who are they to decide?

When I was a child this was the end of my world.

later on it became the connection to the world.

Now as grownup

it has rather become the beginning of my world.

Some say this is just a bridge.

Some would even say it wasn't there

when I was a child.

That there was a ferry.

But who are they to decide,

when I stopped being a child?

photos:christofer grandin

Early morning in December by tram in rainy Gothenburg

-2 and 3200 ASA 16mm

Guest: Sara Gust - My girlfriend

Let me present a favourite of mine, Sara Gust, living in Barcelona, Spain. The project she presents here caught my attention, and I invited her. I'm happy she kindly accepted. But enough of me talking... Sara's own introduction then.

I engage intensely in both text and picture, separated or together. I'm the editor of Display Magazine. I enjoy working on my own projects and ideas, and to create my own little private universe. Have always kept going for the pure joy of creativity, but the need for actually communicating is becoming more and more important to me.

Find more about Sara at her fotosidan profile.

The project 'My girlfriend' is about someone's girlfriend, or perhaps not? You decide.

I've translated the captions myself, so any crude language or lost nuances are all my fault.

My girlfriend

To call her special is probably to exagerate.//
But she has something.//
Nothing much to brag about though.

My girlfriend is so damn boring. //
But sometimes she kicks loose and does heavy things. //
Nothing predictable like dyeing her hair green or so, I mean.


I care much about her. //
I care about her in a way that //
probably only men can really appreciate.

Everyone believes she is a passionate animal friend. //
Only I know the truth //
- that she has a big black hole where the heart should go.

And so came the day when I learned how to REALLY fuck. //
Since then nothing has been the same. //
I've forgotten how to do everything and anything else.

Playing the hooker, that's a game she knows. //
Pretending to be impressed and looking all starry-eyed, //
when my friends visit us. //
*yikes*

My girlfriend, well, //
she's not exactly funny. //
But her sister is.

She thought is was okey to expect, //
when we separated. //
To expect money she had never earned.

Apparently. //

I. //
I have apparently lost.

Random quotes

Christer Strömholm, photographer

Invited Guest: Christophe Agou

Christophe has a unique way of captuering a state of mind, looking through the lens and seeing beyond the object and capture that unique feeling.
I have for a few days trying to come up with some words to Christophe´s photos but it seems really hard to describe that feeling I get and emotive they are though they touches the inner me deeply so I let his photos speak for themself and starts with a quote from Christophe exclusive for The F Blog.
Please see more at Christophe´s homepage http://nousyork.com/
These photos are taken from a serie called life below

"The road from the eye to the heart is easy to follow. I am taking it with my eyes closed."

Invited by Mikael Jansson






© Christophe Agou

Gruppo F inbox: bus stop

©Ulla Larsson

Apocalypse

Apocalypse Now, © Chris Niedenthal

Apocalypse Now at "Moscow" Cinema – beginning of state of war in Poland – December 13th, 1981. This picture is an icon of this dark era in Polish history. 
Photo by the courtesy of the Author - Chris Niedenthal, especially for the F Blog today.


Chris Niedenthal – British photographer who has chosen living in and photographing Poland. Cooperated with Newsweek, Time, Der Spiegel, Geo, Forbes and others. Awarded by many prices, also by World Press Photo ’86.

State of War in Poland - 25th anniversary

A dark era in Polish history

25 years ago on Sunday 13th of December communistic junta directed
by general Jaruzelski announced martial law in Poland. The darkest era
in modern Polish history cost the life of many people, many of others
were imprisoned and tortured, all of the nation was oppressed and
humiliated for years (officially until 1983 – unofficially until 1989).

This difficult time was documented in photography by brave people as
Krzysztof Raczkowiak and many others – risking their life.

Krzysztof Raczkowiak documented “events in Lubin” (31.08.1982) when
the government used fire arms against the manifestation of Solidarity.
Three of the participants were killed, many injured. More here:

© Krzysztof Raczkowiak

The picture which could have been the be the last –
the third officer from left fired his gun a few seconds
aiming at the photographer – he missed…not much…
© Krzysztof Raczkowiak

Four people are running trying to rescue the
deadly injured Michal Adamowicz.
© Krzysztof Raczkowiak

© Krzysztof Raczkowiak

Crimes like this, and many others from the terror regime were not confronted
with justice until now. Thanks to those pictures maybe one day those who were
shooting and killing will be held responsible.

Krzystof Raczkowiak continues documenting the crime in Lubin, he collects
all of the informations (which you can find on the site http://www.lubin82.pl/,
if you have any information to share, please contact him at kr@lubin82.pl

/Marcin Górski

Invited guest: Richard Gustafsson

Two brothers. One father. Gustaf, the younger brother, was introduced to photography by his older brother, Richard. Richard, in turn, was introduced by his father. A male lineage.

