Showing posts with label F archives: Bengt Björkbom. Show all posts
Showing posts with label F archives: Bengt Björkbom. Show all posts

21 July 2008

Five minutes of Dogma


I am in the process of rediscovering my childhood ’after school recreational', the Stockholm Public Library, with its exciting architecture and with images from the Iliad- the story of a single man's anger.

"Sing, goddess, the rage of Achilles the son of Peleus,
the destructive rage that sent countless ills on the Achaeans."

I once took some photos of the Frisians on the walls. Today I have only a few minutes to spare and I have no plans for a photo session. However, I shoot a picture of a woman who is standing next to me speaking to her cell phone.


Suddenly someone is passing by. I take a picture almost on instinct.


Now I spot the woman in her strange and beautiful dress. She halts about five metres below at the entrance to the information. She seems to be waiting for someone. I take another picture.




I find the woman and her dress exciting in connection with the images from the Iliad on the wall. I step down to get closer, and take some more pictures.






I walk down behind the woman, looking for pictures from a different angle, and shoot two more pictures. Looking at the clock I realize that I am late and must leave the library. But there were some photos taken, mostly thanks to an exciting and beautiful dress.

The photos are taken according to my Dogma 07-promise: One camera, one lens, one film. The picture should be cropped directly in the viewfinder, which means that the it should be composed at the moment of exposure.

Equipment: Leica M6, 28 mm,
Film: Tri-X exposed after 400 ASA
Developed in D-76.
Text and photos © Bengt Björkbom

10 April 2008

25 March 2008

un-known

Bengt says: "I found some old negatives that were "unknown" although they were from my work. This picture is from Stockholm, Old town - around 1960"
Photo: Bengt Björkbom

14 February 2008

27 December 2007

people at work

Painter




storehouse worker

Photos by: Bengt Björkbom

23 December 2007

14 December 2007

12 December 2007

Queen of light - Santa Lucia preparing






Photos: Bengt Björkbom, 1980's

"In Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland, Lucy (called Lucia) is venerated on December 13 in a ceremony where an elected girl, portraying Lucia, walks, with a crown of candles, ahead of a procession of other women holding a candle each. The candles symbolize the fire that refused to take St. Lucy's life when she was sentenced to be burned. The women sing a Lucia song while entering the room, to the melody of the traditional Neapolitan song Santa Lucia..."

Full article on Wiki

10 December 2007

Korvkiosken

This picture is from around 1960, Bengt has told me. Two young ladies waiting for their orders at the hot dog stand, known as "korvkiosken" in Swedish. This was a sacred place by the 1950´s and early 1960´s.

People in Sweden were unaware of sushi, meze, kebab, hamburgers and even pizza. Ingemar Johansson from Gothenburg was probably the heavy weight champion of the world. This was pre-Sonny Liston and Cassius Clay. Definitely pre-Mohammed Ali. So the choice was - a sausage in bread or a sausage with mashed potatoes. If you were lucky to live in Skåne (I was one of the lucky one´s btw) you could even get a decent sausage.

I am thinking of three things seeing this picture. Is Günther still around? His korvkiosk located on Karlbergsvägen in Stockholm is the best in the city to my knowledge. Where are my negatives, with the pictures of his place and have I ever taken Bengt to Günthers korvkiosk. Well I have to find out about all of these things very soon. /Ulf

04 December 2007

02 December 2007

Roulette - in black and white

Wikipedia:
"The first form of roulette was devised in 18th century France. The roulette wheel is believed to be a fusion of the English wheel games Roly-Poly, Ace of Hearts, and E&O, and the Italian board games of Hoca and Biribi, and then the name roulette from an already existing French board game of that title. The game has been played in its current form since as early as 1796 in Paris."












A fellow photographer: ....
"As a foreigner, I find your 1960´s and the Roulette series most
interesting to me because of its strong documentary orientation. Composition wise, it may be not as sophisticated as your later ones, but I feel there's such an unsual dose of realism that I've never seen among other Swedish photographers' works."











Robert Frank:
"Black and white are the colors of photography. To me they symbolize the alternatives of hope and despair to which mankind is forever subjected."

All pictures ©Bengt Björkbom

30 November 2007

Ein Tivoli

Photographer: ©Bengt Björkbom, 1968 - 1969

29 November 2007

The Sixties revisited






The Sixties. Bengt Björkbom´s pictures takes me on a ride through this swirling decade. This is no nonsense photography. I can´t get enough of it. /ulf




















28 November 2007

The Photographer


Gunnar Smoliansky
Picture by Bengt Björkbom

25 November 2007

having coffee

coffee and cigarette





Zingo and coffee
CAFÉ
Photographer: Bengt Björkbom

24 November 2007

A journey with Bengt

Bengt Björkbom in action

About a week ago you met photographer Bengt Björkbom and his pictures. Well, he also shared some of his thoughts about straight photography, or whatever you may call it. I think he´s got something important to tell us from his long experience as a photographer, always carrying his M Leica and a 35mm (or 16 mm lens attached). And this is the point were I manage to come up with something negative to say about this nice gentleman;...he collects cameras as well.
Bengt has been generous enough to send me many pictures from his archive - I want more! The pictures that we will publish here are from 45 years of photographing 1962-2007. So please enjoy. This is the first chapter of many more to come./ulf
























All pictures ©Bengt Björkbom