Schenholm´s blog

2012-02-22

Sogndal Photo Contest is over, and we lost (didn’t win). I really do not like losing, but I must admit that the winning team with photographer Vegard Breie did the best job. Nice feeling and good images. Congrats team Sweet! Enjoy the 30.000 nok, I guess the main part of the money disappeared at the party last night…

Click here to see our (Team Schenis with skiers Karsten Gefle and Oscar Hübinette) contribution to the contest: http://vimeo.com/37174317

A few words of our last day of shooting. Finally I got to ski and shoot some real powder. The season so far hasn’t been very powderish, but Monday night in Sogn skisenter was magic. Snowflakes large as dimes were falling from the sky. Perfect for skiing, but annoying when picking up and putting down the camera equipment. Things got very, very wet – very, very fast. We started out with some classic powder shots and as the light started to disappear we did some flash photography.

  
Camera backpack open for 10 sec. Snow was falling fast. Nice formation for a photo. Karsten thought it would be powder, and therefore perfect to explode through it, but the chunk of snow turned out to be rock hard.

I had to bail Sogndal early yesterday due to my next trip. Arrived last night in Göteborg, and took off for Björkliden this morning. The next couple of days is Haglöfs Arctic Weekend time. Photo clinics and lectures are on the agenda. Ola Skinnarmo will be here to build some igloos. Andreas Fransson will be here to do some ski clinics. And Per Jonsson will be here as well. So, good days ahead. Only one concern, and that is the snow conditions. They sure need more snow here. But, it will for sure come.

Good being back in Björkliden, I really like this place!

• Number of missed volcanic eruptions: 3
• Number of days on the mountain: 32
• Number of travelled hours: 89
• Number of meter with skins under my skis: 5300

2012-02-18

A bit too warm in Sogndal at the moment. Ok, we had snowfall and lots of snow today, but the condition of the snow could have been better.

Karsten Gefle, Oscar Hübinette and myself just finished the first day of the Sogndal Photo Contest. As the rain was pooring down from the sky this morning, we didn’t stress during the breakfast. “Do you know who is sitting next to us”, Karsten asked me. “No”, I said. “It is Veronica Maggio, and I talked to her while making the pancakes”. I bet Karsten won’t forget the pancake-making in Sogndal for a long time.

As we got up to the ski resort of Hodlekve the rain had turned into snow. And it was sure dumping (too bad we had a long breakfast)! We took the lift up to the top and hiked for 30 min before we started to work with the camera. I have heard about the tree skiing in Sogndal, but I could never imagine it would be this good. Pillows, good spacing between the trees and good steepness!

What about the shooting? Well, I think it is hard shooting tree-skiing at new places. I always see the good stuff from below, and today it was too much snow to hike up. But we did find a few good magic spots. The second challenge today was the humidity and  the snow. The lenses got covered with moisture all the time. My lens cloth didn’t make it long…

As the day went on, the temperature got warmer. What do you do then? Well, Karsten wanted a powder shot. So he piled up wall of snow on a pillow and charged right through it. Not a very powderish feeling…

Maybe some sun in the afternoon tomorrow. Let’s hope, we all are motivated to capture some good shots!

• Number of missed volcanic eruptions: 3
• Number of days on the mountain: 30
• Number of travelled hours: 73
• Number of meter with skins under my skis: 5300

2012-02-16

Göteborg is coming to an end. Now it is time for new destinations. A photo competition in Sogndal is coming up next (leaving tomorrow morning). This is the first time ever I have entered a photo competition, and it is indeed exciting. 4 days of shooting before a jury announce the winner. 4 teams with 1 photographer and 2 skiers in each team. The theme  is “Mountains and fjords”. Don’t know about the fjords… According to the forecast it is going to rain/snow alot! Team Svorsk consists of me as the photographer, and Karsten Gefle and Oscar Hübinette as the skiers.

Yesterday was lecture time at the Scandinavian Photo store in Malmö. I did my talk about “the hunt for the dream image”. The talk is a lot about volcanoes and skiing, and I really want to go to Etna now! Just trying to find time…

And an update about my oak, check this baby out!

2012-02-10

Last week’s trip to Northern Norway reminded me what adventure photography is all about (for me at least). It is not about the deepest snow. It is not about the best snow. It is about curiosity. My ski tour up to the Smådalstindene (Lofoten) is a good example. The snow was shit, and that was a big concern for me. How am I going to capture nice images, I thought. But as we started the tour I realized I couldn’t stop walking. I was so curious about the views. I wanted to experience it so much. The shitty snow conditions was soon forgotten. The higher we got, the more beautiful the views became. It was like living in a dream (Lofoten has been a winter dream for me for a long time). I have seen the inspirational images in magazines and catalogues, but being there was nothing like watching it in a magazine. Images do inspire (thanks for that…), but in the end it comes to the live experiences.

Living the dream.

I experienced a similar thing in Tromsö the other day. As we were approaching the mountain with the car, it was easy to see that the snow condition was crap once again. This ski tour offered not a very spectacular view on the way up. Luckily we had strong wind, adding a bit of spice to the tour. Always nice putting on the hood for wind protection! But as we got to the summit ridge the magic views started to appear. And the combination of the views with the frosty appearance of the rocks made this ski tour to fantastic experience. There is just something magic about the mountain/water-combination!

