Halland

”When I was fourteen years old, it was time to get a job for the summer. One of our neighbors ran a professional photo lab with two employees and they didn’t mind an extra hand helping out during the summer. In the beginning it was mostly about cutting pictures, sorting the mail, fixing coffee, etc. But also assisting during photo assignments. I learned quickly to handle large format cameras, load Hasselblad film backs and how to develop color film, how to work a studio flash and setting the light.
The first summer’s salary was received in the form of an SLR camera. I got hooked on Landscape photography, and after reading Ansel Adams series; The Camera, The Negative and The Print, managing the black and white photographic material became a goal. I already had all technical equipment I could ever need in the lab. I mixed photo chemicals directly from old recipes, and learned what effects temperature, pH, hardness and combinations of different chemicals had on film and paper. I measured with densitometers and visualized the result. I used the landscape as subject to experiment and confirm my skills. At first, since I was only 15, the landscape in my immediate vicinity, i.e. what could be reached by bike. The horizons widened when I got my driving license and it became easier to get to places. Finally I had covered the whole of Halland. The project lasted from 1978 to 1987 with some complementary shots in 1995.”