enthusiast category. Canon has the golden three categories of beginners, enthusiasts and professional. What I like about this little beauty: Small size Flip screen + flip built in flash Full manual possibilities and some creative settings and effects as built in fisheye mode Possible to use your other EOS system – lenses with the EOS – M mount adapter. You can see this on the pictures below (the first thing I ordered to the camera after buying it). After trying it out for some time now I must say that I like the camera a lot. It doesn´t have a built in ”eye” or viewfinder, something that is possible to buy extra, but I must say that I don´t mind after …

Rebuilding.

Sunday: I had this theme for a while now and it is time for a update. I am cleaning my apartment, washing and will go for a new and fresh time for the summer. For this I will be shutting the blog down for some time, maybe a day or two if I don´t get it to work. First I will try out some different themes and see how they work and then I will choose. Will shut the blog down later today. See you soon again. Update at 22.32 in Sweden: Now the blog is back up but I will be working on the blog for several days to come. Have to work on images, sidebars and front page. This is just a shell but you can find all material on the blog. Monday: Updated at Monday 18th of May – still working on the blog – rebuilding it´s CSS etc. Katarina

My first summer as thirty something.

This is my first summer as 30 something. Not my last summer as 20 something.. This is what I want to do this summer. The official list. 1. Walk with my bare feet on the beach near-by Grythyttan. With black nailpolish. Black nailpolish is important. I surely love my wooden shoes as well, I have already started to wear them for the season so I also want to use my wooden shoes as much as possible.   2. Have a barbecue at the square and stay out late I must admit that my best feature isn´t to stay out late. All my youth I used to fall asleep early, around 22, even at party´s. Ask my friends. Nowadays when on vaccation I tend to turn the day into night and the night into day, which I like. I love to be up and go to sleep at 4 o´clock in the morning, and then later drag my ass out of bed at 10 o´clock barely managing to open my eyes in the morning light. On the …

A Bergslagen wedding – Linnea and Alexander

A spring wedding in Bergslagen Two weeks ago on the second of May a spring wedding took place in Bergslagen in the county of Örebro, the wedding between Linnea and Alexander, two active dancers from Nora. I met with Linnea and Alexander the first time in February, discussing the plans for their spring wedding. At that time, spring seemed far off talking about what to come, in the dark February evening. As a photographer a wedding is a big event, so big that a lot of photographers doesn´t even want to shoot it. A good thing then, I am brave. Well, the night before I must say I was a bit nervous and when thinking back as I told the couple when handing over their photos yesterday, ”I don´t remember a bit from the actual ceremony”. Maybe I was focused, maybe I was nervous, who knows. But I do remember the feeling, the atmosphere when the couple came out from the church, laughing, hugging their loved ones, dancing and the color of the cake. And that …

my new backpack

 Are you jealous?  Won this cutie in a blog competition on Resfredag (from MtManor.se) some time ago. I have gotten it now and I´m not sure, should I use it just for backpacking or for work as well? hmm. Big decision. Katarina Photo shot by Martin with Canon EOS M3

Party like a rockstar (?)

You know you´re getting old when you 20 minutes before the guests are arriving you starting to get dressed, leaving you with 10 minutes just for clothes, hair and make – up and 10 minutes to light candles and do some apartment quick-fixes. After editing wedding pictures for a full day, you don´t really care that you only have 10 minutes and I must say, I enjoy that I can enjoy the moment and not plan days in advance for everything. Reaching 30 you start looking at life in a more rational and not so stressed maner. Well, I haven´t really been the stressed out type anyway. Not about life atleast. So, I wont ramble on about life anymore, just want to day that yesterday, those not so stressed nerves came to use when Martin invited Joakim and Mattias for some ceviche. Martins has made his Ceviche technique better and it tastes kind of great. More ceviche to the people! We started with ceviche, and Joakim made some Margaritas with rasberries and without. Yummie. After …