Maybe a bit spoiled from Lofoten when this view isn’t impressing…

So, back in Göteborg. Always nice being back here – to home! Borta bra men hemma bäst. I really like the home/away-contrasts with travelling. Now it is office time, image editing, bill paying before the next trip to Sogndal (Norway again). Btw, Etna had beautiful eruption the other day. Couldn’t sleep that night. Soooooooo wanna go there. I think I have to…

• Number of missed volcanic eruptions: 3
• Number of days on the mountain: 29
• Number of travelled hours: 63
• Number of meter with skins under my skis: 5300

2012-02-07

Lofoten is a magic place! It has been a dream to come here in winter for a long time. Ok, the snow condition is pretty terrible at the moment, but the views – the views – so amazing. I turned down the surfing yesterday for a magic view day. Johan, Cenneth, the local guide Seth and myself went for a tour on the Småtindene. An app. 800m tour close to Svolvaer. The higher we got the more beautiful it got. Sharp mountains, a low sun and the ocean. What a combination! And, the day ended with a spectacular Northern light. Norway keeps on delivering.

Johan and myself on the way up Småtindene.

Green skies above Svolvaer. The shutter time was app 3 minutes. But, the sky was very green, so it was spectacular in real ife as well!

And today was pretty interesting as well. My back was a bit sore, so I skipped skiing and went on a fishing tour with the other guys. The fishing was… easy. The skipper found a spot with thousands of fish underneath us (based on the sonar). So, it was just to lower the fishing lure and wips – fish.

On the way back to Svolvaer we stopped for a bit of Sea-Eagle (is the name Sea-Eagle?) watching. Very, VERY spectacular (like everything on this magic island)!

Don’t wanna mess with this Sea-Eagle.

Heading for Tromsö tonight. Hear they have good partying…

• Number of missed volcanic eruptions: 2
• Number of days on the mountain: 28
• Number of travelled hours: 52
• Number of meter with skins under my skis: 4500

2012-02-06

I love when I am wrong! I was so sure the snow conditions in the area of Narvik was terrible, I mean so bad that it wouldn’t be skiable. But luckily I was wrong. And it was Micke af Ekenstam (local skier, book writer, ex movie star, etc etc) that proved us (Myself, John, Johan and Cenneth) wrong. He showed us a really nice ski tour an hour outside Narvik. The place and mountain was Spanstind. After a four hour ski tour we reached the spectacular summit before we headed down the GOOD snow while the sun was setting in front of us.

Johan Mattsson enjoying sunset skiing on Spanstind.

It has been so super cold up here (like everywhere I guess). Shooting has been a bit cold for the fingers. But with the thin finger gloves inside my thick down gloves, things have actually worked out really well.

Just arrived in Svolvaer (Lofoten) and it is snowing outside the window. I have two choices tomorrow, either I go surfing or I go ski touring. See what happens tomorrow, it depends on the weather. Am I looking forward spending time in the +4 C water? Not really, but it would still be fun…

I have always dreamed of ski touring in Lofoten, it is a magic place. So I do hope for the sun to shine in the morning!

• Number of missed volcanic eruptions: 2
• Number of days on the mountain: 27
• Number of travelled hours: 52
• Number of meter with skins under my skis: 3700

2012-02-02

I thought it couldn’t get much better, but obviously it could. During January I have tried out the F-Stop Satori EXP camera backpack. I used to wear the Tamrac Adventurepack 10. This is a really good camera backpack as well, but this one, the F-Stop Satori EXP, is just magic. Why, well, I will show you now!

This is what I bring during a normal day of shooting. A camera body, 4 lenses, a flash, a, point and shoot, remote trigger system for the flash, extra batteries and memory cards, a remote control, walkie talkie, lens cloth, sun block, shovel, probe, monopod, skins, water, down jacket and some food.

The camera gear are packed in a separate unit, a so called ICU (Internal Camera Unit). This is very smart by F-Stop! The backpack itself is the “base unit”. Then you pick and choose the size of the ICU and put it into the backpack. So, I use the medium ICU for a normal day of shooting. But if I do flash photography I change to the large ICU to fit all the stuff, but I still have the same backpack.

I put the extra batteries and memory cards, remote control, walkie talkie, lens cloth and sun block in the top compartment of the backpack.

What I really like is to have EVERYTHING fitted into the backpack. And the probe, shovel shaft and monopod fits just perfect next to the ICU in the backpack.

The down jacket, skins, water and food fits on top of the medium size ICU in the backpack. So, heavy stuff in the bottom (except for the water bottle), and the lighter stuff on the top. Perfect!

I use the outer compartment for the shovel itself. Actually it gives a bit of extra protection to the camera gear.

Why not bring the point and shoot as well? There is space for it. So, I put a smaller F-Stop pack on the hip belt where I keep the point and shoot. Easy to bring out, and easy to put back. This way I never miss a photo opportunity (I hope a least).

And this is what it looks like when the packing is done. When I want to take out the camera I just open the back of the Satori EXP and bring it out. Easy piecy! If I want to put the skis on the back pack, no probs! There are straps for it on the side.

Check out the products on F-Stop´s website. Maybe this will change your photography? I think the packing system is the most important thing when it comes to photography. A good packing system makes it easy to bring the gear to the mountains. Becuase, without the gear – no photos!

2012-01-31

Clouds and/or fog are good descriptions for the last couple of days. And Brunni of course. It seems like January has been the Brunni month. Oscar and I have been chasing the sun, and we did succeed 2 days ago. But just for a short bit, because the cloud roof went up and down like a jojo between 1900-2100m. A bit annoying when capturing (trying to at least) images. And today I had a good day (once again on Brunni) with skiers Oscar (always), Linus Archibald and Edvard Berg. We had a really good day of shooting among the beautiful and snow covered trees.

Engelberg is ciao for now, will be back in the end of February. Next trip is Lofoten, and I am looking forward to it! Seems to be really bad snow conditions, but the last weeks solar activity seems to have boosted the Northern lights. Nice!

Edvard Berg preparing for a soft landing on today’s shoot on Brunni.

The never ending fog (or cloud, depends how you wanna see it), Linus and Oscar.

Oscar waiting for the sun.

