~ Along The Way ~
Thanks for checking out my last two posts about a day spent in Kalmar, Sweden. We will be finishing that day's shoot in this post but you can check out the first two if you like here: Kalmar & Katharsis and Kalmar Continued
After making it off of the castle grounds and crossing town we passed through a couple of cemeteries and were getting pretty close to the city center. I came across this awesome statue and of course, got far behind the group once again! hahaha
The sun was so bright that it was hard to capture the rich green tones without having the shadow come out too dark. I wish i had more time to shoot these but i had to run and gun these shots.
This statue reminded me of young love and the vibrance of youth. Ironically, the statue actually looks pretty old.
~ Walk On ~
So, after a little hustle on my part i got caught back up and we continued to walk. In my previous post, you could see this tower in the background a few times. So, i had fun shooting it a little here and there as we drew near.
This was another time where i had a bit of difficulty lining the perspectives up. I wasn't sure which orientation was most important but either way the eye is led all over the image. I would be curious to know what your focal point is?!
Once we finally got to the bridge to pass under and into the city center, i was able to try and zoom in and get a decent shot of this tower.
My camera's zoom feature for these kinds of shots really sucks. But, during my editing, i was happy to see a mini group of birds flying by in the background of the image below.
I really wanted to get a shot of the Swedish flag waving in the wind... but there wasn't that much wind and i think i would need even a crappy telephoto lens to get something worthwhile.
~ Light At The End Of The Tunnel ~
So, we finally made it to the gateway at the end of the bridge in the bottom right of the tower shots from above. It was cool looking from afar but a bit mysterious and ominous once we got closer.
I would imagine it was a fortified position built in the past to make sure no invaders were making their way up the waterway channels. I could be wrong but it's not a bad guess.
I really liked the arch and the shadows created by the beaming sun. I was limited with my time and there were many people passing through from one side to the other. So, it was tricky getting the shots that i had in mind.
This tunnel had a dungeon feel to it but i thought it was super cool. Although they were electric, the lights looked pretty old school with a warm tone to them.
The image below was the passage that led down to the water and under the bridge. This is one reason i got the dungeon vibe.
It wasn't so dark near the light at the end of the tunnel!
Now, we are in the city center...
~ To The Other Side ~
Once we got to the other side i saw a low-rider cruise by. I would expect this in America... but not here. Where i come from... that is not an uncommon ride to represent! But what are the odds to see such a jewel here in Kalmar!?!
Not too much farther away, in one of the downtown squares they had this awesome statue. I wanted so bad to get some good shots of it. The base, the figures, the poses... all of it i found to be exquisite.
Yet, the sun was so bright and my camera was so shitty... i could really felt the pressure to capture it's beauty in a way that did the craftsmanship justice but with limited options and on a time table that felt impossible.
The angle of the sunlight limited the range of my ability to frame this spectacle without having trees or buildings in the shot. But... overall, i don't think i did too bad. I even played around more with the black and white editing too.
I will have to look it up, but this dude on top has stabbed the dude on the bottom with his sword. It's pretty epic and both characters have some dynamic characteristics.
These shots remind me of the chracters from the old Ray Harryhausen movies.
As cool as the black and white images look, the blue sky made a perfect backdrop when i could get the angles right.
This statue was my favorite aspect of the entire trip. I don't know why... but i really resonated with it. I hope you enjoyed the shots i could get. I would love to have done better!
~ The Home Stretch ~
On the home stretch of our journey we hit the boardwalk. There were many ships and boats docked. We came across shops and other cool spots. I found this sign i thought was cool... "Summer by Kalmar"
As we made our way down the boardwalk and into one of the parking lots for the shopping centers we happened upon a familiar sight.
I didn't think we would see them or the car again but now it was parked and i could get a couple of decent shots of the lowrider from earlier.
It's a Chevy Impala and it's dropped as low as they can go. The black finish was a matted sheen and it lended itself to a really cool low-key look.
