I’ve noticed a pattern with these monthly summary blogposts where I start many of them with how much of the year is now over, so I guess I should do the same with this one (consistency and all that ;-)). We've just managed to get through 3 quarters of the year and are now definitely on the home stretch. 2022 can’t come soon enough!
The month of September 2021 was an interesting one for me where I was able to photograph a little bit of everything; landscapes, flowers, people and at least a little bit of street photography (my favorite kind of photography to do). While we’re nowhere near normalcy yet it is beginning to feel a bit more like it. On September 29 the Swedish government rescinded all previous limitations on group sizes at events and gatherings, so perhaps my October summary will be even more “normal”. At this stage I doubt it though, because I still feel apprehensive about being in large crowds…and I suspect that will last a lot longer than it seems to do for many of my younger countrymen who are out and about at nightclubs, sports events, movie theaters etc.!
The title image of this post is technically taken in August, but I didn’t upload it until September, so it still qualifies. It was taken during my visit to Copenhagen during World Pride Week and illustrates a level of comfort at being near strangers that I most definitely don’t feel yet! This tourist boat on the canals in Copenhagen was filled to the brim with people enjoying the tour of the Danish capital in a way that to me is still a no-no. I do hope they checked vaccination records or Covid tests before filling the boat, although knowing the Danes’ often somewhat relaxed relationships with rules…I doubt it!
Day 246 - September 3: See you soon, my friend!
Train stations are good places to photograph people if you’re a street photographer - there’s always someone saying their goodbyes, someone meeting a long time friend, or a long time love again. The potential for good human expressions and gestures is almost always good, even in Sweden, where we’re often “accused” of being standoff-ish or remote towards other people. Clearly these three young men, about to leave each others’ company on the platform at Helsingborg station are neither standoff-ish or remote towards each other!
Day 250 - September 7: Busy September Beach
I don’t know how many of my 365 images through the years have been taken out by the ocean, but I imagine that there’s quite a few. This one was taken at Skanör beach in the far southwest corner of Sweden. On a warm summer day you could probably not take a step there without risking a step onto someone’s towel, or even the sunbather him/herself. On a breezy September Sunday morning though it was blissfully devoid of people, but a few wanderers in search of the rejuvenating effects of a sea-side stroll.
Day 253 - September 10: A fine place for a walk
I’ve taken a lot of photos during the last 18 months of pandemic out in nature, and this is another one. This footpath is right on the edge of a rather steep drop down towards Skryllesjön outside Lund, Sweden. It’s a very popular recreation area that I’ve visited many, many, many times through the years (many of my 365 images in the past have been taken there as well), but this particular footpath is one I’ve not been on before. The path leading towards the light felt uplifting to me…a way to move forward into the future I suppose!
Day 262 - September 19: A little Texas in Sweden
Earlier this year someone extremely dear to me sent me a very generous care package from Texas with lots of goodies inside. One of these goodies was a generous bag of various wildflower seeds from Texas and Oklahoma for my parents’ garden. Among the seeds listed in the bag were of course my favorite Texan flower- the Bluebonnet. Many years ago I brought home a small seed packet myself, but those flowers didn’t survive more than a few years. Hopefully this one surviving bluebonnet (among many other very beautiful flowers that did sprout) will bring more Texan/Oklahomian flowers to my parents’ garden next year.
Day 271 - September 28: One short for a two person job
This second pandemic year I’ve shot very little analog photos, to the point where I’ve only done three or four medium format rolls in total since January. That’s not a whole lot so I am glad I managed to bring my Russian beast of a camera, the Kiev 60, along to a photographers’ brunch/photowalk in late August where we walked the streets for a few hours, after a very sturdy brunch. This is taken in the Värnhem area of Malmö, Sweden; where someone clearly was outmatched by the weight of the couch she’s holding. I hope, for her sake that she had an associate that was just late to arrive in helping her relocate the couch to the trailer in front of her!