• Number of missed volcanic eruptions: 2
• Number of days on the mountain: 25
• Number of travelled hours: 30
• Number of meter with skins under my skis: 1900

2012-01-28

Four intense days have now passed, and we have been so lucky with the weather for the Photo Clinic!

Day 1

Heavy snowfall! First we did some avalanche awareness  training with Remo up at the igloo at Trübsee. At the Photo Clinic we do off-piste ski photography, so everybody MUST know how to act in case of an avalanche! After the training we did some shooting on the Titlis side, but the bad visibility made us go to the Brunni side. And it was perfect conditions for today’s task – Elinchrom Quadra Flash Photography. A solid base with 30 cm of cold and fresh snow. Oscar and Remo did the modeling while Adam, Hans and Micke did the shooting. The main difference shooting with an external flash is that you only have one chance of capturing the image (due to the charging time of the flash system). Normally you shoot a lot of images during a session. I was surprised of the result, some really good images. Why am I surprised? Because it is not easy!

Avalanche training with Remo.

Flash photography on Brunni.

Day 2

Once again Brunni. Good snow but limited visibility was the reason today as well. Now it was time to try different angels and different ways of capturing the images. The snow was not as good as the day before, but hey, good enough! Remo, Oscar and Jesper did the modeling among the few trees you are allowed skiing next to at Brunni. On the day’s last run we ended up at Schwand, and we caught a taxi back to the hotel Hoheneck.

Oscar not really finding the right position (pretty uncommon I must say) on the way down to Schwand.

Day 3

Clear blue sky! Today was the touring day. Remo decided to make the tour up to Schaftal. This was the first time touring for Adam, Hans and Micke, and they did a good job! This day’s task was to play around with composition while heading for some back country off-piste skiing. It is important to have a reason for the composition. Why putting the shadow there, and not there? Why putting the skier there and not there? Always a thought with the image before you capture it! The snow was a bit crusty making the skiing slightly harder compared to the previous days. After the ski tour, it was time for lunch, before we headed down the Galitberg as the last run of the day.

Ski touring shooting.

Nice views and an untracked valley (except for our tracks).

Day 4

Sore legs and sore knees. Day 3 was hard, but the crew was all eager to capture some more ski images. Today’s mission for everyone was to capture images while doing the whole work flow thing on their own. The snow conditions was really bad and the light was…. grey. But that’s the way it is sometimes! We found a nice cliff on the Brunni side and Oscar did a bit of jumping. After lunch Engelberg (including Brunni and Titlis) disappeared into a big cloud. So, we headed down for the daily image preview at Hoheneck, but this day a bit earlier compared to the previous days.

Adam after a close up ski photography session!

If you are keen on the results, just stay tuned. They will soon be posted!

• Number of missed volcanic eruptions: 2
• Number of days on the mountain: 22
• Number of travelled hours: 30
• Number of meter with skins under my skis: 1700

2012-01-22

This month’s highlight is soon starting – the annual Engelberg photo clinic. It is gonna be four intense days of skiing, touring, shooting and image reviewing. I am hosting the clinic together with skier Oscar Hübinette and local mountain guide Remo Baltermia. Oscar takes care of the turning and jumping while Remo makes sure we all are safe in the mountains. It is a good crew!

The last couple of days has been like a rollercoaster, at least when it comes to the temperature. From -3 to +9. And it has been snowing, a lot. Well, at least on the mountain. But, not only snow showed up, also the wind. So today the Titlis side opened up after being closed for a few days. I did have some hopes for really good skiing, but the snow was very wind affected. I am not saying it was bad skiing, but I was hoping for more…

 
Oscar, Jesper Olsson and myself went on a ski tour up to Brunni 3 days ago while all lifts were closed due to wind.

On the way to Grünenwald yesterday. Nice light and lots of wind. 

Jesper Olsson skiing a bit of powder on the Titlis side today.

The way to ski when the avalanche bulletin is 4…

• Number of missed volcanic eruptions: 2
• Number of days on the mountain: 17
• Number of travelled hours: 30
• Number of meter with skins under my skis: 1400

2012-01-19

It has been lots of fun going on the last couple of days.

1) Anders and I finally handed in the first draft of the Adventure Photography book. This is great fun, and it definitely feels like a GIANT step forward!  And we like the draft, let us hope the publisher does as well…

2) Two lectures at the Scandinavian Photo stores in Stockholm and Göteborg. I got a bit busted on the Göteborg lecture. I got the question about how I keep my gear in shape in bad weather. Well, my experience is that the gear just doesn’t break. I have kept my cheap cameras/lenses as well as my expensive cameras/lenses in rain, snow and wind. Nothing has ever happend (am I just lucky?). So I said, the equipment is tougher then you think. A hand got raised in the audience “Well, I work at Canon. And you should be careful at times with the equipment…”. I still assert that the gear is tough, and even though that it is raining a little bit, bring out the camera.

3) This morning I flew back to Engelberg, caught the 0650 flight from Göteborg. At noon I was in Engelberg. At 13 I was geared up for a ski tour. A few hours later I was 900 meters above Engelberg. That is a good day, including both Göteborg, Engelberg and a ski tour. All before dinner!

Now we are all waiting for the big snow fall suppose to hit us tomorrow!

• Number of missed volcanic eruptions: 1
• Number of days on the mountain: 14
• Number of travelled hours: 30
• Number of meter with skins under my skis: 900

2012-01-14

“Are you ready Fredrik”, says Peter as I see his head above the cliff. “I am ready, you go when you are ready”. Twenty seconds later Peter launches off the cliff with a nice position in the air before he disappears out of my view. I hear a big crash, and heart breaking screams from the lift a bit further away. Shit, what the f*** just happened are my first thoughts. I run down the slope to Peter, around a small cliff, and as I finally see him I realize he is not moving – at all. I hurry to him and as I approach the lifeless body I hear his deep, fast and heavy breaths. “Peter, Peter, can you hear me?”. No response, he is unconscious. I pick up the phone and dial 144. They want to know our position, but I have no clue. I ask people, but don’t understand what they say. I realize I have a piste map in my pocket! At the same time Peter wakes up. Three loooooong minutes have passed since the fall. 45 minutes later the helicopter arrives. Finally Peter is in good hands!