Among male photographers, this seems to be a very common story. What, exactly, is being inherited? The image-worlds of Gustaf and Richard, for example, are far apart, yet they share a common ancestry. Photography is only a method: the means to do something. It seems to be completely different factors shaping the content, the motives, the compositions. Something much more complex than ancestry: life. No less, I would argue.

In Richard's photographs we see lots of life, lots of experience. They are documents we all can relate to. As parents, daughters, sons, relatives, friends, etc, we often wish to have made the thousand-word portraits of the people close to us. Richard, in trying, comes very, very close.

In his own words:

Eight years ago I came across some pictures my father had taken. Pictures of our every day life in the mid-1970s. Apparently he was quite a good photographer, always carrying his camera with him, taking pictures of everyone and everything, documenting his family and friends. But I was horrified to hear how he by mistake threw away all his negatives and most of the prints. Now, I am trying to follow in his footsteps, trying to repeat what he accomplished. I will save my work, though.

Gustav and Richard Gustafsson have their own blog, Ollad av Tengil.

Invited by Joakim Sebring.

gator

© Jeanne Wells


it's all happening at the zoo -- or maybe that's my living room . . .

Autumn Darkness

photo: cathrine bärgman

Invited guest: Cristina Kahlo Alcal

"Cuando yo me case..."

I am glad to see our first guest from Mexico, a country with so many great
photographers. Her name is Cristina Kahlo Alcal and her pictures have been
seen at galleries from Copenhagen, Denmark to Pretoria, South Africa.
But most of her work has been exhibited in Mexico City, her home town.
At this gallery and others.Next year she will participate in an exhibition
in Karlsruhe, Germany. You will be reading all about it at the F Blog,
of course.

I was impressed seeing the pictures she sent me. It´s an original and beautiful
small serie called "Rituals". This time I will not translate from Castellano to
English,just briefly explain to you that Cristina´s pictures are about cosmetics,
women and she is asking herself why women accept all these trends directed
by producers and vendors of cosmetica.

See more of Cristinas work here

RITUALES
Fotografías de Cristina Kahlo

"La serie Rituales hace referencia al uso de productos cosméticos, accesorios
y tratamientos corporales que a lo largo de la historia se han ido transformando
para convertirse en costumbres representativas y determinantes de las clases
sociales.

La mujer acepta colores y formas impuestas , esclavizándose con estos
cambios , a una transformación continua definida por la mutabilidad de
las modas impuestas.

“La mujer, pinta su boca, sus mejillas para darle la solidez inmóvil de
una máscara; su mirada se aprisiona tras el espesor de la sombra….”
decía Simone de Beauvoir.

A través de las imágenes de Rituales “…se exlora la relación de intimidad
establecida entre las mujeres y sus cosméticos, situación que le permite
descubrir cierta dependencia hacia los mismos a la vez de explicitar
la angustia producida por el efecto limitado de los productos de belleza
ante el envejecimiento del cuerpo”
(Irving Domínguez).

La Belleza es el vaho en el espejo, dice un clásico de la India."

All pictures ©Cristina Kahlo Alcala
Piezografía con tintas de carbón
60 x 80 cms

Invited by Ulf Fågelhammar

Clones I

Clones II

Frágil Burbuja

Atrapasueños

Ilusiones caídas

Antes de la batalla

invited guest: Skorj

I recently bought a book by the amazing japanese photographer Daido Moriyama and got very curious about japanese photography. My curiousity made me have a walk around the internet to see what I could find. Suddenly I found some breathtaking photos by a photographer named Skorj. I'm very delighted to be able to present them to you.
invited by: markus andersson

"Life is about the feelings we take from being. Photography is a combination of our memories and the tools we use. Finding the right tool to represent the memories is difficult sometimes. Sometimes the tool overrides the memory. I try and use my camera & film to represent the memories, the feelings, what I had from being there... Not the memories of the equipment, but the memories from me, the memories of a life in Japan.

The lonely windswept castle, the radio-tower dreams of modernity, the mists covering a mystical lake, the proud oba-san and motorman with his 1950s machine.

This work was taken with a 1975 Polaroid 195, and Type-665
negative film cleared in the field with mugi-cha.

More can be found at: www.filmwasters.com"

/Skorj.

pretty far from tiger woods

Anually in april the US Masters are played at Augusta National Golf Club.

At approximatly the same time the Marholmen minigolf course reopens after the winterbrake...

if the weather admits it.


10 swedish crowns for 18 holes.

Club, ball and scorecard with pen included.


and best of all, there are no dressingcode, so if you want to play in pyjamas that is totally OK.

photos: christofer grandin