An introduction

Hi,

I have been a lurker for quite a while as I have found most of my information without asking. But I feel it's time.

Now living in the north of Sweden, I have been an amateur since my early teens, first camera I got myself was a Konica Autoreflex T. So, yes, I am in my fifties and have got a second lease of life with digital photography.
During my high school and university years, I always had access to a darkroom, which made it easy to play with photography but then I when to Ericsson for 10 years. just got lost in the rat race until I became partner in a small, specialized computer consultant and really started to work. So, with small spouts of activity, I was a sleeper for 20 years. Then I got a Canon G3 and felt the urge again.
As I am original from the south of Sweden, I am trying to use the camera to explore my current surroundings. In a way, it becomes quite natural to try and capture the stunning nature of Norrland, as it is so shifting. Here the summers are light and alive and the winters freeze the sea so you can walk through the archipelago and almost see Finland. And the really big problem: Luleå is the home port for all Swedish icebreakers and they are a constant and impossible motif.

/glz

Goran,

I big welcome to you, as big as an icebreaker

How do you type the uplaut? on top of the letter O in your name?

We'd sure love to see your photographs. Looks like we are going to have some interesting views! I know the icebreakers are used for Arctic and Antarctic expeditons. however, I've never seen them.

Should have some good skies and mountains for us too!

Asher

Hi Asher,

If you are allowed HTML escapes, it's ö but proper Unicode is

U000D6, LATIN CAPITAL LETTER O WITH DIAERESIS
U000F6, LATIN SMALL LETTER O WITH DIAERESIS

If you want to type it on a Windows PC, it's either ALT+246 or you can install a European input locale. In the Swedish input locale you find it right of L.

Regarding the icebreakers, I did a simple panorama of battleship row http://gallery.hidden-powers.com/picture.php?cat=14&image_id=684 but the problem is to get the power of them. When you walk by them laying at the dock they feel so powerfull.

At the moment the first one on the right, Oden (Odin after the the Norse god) is on the way to Antarctica scientific expedition. Which is appropriate. as he was built for Arctic and Antarctic ice and is normaly somewhat of an overkill for the ice we have in the Baltic.

They are all named after Norse gods or gigants. From left to right Atle, Frej, Ymer and Oden. The only active icebreaker missing from the picture is Ale but he is stationed in the lake of Vänern in the south of Sweden.

/glz

Hi Goran,
Welcome and thanks for the link to your ships. They look interesting., high superstructure. Do you know why there are rows of protruding 'rods?' running round the superstructure? Are they for supporting walkways or something?
Best wishes,

Ray

Photographers in love with light and colors MUST got to Sweden!
When of my best souvenirs for shooting boats (that was 2 years ago in the Stockholm archpelago…)
Welcome Göran!

Welcome Göran, with three of my grandparents born in Sweden I've always felt an affinity to Sweden. Maybe someday before I die I'll get a chance finally to visit my "homeland". Meanwhile I welcome any pictures you may post.

Asher, afa the umlat, I usually just copy/paste, if necessary google (as my memory is failing) for "ascii chart" first.

- DL

Välkommen Göran!

Norrland and Luleå are beautifull places to visit. Just don't go during the mosquito season

Interesting that you should show an image of the ice breakers. I did my military service onboard Frej (pictured second from left) and have some great memories from that time. It was during the winter of 86-87 and was the coldest winter in 30 years with the mercury att around -40 for most of the winter. Fortunately, my job was to steer the monster so I got to stay on the bridge most of the time

When it is that cold, the channels you create when breaking the ice freeze up pretty much instantly, sometime before the ship you are assisting can make it through. So, that particular winter did not see us getting into Luleå port more than two or three times, but boy what a reception from the city we got! At the very end of the season, pretty much the whole city is there to welcome us, because it is THE sign that spring is finally here

I had an old manual-everything Minolta SLR on-board and took quite a bit of interesting pictures. We had a little darkroom aboard as well so the where all developed on-site, so to say. Unfortunately, they are all in storage right now so I can't show any of them.

I was going to say that if anybody has any question about how these monsters work or life on-board, then go ahead and ask. But then I see Ray's question about those protrusions and I don't have an answer! I can't even remember them being there! Maybe they are so obvious when you are there, or they really are additions. Anyway, I still do remember some things about it all


Once again, welcome Göran, and make sure you show off the vistas of northern Sweden to our fellow OPF members.

Hi there,
Sorry about the delay, I had to rush to Barcelona and help a customer with some sick software.

The 'rods' are walkways and I have asked a schoolmate that, just as Kris, did his basic training on them, in his case Ymer, but he did not remember what they were for. The only thing he could think of, given that everything on these ships are functional, would be so they could clear ice of the superstructure if needed. And asked why Oden don't have anything like this, he just said that Frej, Ymer and Atle were bult by the Finns, at Wärtsilä, so they must have though they were needed.

If anyone has there ways around Luleå in aug-sep there has been guided tours on one of the ships the last couple of years.

/gla