Not very pleasent seeing a friend being choptered away.

This happened three days ago in Verbier. Peter, myself, Linn and Anders were there for a three day photo shoot to a few articles. The accident happened on the last run as Peter and I were capturing some afternoon shots. People tend to say “Never do the last run”, and I must say, this day that was true.

But, for the other three days in Verbier, we had an awesome time. Fantastic snow, clear blue sky and amazing skiing. Verbier is amazing – charming village, wide long pistes and off piste areas that never seemed to end. We also hooked up with “local”-skier Karro Ekman for a day. She has spent a lot of time in Verbier, and knows the area really well. Always good with some inside information.

Peter jumping a cliff. This was not the last run of the day, so it went fine this time…

The day after the accident we all went to the hospital in Sion. Peter was just done with a minor surgery as we came to his room. His collor bone was dislocated in a bad way, but the hospital crew managed to fix it good. We were relieved to see that Peter was doing fine, even though he was a bit tired (and funny) from the pain killers. Now we are all back in Engelberg!

But it was on the other hand pleasent seeing Peter alive and kicking at the hospital!

• Number of missed volcanic eruptions: 1
• Number of days on the mountain: 12
• Number of travelled hours: 17

2012-01-08

I have done a bit of shooting the last couple of days. The snow has been dumping in Engelberg, well, at least on the mountain. The village has gotten a lot of rain, then snow, then rain, then snow… First I did some shooting with the ski patrol in Engelberg. Two days ago, Anders and I met up with Christoph Bissig, the man in charge of the ski patrol team. I learned a lot of interesting facts about the work of a ski patroller, the snow and the Steinberg glacier. 20 years ago this glacier went all the way down to the Stand lift station. Conclusion, it is retreating fast, too fast.

Christoph Bissig, or is it Robert Duval?

Yesterday morning Anders and I caught the bin up to Stand at 0700 to met up with Christoph again, this time to capture him loading the helicopter with dynamite. Helicopter and dynamite is the key for making the slopes of Engelberg as safe as it can be from avalanches. I tell you, Christoph has a great job! But it also comes with a lot of responsibility.

Dynamite and helicopter.

Ski/boarding -shooting wise I have had one good day, and on bad day. Let us start with the bad one. I met up with Oscar Hübinette and Daniel Furberg to do a bit of shooting on Brunni. My camera backpack was full of gear. When it is FULL of gear I have the Elinchrom Quadra packed (very heavy, but it all fits into one backpack). As I rigged the flashes, I realized the battery was dead in the transmitter. And I didn’t bring a spare one. This made me very, very pissed off (I am not understanding at all when it comes to cameras and computers, even though, normally, I am the one to blame – like here). Anyways, we did some shooting without the flashes. I soon realized how much I missed my fast EOS 1D Mark III camera, because when I do flash photography, I don’t need the fast continuous shooting program due to the charging time of the flashes. So, I had my EOS 5D Mark II.

 
Here you can see way I missed my EOS 1. I would have liked a frame in between these two ones. I bet Oscar Hübinette didn’t care about my camera in this snow…

Here we are, all happy, before I knew about my battery failure. Daniel, myself and Oscar. Photo: Anders Wingqvist.

We made another try the day after. This time with a battery in the transmitter. This time also on the Brunni side. It is a big hassle shooting with flash, lots of walking, lots of snow on the flashes (but they seem to cope with it good, they still work), but the worst is (or the best) – we only have one chance to capture the image. I had a lot of ideas in my head, but today I didn´t really succeed with any of them.

Idea 1

The idea was to capture a deep powder shot with motion blur. How did it go?

+ I did get the motion blur in the background – but not well enough.
- The snow was not deep enough.
Camera settings: 1/8s, f/18, ISO 100, 92mm, 400ws

Idea 2

The idea was to lit up Daniel’s snow spray with the flash carried by Daniel himself. How did it go?

+ The flash got buried in the snow but still worked just fine during the next shoot.
- The flash did not lit up the spray like I wanted to, and where it actually did light it up, the snow got “burned”.
- The tree behind the snow spray. It makes the image “unclean”.
Camera settings: 1/200s, f/13, ISO 100, 24mm, 400ws

Now it is time to see what Verbier has to offer!

• Number of missed volcanic eruptions: 1
• Number of image ideas I want to (NEED to!) realize: 2
• Number of days on the mountain: 9
• Number of travelled hours: 10

2012-01-05

Yesterday, in the shower, two awesome ideas for images popped up in my head. I got that “when you were a kid the day before Christmas”-feeling. Just wanted the evening to end so I could wake up and get down to business. I did wake up this morning, I did turn on the computer for the daily volcano web cam check. And what do I see, yes, that Etna was erupting!!! A nice, beautiful ash plume with lots of lava. And snow has been falling the last couple of weeks as well, so the volcano was all white. This would have been perfect for the dream image.

Image: Screen dump from http://www.radiostudio7.it/

I got so pissed off. And 5 minutes later I also realized Engelberg is closed today (all lifts) due to strong winds. So, now I am trying to figure out a way to make this day exciting (motivation is a bit hard to find as it is raining big time in the village with a temperature of plus four).

Anders and Linn, and Anders enjoying the powder.

