The Photographer
I am a husband and a father of two kids. I recently discoverd the fun in taking pictures and post-production of them.
Because I am a rookie in this, for me, newly discoverd world of photos please feel free to comment and give me some constructive criticism.
Equipment I use:
Canon EOS 350 and for now a borrowed EOS 550
Canon EF 50 mm f/1.8 II
Canon EF-S 18-55 mm f/3.5-5.6 II
Sigma 18-200 mm f/3.5-6.3 dc os + polarizingfilter
I use Adobe Lightroom 4 for post-processing. I have for the first time tried out Photomatix to make an HDR photos.
Hey! Look! It’s me! 🙂
Awards and so what:
Comments
Incoherent Photos 
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I think I am most impressed by the Swedish culture overall. That was what attracted me to Sweden actually.
Before even focusing my attention on Stockholm, I researched on Uppsala. I hear it’s a nice town with a good university. But then, I realized that I am a very metropolitan person, which was why I started focusing on Stockholm.:)
I would love to dive into a different culture:) and that’s number 1 on my list haha
I have a question, how old are Swedes usually when they enter their ‘university’? I know that the Swedish education is different from the American system…and high school is slightly longer..I’d just like to know how long it is..
Thanks for visiting my blog and commenting! 🙂
I will try do explain our educational system. We begin our educational journey at the age of 6. That year is some kind of pre-school. At 7 yo we go into the first grade and then this basic school keep on going until ninth grade at the age of 15-16. Then we begin our high school that is normally for three years until we are 18-19 yo. So around the age of 19 we can apply to the college/university. And there is no upper age limit to the university. I hope I got it all right. Remember that our systems are very different so it’s not the easiest thing to compare.
18 is the definite age for entering college.
It’s not often that Americans dare to study abroad during their years in high school. High school is only 4 years. There is a choice between a 2 year university (community college) and that is cheaper or a 4 year university (ex. Berkeley).
I wish school was more reasonable. Just because it’s so expensive, doesn’t mean that the quality of education is higher.
Thanks for your feedback! 🙂
and what age is considered the time when ‘kids’ are more matured? like, what is the age where parents say something like ‘Now you’re older, you must take more responsiblity’?
As an example, 18 is the age of maturity…we can be in jail haha..
but 21 is the ‘total maturity’ age since drinking is only allowed then.
Hard to say at what age kids are considered more matured. That lies upon parents and the family situation I guess. But in my own opinion I would say when you become a teenager, my own kids haven’t got that old yet :P. In the legal sense, in Sweden, when you turn 16 you’re allowed to have sex, at the age of 18 you have the right to vote, go out and have a drink in clubs and be able to get your drivers licence, at the age of 20 you are allowed to buy your own alcohol in the liquor store.
I don’t know if this was at any help for you though the first part was my own opinion. Did I understand your question at all? 🙂
You did answer my question more than what I was expecting haha
oh..In America, you’re not allowed to have sex with a major …like..a 16 year old can’t have sex with an 18 year old. That’s be a crime.
But, in Sweden, a 16 year old can have sex with a 21 year old with no problem?
in your opinion, do you think Swedes begin drinking even before 18? (like, with friends at home and family?)
Thanks for your comment:) It helps me to better understand the culture!
Did not meant to make you feel uncomfortable, sorry about that. Yes, a 16yo may have sex with a 21yo. Regarding the drinking, Yes the drinking starts in an earlier age than 18. It’s not rare that drinking begins att age 13-14. It’s kind of sad if you ask me.
haha. No, it’s not a problem. I’m the one with the stupid curiosity.
Even the French drink before 18, and I don’t have a problem with that.
but…when you say that Swedes drink just like the French age… do you think that they just drink to get drunk? and..feel the effects from it?
I’ve seen some young Swedes partying like.. 4 times a week- and on weekdays…and it seems like they just want to drink for the fun of it. Is that true?
I’ve already started drinking at home, but when I do, I always hav e it with food. and I know what my limits are.
They mostly drink to get drunk and feel the effect of it. I would have to say that swedes doesn’t have a fine taste of liqeur at least not when they are young. Cheap beer and/or homebrewed booze to get drunk. At least thats how I rememberd it from my teenage years. But hey, I turned out pretty normal. 😛
Yeah! haha Congrats!:)
Thanks so much for your feedback on all these questions!
Swedes have many weeks of vacation..and I’m just curious where they go to to spend their holidays.
Where’s a popular spot for many to rest at?
and I hear that Swedes like Thailand..is that true?
Thanks so much again! You’re helping me in an amazing way!
Normally everyone who works get 5 weeks of vacation to use every year.
A very popular place to travel to is Thailand as you said or any other hot paradise like Spain or Greece. Otherwise we travel to some national places. Like different theme parks, Zoo and some beautiful beaches. Another popular place is at Denmark and Legoland. Where does you American people go to have your vacation?