I liked the rims and as much as i love an Impala of all years and varieties... i would have done mine a bit different.
It's funny because i had my camera set earlier and when i came out of the tunnel i saw them coming. I prepared to shoot... but the shadow cast at the worst time. So, in color it wasn't a great shot but in B&W it was badass (imho).
Now, when it was parked i found that i still preferred the B&W images best.
Then i found these leafy plants in these generic city planters that had a really cool fuzzy texture with a silver color. If you notice, the photo below is not black and white but actually the color of the plant with green grass at the top. They felt super soft and were even more silvery than my camera could capture.
“Many eyes go through the meadow, but few see the flowers in it.”
– Ralph Waldo Emmerson
A castle-looking building beyond the wall.
This was an awesome structure to behold but i think i would have painted the drains a color that would have blended in a little more with the original archetecture. That rampart certainly looks cool though.
~ Circling Back ~
We had a ways to go and decided it was a good time to stop and wath the ferry come in. I didn't realize until editing these photos how cool this was. At the time, i wasn't too thrilled about watching a boat roll in to dock.
However, i saw the joy on the faces and the interest in this process and decided to try and capture the moment.
I was impressed with the action of these photos and the visual interest that found it's way into my compositions. Even the timing turned out well for a change!
I was really impressed with the parking skills of the captain of that boat.
I started to wonder at one point if they were parking somewhere other than where all the onloaders were waiting. The boat was swinging out quite wide.
Then i realized this must be an every day thing for this captain and began to notice there were more people than i realized waiting for the ferry. I am sure there are quite a few people waiting to offload as well.
I finally got my Swedish flag blowing in the wind shot!
Now, the whole 'get on and get off' the boat chaos ensued and the interest waned... so we moved on.
It turned out to be a cooler experience than i thought and i am glad i captured it in my to share here on Hive as well.
That Parking Job Was Next Level.......
~ Back Where It All Started ~
The day before, when we arrived at Kalmar on the train, we had passed through town to get to the proper bus stop to go home. We also looked around a little... but with all the luggage it wasn't the real city tour.
However, one of the spots we came across and stopped to admire was the Kalmar Cathedral. So, I was super excited to pass by once again with my camera. The day before it was super hot and after a long journey the last thing anyone was thnking was to let me sit there and spend a lot of time shooting the inside and outside.
And as you would have it once again, i got behind taking shots this second chance around of the exterior of this mighty cathedral.
From the image above and below you can get a sense of the scale and size of this building. This was one final tease of how to get the orientation and perspective lines as balanced as i would like.
Next time i go i assure you all that i will take some time and set it aside to capture the beauty of the interior witnessed by me from the day before. It's truly exquisite.
This was the spot we didn't have time to fully appreciate when we got into Kalmar and this was the place we didn't have the time to fully appreciate on the way home passing by the next day. I did get VERY far behind shooting this one and actually had to sprint to catch up this time around.
Once i caught up we went and got a beer at a really cool spot. and then we eventually got to the bus and went home. The rest of the evening and weekend in Kalmar was awesome. I can't wait to go back and visit again with a better idea of how to make the most of the journey.
I look forward to sharing it all with you and appreciate those that have been following this series of posts from the start. Your time is precious and i highly value it when you are kind enough to offer any of it to my content.
If anyone ever gets a chance to visith Sweden i highly suggest it... but Kalmar in particular. I really think you would dig the historocity and vibe at the same time which is a truly bangin combo. I also think the food would blow you away.
Have a most excellent weekend my friends and Don't Party Too Hard Without ME! Please let me know which image was your favorite or share anything that resonated with you within my post. I would love to hear any constructive criticism or feedback. Thanks for your time and attention. See you all next time. Cheers
“A rose can never be a sunflower, and a sunflower can never be a rose. All flowers are beautiful in their own way, and that’s like women too.”
– Miranda Kerr
“Don’t wait for someone to bring you flowers. Plant your own garden and decorate your own soul.”
– Luther Burbank
