Photography / Sweden

Fun With Film In Sweden

film in stockholm

My sister is my favorite person to take pictures with, and our late-spring family trip to Sweden seemed like a good time to break out some of the weirder films in my arsenal.

film in stockholm

film in stockholm

film in stockholm

Stockholm in mid-May was gorgeous and glorious, with hot sunlight bursting through the trees and the fragrance of fresh lilacs perfuming the air. It was my first time in Scandinavia, quite a different beast than the Turkish chaos and grimy Eastern European elegance that I’m accustomed to. The days stretched out long past 10pm as we wandered the clean wide streets of Sodermalm with our cousins and assorted Swedish hipsters.

film in stockholm

film in stockholm

Hillary brought me more sparkly green Volvox film from the US so we could play with it in Stockholm. It was a good choice, because the splotches of radiation green made the magic manifest; with the sky bleeding blush and air redolent with lilacs, it really felt like the world could burst into neon fireflies. On my first go-round with this film, I purposefully shot the roll at the Grand Bazaar to capitalize on the moody shadows that make the green pop. This time I was much looser with my shooting, though I think it still sparkles best in low light, especially at sunset.

film in stockholm

film in stockholm

film in stockholm

I also broke out some Lomochrome Purple, a quirky film I haven’t used much recently but clearly should. We visited a wonderful little museum called Artipelag which had a whole outdoor exhibition of strange pieces tucked into the leafy water-skirting walkway. Mirrors in the woods and docks jutting out into the water made perfect places for shooting.

film in stockholm

film in stockholm

film in stockholm

I loaded this roll into my Olympus Mju compact camera, which has a built-in flash that I thought could make some interesting effects— which it did during the violet hour, at the end of Stockholm’s stretched-out summer days.

film in stockholm

Sometimes I need these reminders to be freer with my shooting, to pick weird films that might go wrong and take chances. It’s always hard to let go of the control, but when we do, that’s when the magic happens. At least, that’s what I believe.

4 Comments

  • Koreen
    September 30, 2018 at 11:53 PM

    Always love your posts and this sparkly green film is fantastic! You are right, the photos in the purple / pink afterglow of the day are truly magical.
    Thank you for sharing your travels and visuals!

    Reply
    • Katrinka
      October 26, 2018 at 12:52 PM

      Thank you so much! Sometimes it’s worth using quirky film.

      Reply
  • Rumah Sakit
    October 24, 2018 at 8:33 AM

    Oh, girl.

    You got talent.

    The photos are just breathtaking and spectacular.

    Love it. 🙂

    Reply

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