Yesterday my friend and journalist Anders Wingqvist arrived in Engelberg. We (Anders, Linn and myself) had a good day of skiing. Tomorrow we are going out with the bomd dudes to see how they make the mountain safe from avalanches. That is exciting, but it is also not until tomorrow. After that it is time for a work trip to Verbier, Bruson and Champex.

• Number of missed volcanic eruptions: 1
• Number of image ideas I want to (NEED to!) realize: 2
• Number of days on the mountain: 7
• Number of travel days: 1

2012-01-03

The plan was to capture some images today. But I didn’t… A few days of rain in the village meant good condition on the mountain. So, the forecast said sun for today, and it sure was (but just for a while). As I woke up the sky was cloudless. I packed my camera backpack and went to the Titlisbahn to meet up with Daniel Furberg. It is January, so the sun doesn’t show up until early lunch time. We decided to ski (and board) a few hours until lunch. We did 4 laps on Steinberg (app. 40 cm new, soft snow) before we stopped for a short lunch break (a break needed, because my legs were dead tired, Daniel is always so fast). But, the weather shifted really fast and suddenly the sky was full of clouds. So, no images. Too bad, because I was super motivated to capture some nice powder shots today.

But I did enjoy a nice sunset from the village though. The famous ski run LAUB in the left side.

I love numbers, so I figured it would be fun to keep track of a few things during the season (more will come)…

Number of days on the mountain: 6

Number of travel days: 1

2011-12-31

Yesterday was a good day on the mountain. Few people, good snow and nice company. This was actually the first time ever I have had good skiing on Brunni (don’t ski on Brunni that much…). I met local mountain guide Remo in the lift, and he said the snow base of Brunni is the best for a long time. The base is in general very good in Engelberg at the moment. We did lap after lap from the top to the bottom, a nice run across fields and barns.

  
Captured some snapshots with the G12, working just perfect in the snow fall.

Today – rain up to app. 1600, and above that altitude the snow is very wet. Skiing wasn’t very good today. Hopefully the temperatures drops soon!

2011-12-28

2011-12-22

2011-12-13

Just got the latest issue of Outside magazine and I was really happy to read that Andreas Fransson is nominated for “This year’s adventurer” in Sweden. I mean, he really did some cool and serious stuff on Mount McKinley. This is also the reason for his nomination. Wonder what’s up next, after the South America trip? One thing is for sure, it’s gonna be steep.

Andreas Fransson and a cold evening at the Låktatjåkka mountain lodge, Björkliden, Sweden.

I am starting to realize time is running out to capture the dream image, at least in December. Snow just doesn’t wanna fall on Etna. Frustrating – YES! According to snow-forecast.com, 4 cm will fall the coming week. Not enough… The places to combine active volcanoes and skiing are not many around the globe. I give myself best chances on Etna and Iceland. By the way, Katla is rumbeling. This is gonna be a big blast when it happens, maybe hard to get a skier coming along for that one. Another one on Iceland that is “over due” is Hekla. And actually, Hekla would be a great spot for the dream image. Kamchatka would be of interest as well, three really active volcanoes there. Ok, there are a few places…

So, still amazed over it. How much can a plant grow over a short period of time?? And, I have gotten indications that this is not an oak. What is it? Google hasn’t helped me much on this one.

2011-12-12

Robert Strige – proud winner of the “Win a backpack”-competition. Congrats Robert!

I received A LOT of good and interesting questions about adventure photography during this competition! And if you have more questions, just hit me:

http://www.schenholm.com/win-a-backpack

But remember, the competitions is over. I would still like to know your questions in this topic though!

Good news – snow is finally falling in the Alps. Videos and images are popping up from Chamonix and St Anton, and it is looking good. But a bit more worrying is the snow condition in Engelberg. From what I hear, it is not falling enough… But, I am not going there until the 27th of December, so hopefully a few more low pressures will visit before that.

2011-12-07

Back in Gothenborg after another trip to Stockholm. On the agenda this time – a lecture on Playground Store.  This was a “double evening”, and I was first out with a talk about the hunt for my dream image. After that, it was time for Annelie Pompe’s talk about diving deep and climbing high. I must say, she has accomplished some amazing things!

Something else I find very amazing is my newly planted acorn. I found it during a walk maybe 2 weeks ago, and I brought it back to the appartment. At first, nothing happend, but 4 days ago this little thing seemed to wanna grow – FAST! During one night it growed 2 cm, and it has kept on growing 1-2 cm/day. Amazing ha!?!? There is one problem though, I have no idea how to take care of it. It… I can’t call it that, need a name…

It…

2011-12-03

Thursday was a bit stressful, but finally, 45 min before the opening, the prints were up on the wall. And it was looking good, I was satisfied. 16 prints captured in 7 countries on 3 continents printed in 3 different sizes, both in color and as black and whites. As I started my talk about the child care (the reason for the exhibition) and the story behind the images, there were about 50-60 people listening. It is nice talking about images, because there is always some kind of story behind the shots.

And I must say this opening was a success, at least for the prints. All prints are for sale, and I got several good bids. This makes me really happy, because it means the Lashosha Gocy Day Care will have greater future possibilities! And, to the visitors, thank you all for coming!

Want to view the images from the Lashoha Gocy Adventure Art Exhibition? Click here>>

From Stockholm to snow. Just watched the web cam in Engelberg, and it is looking good. Snow is falling making the mountains white. But for Etna, nothing but a big sun – not good.

2011-11-30

Getting ready for the exhibition tomorrow at Addnature (Söder). Well, ready and ready. I arrive at Arlanda at 1035 – bus into Uppsala – Picking up the prints – car to Stockholm – mount the prints at Addnature – then I am ready. So, hopefully everything will be ready at 18.30… The evening starts off with a short presentation about the prints and why I am doing this exhibition. After that, print viewing time and mingeling. You are all welcome!

