Michael Dahlkvist
Member
Hello,
My name is Michael and i live in Stockholm, been halfway around the world and i still find it to be one of the most amazing cities ive seen. I fell in love with photography the moment i saw my first Ansel Adams photograph with a snaking river leading up towards the mountains. I cant imagine my life without it. Although it took a while before i could afford my first camera i got into digital when i was 15. I learned alot but as the years went by i never created anything i was proud of. I was 25 or so when i realized that i didt like photography anymore.
I disliked the community who (or so i thought) talked about what lenses are better and if its worth upgrading to a new body every year. How to get the exact image as everyone else using Lightroom. I was sad because i had 2000-2500 euros worth of gear and i wasent making 2500 euro images. I felt stuck.
Then one day i saw a video on Youtube by Ted Forbes (Art of Photography) and i started to remember what it was i liked about photography in the first place. It used to mean something to me and i wanted to learn about processes and other photographers. I was a bit disheartened but i went online and bought a used Diana camera and loaded up a roll of film and i couldt stop smiling. The world looked so different through the eyes of a Diana and i shoot 2 rolls and i realized what it did for me, i slowed down and thought about comp and i was aware that i only had 12 exposures which was and still is today one of the best parts of analog photography for me.
Its been a couple of years now and it feels like my journey has only begun. I feel stressed about me being already 32 and not having enough time to learn the craft. I recently got my first enlarger and iam setting up a darkroom in my bathroom. Iam so exited for what this will give me and hopefully that it can have an effect on someone else as well. I have alot of cameras but i mainly shoot with my Leica m6, Hasseblad 500cm and my Rolleiflex
Sorry for the lenghty post here but thanks for reading.
My name is Michael and i live in Stockholm, been halfway around the world and i still find it to be one of the most amazing cities ive seen. I fell in love with photography the moment i saw my first Ansel Adams photograph with a snaking river leading up towards the mountains. I cant imagine my life without it. Although it took a while before i could afford my first camera i got into digital when i was 15. I learned alot but as the years went by i never created anything i was proud of. I was 25 or so when i realized that i didt like photography anymore.
I disliked the community who (or so i thought) talked about what lenses are better and if its worth upgrading to a new body every year. How to get the exact image as everyone else using Lightroom. I was sad because i had 2000-2500 euros worth of gear and i wasent making 2500 euro images. I felt stuck.
Then one day i saw a video on Youtube by Ted Forbes (Art of Photography) and i started to remember what it was i liked about photography in the first place. It used to mean something to me and i wanted to learn about processes and other photographers. I was a bit disheartened but i went online and bought a used Diana camera and loaded up a roll of film and i couldt stop smiling. The world looked so different through the eyes of a Diana and i shoot 2 rolls and i realized what it did for me, i slowed down and thought about comp and i was aware that i only had 12 exposures which was and still is today one of the best parts of analog photography for me.
Its been a couple of years now and it feels like my journey has only begun. I feel stressed about me being already 32 and not having enough time to learn the craft. I recently got my first enlarger and iam setting up a darkroom in my bathroom. Iam so exited for what this will give me and hopefully that it can have an effect on someone else as well. I have alot of cameras but i mainly shoot with my Leica m6, Hasseblad 500cm and my Rolleiflex

Sorry for the lenghty post here but thanks for reading.