I heard that when Swedes go to Greece, they like to stay on the island of Kos haha
That sounds nice:) And there’s a place called Bastad… what’s that? I heard many go there to rest..but what is that all about?:)
Legoland! haha
Americans…hmm..we usually do ‘road trips’ . we drive in our big fat, polluting cars, and travel on average 4-12 hours of driving on the road. It ranges : some go to the mountains to ski, to lakes to do sailing, some go to national parks to camp… It varies.
America is such a big country that road trips is all what many people do.
As for internationally… Americans usually go to Mexico- Cabo San Lucas, or Hawaii…
If they can, they usually go to Britain or France mostly.
But…they only spend on average 1-2 weeks for ..like 5 countries in Europe…so they think they’ve seen everything haha
And…is it common to be 18 years old in Sweden and live separately from your parents? like…you have your own apartment or maybe you share it with your roommates and such…. does that exist in Sweden?
Båstad is a municipality on the west coast, south of Gothenburg. I don’t really know that much about Båstad because I’ve never been there. But my preconceptions are that there is a lot of spoiled brats living on mum and dads fortunes that will party there. Mostly at the event called Tennis week.
It’s pretty common that we “move out” either when we begin high school, or when we begin college. Between 16-20 is the most common age I think. I myself moved out at the age of 20 when my military service came to an end. 🙂
Yeah…. You are correct about that preconception. My friend who went there is pretty rich… I think she lives in either Sodermalm or Gamla Stan… near those 2 neighborhoods.
That is so young!! 16-20? wow… That is like..close to unheard of in California (at least)… unless your parents are truly dishonored by you and put you out of the house..
But…in order for people to move out and live by themselves…does it apply to a majority of Swedes? or..just the wealthy/fortunate ones?
20 is pretty young… the only reason kids move out at 18 and above is due to University. and..that’s about the sole reason.
Do Swedish parents encourage their kids to live independent lives?
I guess it applies to the majority of the Swedes. The reasons is pretty much the same, school, booth high school and college.
Sweden has a wide set of contributions from our government. We get housing contributions, study contributions and even a contribution for being unemployed.
So you see, there’s not a big problem financially to move out if we want to.
I would say the we encourage them to be independent, but I think our government encourage us more with all the contributions 🙂
I do not like our contribution society, sure I’m up for helping the less fortunate but there is a lot of people who use the system.
But…we don’t move out when we enter high school..that’s wayy too young in American culture.
wow. Swedish government is very generous.
I know what you mean about people who abuse the system.
In France, couples have lots of kids to make use of the government’s program of helping fund a huge family.
The American presidential election is in the air now, and I was wondering if Obama is liked in Sweden… 🙂
I really don’t know how the majority feel about Obama. I guess we’re not that familiar with everything going on in the presidential election. We do know some that our news mention, but it’s not that thorough. I can’t speak for everyone of course, but I’m not that into the election.
I have a hard time believe in our own government and all of our parties. I don’t think any of them are particularly trustworthy. They say one thing and then they do the opposite. But sure, Obama has done booth good and bad things in my opinion. But though I don’t know that much I can’t say if it would be a good thing for him to keep his position as president.
How do you feel about Obama? Should he be re-elected?
ahhh…I see. I know what you mean. It’s a pretty crazy election; and it’s not like a change of president is going to make huge changes like fixing our economy.. It takes more than 1 person to do it.
What’s the dominant political party in Sweden? and what is its values?
I’m not sure… there have been lots of many things that Romney said that was insulting… I would go with Obama, but either one won’t do much to change the world.
Have you been to Blidö? I’ve heard it’s a vacation spot too. What can you do there?
Sorry for the late answer but I’ve been busy. We have two dominant political parties in Sweden. At the moment we have Moderaterna, a short description is that they help/focuses on the ones that have a steady income. But if you get sick or unemployed your’e not getting much help. Make the rich richer. The other party is Social democrats. The are too much the opposite. They like to help the poor, but as I mentioned in an earlier reply they pretty much set ground to all of our contributions we get. As long as I don’t get sick or unemployed I can live with Moderaterna, they are ruling at the moment.
I’ve never been to Blidö either. Blidö is a set of islands in Stockholm archipelago and it’s amazing sail by in a ship. Don’t know if there is that much to do there other than relax and enjoy the view and take a swim in the ocean. Sorry that I couldn’t be of more assistance.
It’s not a problem! You have been much of an assistance:) Thanks so much!
So in just quick words the Moderaterna helps the rich and the stabled..which the Social Democrats are focused on helping the needy and fortunate.
The 2 political parties seem to be pretty ‘clean’ and ‘helpful’ overall..it’s pretty nice to see that instead of Democrats vs. Republicans… I don’t even know how much they differ except by one’s support of the middle class…and it’s so controversial 😦
So..if Moderaterna is ruling now..then the prime minister is from that party?
Since you are a native, how would you describe Swedes and the culture?:)