 
Two out of the 16 prints. 

Just had another look at the Etna web cam, and snow-forecast.com, not looking good. Well, well, hopefully it will change.

2011-11-29

What is going on with the weather down South. And I am not talking about the Alps, but Sicily and Etna. Freezing level at the moment at 2.500m and according to snow-forecast.com it will stay that way. Just had a look at the Etna web cam and it is just no snow up there. Also a bit worrying is the present inconsistant eruption pattern, it has gone from being very predictable to not so predictable – at all. Well, I guess it shouldn´t be easy to capture the dream image. Anyways, if things change it is time to book the flights. I kind of like the uncertainty, but it is sure tough waiting!

Image: www.snow-forecast.com

2011-11-24

Finally things are falling into places with my image exhibition at Addnature next Thursday! I have, since I visited the Lashoha Gocy day care centre last fall, been thinking how I could help these kids out. It was an overwhelming experience meeting Dorothy (the founder of the day care center) and the kids.

Lashoha Gocy is located in the middle of the Nairobian slum – Kibera. This is a place where many people are poor, and don’t have the money to put their kids in day care centres. This means, a lot of kids are getting a very tough start on their lifes with not enough food, and not enough (if any) education. This is where the day care centre comes in. Here, the kids get food and education! And, the cost for a family to put one kid in the day care centre is $4 a month! So, it doesn’t take much for us to help.

This is why I soon open up the Lashoha Gocy Adventure Art Exhibition, to create some awereness, as well as to open up the possibilities to donate money. And the raised money will go straight to Lashoha Gocy, no where else!

If you wanna read more, click here (in Swedish)>>

So, swing by at 18.30 next Thursday (1st of December) to check out the images at the exhibition. All images will be auctioned out after the exhibition.

To be honest, I have been sceptic to found raising before, but my visit last year gave me another perspective – pretty interesting actually. So, hope to see you next Thursday!

2011-11-23

I just can’t get enough of this song. Think I have heard it 100 times over the last 2 days!

2011-11-18

From the other day when I captured Daniel Olausson climbing “Fettot från Rymden”, a 7b boulder in Kullavik, Sweden. The movie shows my workflow (it is in Swedish, and the wind is a bit annoying at times…).

2011-11-17

As I did my daily web page check in the internet world, I saw that Etna just had its 18th eruption this year. Pretty exciting, because winter is getting closer! BUT – it just seems to be sooooo warm on the volcano at the moment. So, should I make a try for the dream image in December, or not!?!?

The “dream image-skiing” will take place at 2850m, so a bit too warm…

Talking about the dream image, I presented a lecture at Skistore yesterday. Full house, good questions and nice talks with the participants! I hope they enjoyed it. Next stop is Playgroundstore in Stockholm the 6th of December.

Lecture participants all happy that the talk is over…

I am also doing a little lecture tour in the Scandinavian Photo stores in January and February. Sign up here>>

Phokusera – Scandinavian Photo’s most recent catalogue

2011-11-15

Had a good day together with boulder junkie Daniel Olausson (check out his blog here) the other day. I wanted to capture images, and Daniel wanted to do some bouldering – so, a good team. After a few hours at Häller, we ended up in Lyse (this is in Bohuslän, Sweden). Daniel showed me a big rock, app. 7m slightly overhanging, close to the road. I liked what I saw!

So, I went up to the rock opposite “Daniel’s” boulder (the name of this boulder is Flykten från Jordens medelpunkt, 6c+) and checked for angles. It is always exciting looking through the camera to see what is looking good. After a bit of hesitation, I finally found a good angle.

My next issue was flash or not flash. After a few snapshots a decided I liked the flash light a lot better, it produced better light, better contrasts and nicer depth.

So, I mounted a single flash head from the Elinchrom Quadra on a tripod, and prepered for some image capturing. This included to decide the final composition, setting the focus and the exposure settings. Ready for the shoot!

Position of the flash head.

Camera and flash settings: Canon EOS 5D Mark II, 1/200s, f/10, ISO 400, 16mm, 317Ws

Which one did I like the best. Well, a tough choice. In the second image Daniel is moving his hand adding a bit of dynamics to the image. But I think he is a bit too far down. So, I think I like the last image best, despite “no movement”. But I am not sure…

2011-11-14

Just got back after a good weekend at the Wintershow fair in Älvsjö, Stockholm. This was the first year for the fair, and the exhibitors seemed very satisfied. As for me, I presented 2 lectures about adventure photography as well as some representation for Engelberg in the Active Ski exhibition case. Fairs are fun, I like meeting good and interesting people!

So, back in Göteborg for some office work. Next lecture will take place at Skistore on Wednesday.

And – thank you for sending me your questions about adventure photography. Even though the competition is over, keep sending me your thoughts. It is very good information for the research to the book!

2011-11-10

And the winner in the “win a backpack”-competition is….

ROBERT STRIGE!

Congrats Robert – a backpack will soon be sent to you!

The drawing of the winner was made from my favorite hat!

2011-11-09

I was really happy to see Hans Sellberg’s image winning the “image of the month” in the latest issue of Brant. The image was captured during last winter’s image workshop in Engelberg. And, as usual… the skier is Oscar Hübinette. He is just everywhere… This was a good day with some snowfall, some sun and lots of good snow.

Tomorrow I will do the drawing in the “Win a backback”-competition. So, stay tuned!

2011-11-07

A pair of snowboards in my office – strange view… These are from my friend Daniel Furberg and his new brand “Furberg Snowboards”. Are they good? No clue… Well, they should be because Daniel really knows how to ride those boards. What I do know is that I love the colors! Will look good on the images later on this winter!

Check out his web page here>>

2011-11-03

I have a new partner I hope I never will have to “use”. The partner is the well reputed insurance company Europeiska.

