Listen to the radio

Listening to "Sommar i P1", today by the eminent photographer Paul Hansen. My wife and I had the luck to have dinner with him and his wife in April. I know that he is of worldclass. But was also happy to discover a guy with a warm heart, a lot of humor, sensibility and depth. Felt like we hit it and I'm sure our roads will cross again some day.
What could be better than to listen to the radio I was given from my beloved grandfather. It's more than 50 years old and only working with batteries, still going strong.

Admiration

If we live a long life, the more things we have to struggle with. But there are people who get a lot of dozes from the body they live in. And they fight.

This man is wonderful. He suffers from all kinds of things that easily could bring anyone down. But he is content. Having problems to speak, having problems to swallow, having problems to get enough saliva and it goes on and on. Still, he is a vital man, curious about life and wants to participate in everything.

Interested in my progress in photography (brought him a stock of great photobooks today, that made him even happier), going to the theatre, the opera, exhibitions amongst other things. He lives his life.

I guess it has to do with having an absolutely wonderful wife by his side and the great family they made together.

But it also has to do with the way he handles life.

On the other hand I have a neighbour who is the contrary, who stopped living a long time ago. Sad.

But this man I admire so much. My uncle, the brother of my late father, who gave up a long time ago.

Time to reflect

My cat is digesting the fish she gets every Saturday. She always tells us that it's Saturday with deeper sounds and bodylanguage. "You didn't forget, did you?" This little creature knows how to relax and I'm studying just that. Her life; small apartment, cuddle, crazy runs around and she is content and like it just the way it is...as long as she gets her fish on Saturdays.

We, on the other hand, myself included, need kicks in our lives. We run and run, away from the troubles in life. Yet, we can run so far.
You should be happy to get a reminder, in any kind, to remind you about the life you live. That's the thing. You have heard it before, people getting cancer for instance and how they mature and find what's important in their life.

I'm going through something now and I'm learning to handle it, but also, to learn about life itself.

As I say; don't forget to reflect, do you live your life, do you live the life that you want?

I tell you and myself, magic things have happened, things I could never even dream of. And what does that tell me? Or you?

Nothing is impossible! Dream and make your dream come true. If you want money, I guess that is no problem.... but if you want a fullfilled life; open your heart, get rid of people with bad energy, find the ones that give you the opposite and hold on, give a little and you will get a lot.

Take care of yourself, as I try to do.

No picture today

Well, as I said in the beginning of this blog, something happened to me a year ago. Sometimes I want to forget about it and go ahead doing things like I used to. It's been quite intense so far this summer and I have had a great time on and off. Now all that is taking out it's toll. No energy left and I need to stop, with everything. The button is switched to 'pause'. But I'll recharge to continue this blog sooner or later.

My love, my love

This is our love. Simple, but deep. We have been hugging eachother for eighteen years.
Not all the time, things came in between, illnesses. Times that we couldn't hug. But we always wanted to.
Now we have spoiled eachother with a weekend in the middle of the week. Knowing that the cat is alright with our lovely neighbours.

Värmland...Warmland in english, sounds wrong...anyhow, we cherish the landscape and enjoy eachother more than ever.

Värmland

A short visit to Mårbacka, the house of Selma Lagerlöf. A fanstastic woman. The landscape here is very special.
I can imagine that the fantasy and imagination can flow out of you here. All the stories going from mouth to mouth.

JH Engström lives closeby and I come to think of the book 'From Back Home' that he made together with Anders Petersen. They booth have their roots here.

Past and present.

Aftermath

More than a year ago I got this brilliant idea. And that long before "me too".
But something came up in my life that I had to take care of and I still do. But now the time had come.

Often as a photographer or what I should call myself, I felt so lonely. I didn't go to schools that taught photography, but it was my call. What took three years when you went to school to study photography, took me fifteen years, and I did it by myself. The hardest school and it was hell many times, but in the backmirror I'm kind of proud. It was so tough, but according to my circumstances it was no alternative to study, even though I wanted to.

Today I realize that what I have done so far took a lot of strength. What I do now is not something I struggle to do, it was never an option, since photography could be one of my limbs. I live it. To quit was never in my mind. But that's not to say that my projects are damn tough to go through.

To the point. This weekend I invited three of the best photographers in the country. We spent so many hours together, talking about everything, laughing, swimming in the sea, eating and drinking, talking more and enjoying, really enjoying eachothers company. Us together, four strong photographers/artists. Learning, sharing together. No competition what so ever. We need each other. The strong compassion and passion in making images trying to say something. Releasing books, exhibitions.
I couldn't even dream of this twenty years ago.

Like everywhere, all the time, we have to fight against this "invisible" wall, the wall of men. But our time is now, we are stronger than ever. Imagine all the muscles we have had to grew in the fights, though losing. No more. We are here to stay.

Four strong women, Kicki Lundgren, Maja Kristin Nylander, Eva Lie. I'm happy to be one of them.

Summer and reading

Curious about my books? Want something else to read this summer instead of the usual novel or thriller?
What a good idea!
Send an e-mail to: s.otterberg@gmail.com

Want to know more? Visit my website.