I got in contact with them during last year’s Pure Freeride Camp. The crew from Europeiska presented a new insurance covering sports and extreme sports. Why didn’t I know about this? So, we started talking and the result is this partnership.

If you ski off-piste without a guide and want to be insured, make sure to contact Europeiska for some information. It might be worth it…Read about this insurance here>>

So, during Monday evening I presented a lecture about my work, what I do, where I have been and my future plans. 40+ people were there and hopefully they enjoyed the images and stories…

2011-10-31

I just watched the new episode (#2) of skier Andreas Fransson’s and filmer Bjarne Sahlen’s South American Road Trip. During a three month period the crew is climbing and skiing some of the highest mountains on the continent. I just love their style, always a good mood and always music in their tent. Andreas is doing some serious climbing, and some serious skiing. It is fun to follow the adventures, and the movies are well edited by Bjarne. The crew show what adventures is all about!

Adventure through the Andes. Peru – episode # 2. from Bjarne Sahlen on Vimeo.

2011-10-27

Just got the latest (well, it is two months old) of the Norwegian magazine Natur og Foto. The magazine featured a 10 page article about my work – fun! But, I can’t wait for the next issue and the intervju with Terje Helleso (they Swedish guy who published some really awesome photos, which was good, except that the photos were made in photoshop…). I don’t think the magazine will feature this intervju, but if they do it will be really interesting reading.

 
The first spread of “my” feature and the teaser for Terje’s intervju.

And – Etna had another eruption three days ago. Look at this blog, this is something I can’t get sick of!

2011-10-25

It is time to book this winter’s photo adventure… I am hosting the Engelberg Photo Workshop this year again. We had a really good time last year with great snow and great weather!

It’s gonna be 4 intense days with shooting pro ski models in their home environment. This might mean high cliffs (if the snow is soft…)

Hasse, Adam and MIcke shootinh Rema making a left turn.

More information about the workshop here>>

2011-10-24

Down Film released their new movie “The Sunny Side” last Friday at the Trädgår´n in Göteborg. A lot of people (but still less the usual) went to see the premiere. It was lots, and lots of cliff jumping. The Scandinavian boys and girls are really charging down the mountains, impressive in deed! I liked the movie, but I did miss better shooting angles. I know the cliff jumps are big, but they don’t look big on the movie. More work on angles would be really nice. Anyways, Free Radicals are doing a great job for the Swedish ski industry!

Dagens Nyheter published a few of my images in yesterday’s snow supplement, as the cover and to the Engelberg piece written by Hanne Kjöller. This is great fun, because DN is my favourite newspaper.

  
Oscar Hübinette on the cover, Daniel Furberg and Oskar Svensson on the additional images.

2011-10-21

Did a short photo shoot for Outside magazine yesterday. The woman on the photo is Anneli Wester, a Swedish adventurer aiming to climb Cho Oyu the coming spring. She hopes not only to climb the mountain, she also wants to do a night sleeping on the summit. Read more about Anneli, her past (very interesting) and her future plans in the coming issue of Outside.

2011-10-18

Just got the news about Canon’s coming SLR beast – Canon EIS 1D-X. Listen to this:

- Full frame sensor

- Up to 14 fps

- 3,2″ display

- ISO 100 – 51.200

Well, that are just a few new features. But, it is not just good… The camera won’t be released until April 2012.

2011-10-17

This might just be the coolest camera, or cameraS, in the world. Check it out!

2011-10-14

The Swedish magazine Brant put my image on the cover on the latest issue. And the rider is Oscar Hübinette. Oscar is also on some of the images in the Jan Mayen article featured in the October issue of Outside. He just loves the camera, like me…

Weather is getting cold here in Göteborg. According to the news, the temperature dropped below zero last night. Yes, winter is getting closer!

And a song a really can’t stop listening to… (also the soundtrack to a ski movie called lifelong)

2011-10-11

I need your questions about adventure photography! Journalist Anders Wingqvist and I are putting together a book about adventure photography, and we would love to know your questions regarding this topic. All questions are good questions (we hope…)!

If you hit us with a question, you have the chance of winning a brand new camera backpack!

Click here>>

This one could be yours…

2011-10-04

Four days left to the big SPORTLOPPIS at the Mornington Hotel in Bromma. If you are looking for sport equipment – cheap – this will be the place! And of course there will be an after sportloppis band playing…

More info here>>

2011-09-30

My latest email conversation with skier Johan Jonsson:

Johan’s email:

—-
Hänga i Engelberg i vinter eller?

//Johan Jonsson
—-

My replay
—-
Engelberg slutet av dec till mitten av feb, men med småresor däremellan. Efter det mkt Norge och Sverige, med nån tur till Ryssland och Iran. Så, ser ut att bli ett fullt schema… Hade inte varit fel med en längre vinter. Säger jag nu, så låter det vanligtvis inte i slutet av april…

//F
—-

Johan’s replay
—-
Det är bra med späckat schema! Jag är sjukt hungrig på vinter, eftersom jag knappt åkte någonting ifjol. Så jag tränar som en dåre och peppar upp mig. Flyttar ner så snart det går att åka, sen vara där ett tag, sen Canada, alperna igen, sen AK, sen Sverige och Norge. En sväng till USA också ja… Men det blir nog bra! Nu måste jag kuta. Ha det gött!
—-

Får vi in Japan oxå så är den mesta skidåkningen täckt på jordklotet….

Check out Johan’s blog (it is in English)>>

2011-09-29

Action on Etna yesterday evening!!! The volcano better keep itself active until Novemver/December!!!

2011-09-28

Preparing this fall’s lecture (where and when will be decided shortly), and the theme is “The hunt for the dream image”. This is what I do, always hunting the dream image. But there is one image I want to capture more than anything else…

Here is the cover of the latest fall/winter catalogue from Tierra. This image, and a lot of images inside the catalogue are from Tarfala and the photo shoot we did there in April.

Want to view the whole catalogue? Click here>>

2011-09-26

How long will the mirror stay in the bodies of the SLRs? I think not for long. Sony is releasing a really exciting camera in October, catching 12 fps at 24mp (super good for action!). How is this possible? Well, the new technology of pellicle sensors should be one reason (I am not an engineer, but it should help…). Now the mirror don’t have to go up and down all the time. Would in deed be interesting to try this camera out!

Sony A77 DSLR 

2011-09-23

It is never boring shooting ads for GoreTex and Ski Store. Today´s mission was to use Gore’s test centre here in Göteborg. The crew from Ski Store got dressed, I climbed up a ladder (to find the best angle in this very tiny room) and Gaute from Gore launched the water. Everyone got wet, except for me, because I used an umbrella.

2011-09-22

Just got some exciting news from a photographer I met last year in Nairobi. He (Michael, a photographer for NG, check out his web page here) just came back from Etna, and he told me the eruptions are, at the moment, very easy to predict. So, this is exciting! The snow will soon start to fall on Etna which means I can go there to capture my dream image containing a skier with an erupting volcano in the background! Of course there are some obsticles. The eruptions are very short lived (we are talking about hours), the weather is very shifting, and the eruption needs to take place in the evening (that’s when the lava really glows) with decent snow conditions. I give myself 1% to succeed, which is good enough for me going there…

     
Images from my last ski trip (March 2009) to Etna with Frippe.

Just got som more news from Michael, seems like the eruptions aren’t that easy to predict after all. I lower my chances to 0,1%. Still good enough…

2011-09-21

Do you ever wonder how an adventure photo was captured? How did the photographer think, regarding angles, focusing and composition? What equipment was used? How was the equipment carried? I need all your questions about adventure photography! Why? Well, it is for research to a book about adventure photography. And the book is for you, so I want to know all the questions and thoughts you have about adventure photography. What is adventure one might ask? That is personal, adventure for one person might be hanging on a rock wall and for another it’s all about a beautiful hike. So, do you have questions about this type of photography – please hit me!

Click on this link, ask the questions, and you will have a chance of winning a brand new Tamrac camera backpack>>

If you have a bit of time, visit my “image” gallery and look around. Maybe that inspires you for some questions…

Thanks!

2011-09-20

Nikon goes straight to your heart in this ad. Makes me want to change to Nikon… Check out the guy running TOWARDS to tornado!

2011-09-18

It has been a lot of talk about shutter values, aperture values and composition during the past 36 hours. And it has been fun! Yesterday offered super weather with a clear blue sky, so we (myself, Hans, Jens, Martin and Niklas) had a good time at Drottningsholm castle. Today, the weather was not as good, but hey, it is what it is… Hopefully, the crew went home today with more camera knowledge and inspiration then before…

Martin jumping while Jens, Niklas and Hans is shooting.

2011-09-16

I just think it is so cool to have a climbing wall on the front of the buiding so I had to put together a short movie clip from today’s climbing session… Mornington climbing

The workshop started today, so tomorrow is hard work with the camera!

2011-09-15

At the hotel Mornington in Bromma. Always nice being here, thinking of doing some climbing on the exterior today. Yes, they have a climbing wall on the front of the building! It is workshop time, starting tomorrow and the weather is looking good. Perfect! Just got the latest issue of Outside magazine and the last page shows an image of Siggi, the skipper from the Jan Mayen trip. Despite the cold weather, the rough sea, he looks super cool. That’s what I call a good skipper!

By the way, in the latest issue of Brant there is a really good article about Andreas Fransson and his Mount Denali Superman trip. Check out the first spread of the piece, I love it!

Read about the adventure in the October issue of Outside.

2011-09-13

Just got a sneak preview of the first fall/winter issue of Brant. It is a really nice cover (photographer Jesper Molin and rider Linus Archibald) and it just boosts up the feeling of “want to go skiing – NOW!”. What’s more in the magazine? Well, Editor in Chief Thomas Molin, myself and skiers Caroline Edwall and Fredrik Helgesson tried out the most luxurious ski resort in Switzerland last year. Some crazy hotels I must say… And, in the end of the magazine I wrote a column about Tormod Granheim and my trip to Australia.

       
The cover of Brant and the column (captured with my computers webcam, and it was not easy finding a way of doing that…). Also check out the eruption in the background. Still waiting for another one to blow up, Iceland soon maybe??

2011-09-12

Still working on the web page… Just updated the imventure section, and it is only one week left to the Level 1 work shop at Mornington hotel in Bromma. So, want to know how your camera works? Sign up!

2011-09-09

Outside magazine is running an article about the Jan Mayen Ski Adventure in the October issue. And I just got the text from Martin Letzter, and it is gooood reading. Really funny, and I kind of want to go back. Well, not to the sail boat – but to the volcanic island! This is the final verson of the video teaser that we (Gustav Kågesten) put together.

2011-09-08

Just got the most recent issues of Utemagasinet and Paddling. Utemagasinet features an article from Tormod’s and my beautiful 5 day hike in Iceland last year, and Paddling features an article from a magic kayak trip I did this summer in the area of Geiranger. So, check it out (well, you have to buy the magazines to see it….). Now – back to the update of my new web page.

2011-09-06

Soooooooon a new web page… It is pretty interesting playing around in wordpress!

Blog posts from my volcano trips

2011 – Jan Mayen>>

2010 – Kilimanjaro and Mt Kenya>>

2009 – Mt Etna and Stromboli>>

2009 – Hawaii>>

2008 – Ecuador>>