June 28, 2004 - This week, we interview Fredrik Olsson from Smudo.org:

Please tell us a little about yourself:
I'm 33 years of age and live in Stockholm, Sweden. Currently, I'm on parental leave from my work as a researcher in computational linguistics; computers and language. Although work is fun, I really don't miss it; being home with my 17 month-old son is something I enjoy 24/7.

First time grabbing a camera?
First time grabbing one for real, with serious interest and a desire to learn more, must've been a bit over two years ago. I borrowed a Pentax Spotmatic F, which is an excellent camera, and attended an evening course in photography. It didn't take long before I got bitten by the photography bug... The odd thing is that I can't recall actually taking the decision to start taking photos.

So you're 31, and grabbing a camera for the first 'real' time. Why the sudden interest? Impulse buy at a store; did you get a photography magazine, something on the web, etc. What was that moment that got you started?
I honestly don't know. I'd borrowed a camera from my mother-in-law and tried a couple of rolls, without really knowing what I did or how I should do it. A year and a half or so passed, and I found myself sitting with a catalogue of evening courses available at a nearby school. I looked up 'photography' and somehow I ended up on a beginner's course. Very briefly, I'd tried doing the darkroom-thingie in school, fifteen years prior, and I guess that the remaining experience from those few occasions were pleasant enough not to discourage me from taking it on again.

Why does photography interest you?
I really don't have a good answer to that... Ever since I was little, I've been painting and drawing stuff. Photography is a bit like that, only the results are a tad more swift to appear. I more often than not find myself thinking in pictures.

Well, as mentioned, you started photography late in your life. Have you always thought in pictures, or is this more of a recent thing?
The way I do it now is a recent thing, it's a far more detailed and conscious process now than it was way back when I used charcoal or brushes. But, yes, I've always thought in picture.

Other hobbies other than photography? Do they mix with it?
Enjoying the company of friends, a couple of good pints, and listening to some great music... Yes, they certainly mix with photography.

Your most memorable photographic experience?
Well, the most memorable experience of my life was when my son was born. I had a bag full of camera gear to catch his first moments in life, but the thought of photographing somehow slipped my mind, and the first photo of him was taken some half-hour after the birth (half an hour being an eternity in that context), all due to one of the nurses saying, "Wouldn't it be nice with a photo of the mother and child at this time?" Never thought that anyone would have to ask me to take a photo... :)

Most negative photographic experience?
Can't really think of any.

Oh come on, nothing? You've never had a roll of film come out unexposed, or had some equipment breaking, or had any run-ins with people or the law in taking photos? Nothing bad at all?
Well, once you put it that way; yes. I've had a couple of bad post-processing/lab experiences. For instance, the first (and only) roll of film of our (then) newborn son were fucked up by the lab. Scratches all over the negatives, rendering them totally useless to me as an amateur. The store ended up taking the film back a couple of times, trying out different things to remedy, or at least ease the damage. The story had a semi-happy ending; the guys at the store scanned the negs and re-touched them so as to get rid of the scratches. At least I have a set of usable digital negs...

What is your shooting style? How and what do you prefer to shoot? What is the underlying theme in your work?
I don't have a theme of my photography. In retrospect, it may be categorized as 'life.' I simply shoot what comes in my way. Combined with music, it reflects my mood. Black and white grainy shots for the blue days, cross-processed stuff for the days the world is in need of an unpredictable twist of color and contrast to make sense, and so on.

Why do you prefer that shooting style? Those things you shoot? Why not anything else?
I don't want to restrict myself to a single theme or style. I can't afford it, in a sense, because I'm still learning. The day I master a technique or find some unique style, then maybe I'll commit to a single style.

I've noticed that you take a lot of night photography, especially slow exposures of city life, however. Do you consider this a shooting theme or style in your work? And also, why do you like these shots so much?
Shooting at night is a whole new experience to me, something I did to try to get out of an all time low in creativity. The night shots on my blog all stem from two occasions out, so it's safe to say I have much more to learn on the matter. I guess I like to shoot at night because it forces me to really think about what to frame and how to do it. Working with a tripod slows down my pace, something which allows me to put more of my mind, and less of my trigger-happy finger, into the picture. Also, night photography allows us to see things, commons things, in totally new ways; colors get muted, and several seconds (or even minutes or hours) are compiled into one single frame. Just take a look at John Perkinson's night shots over at Orbit1... there's one for your bookmarks :)

Film or digital?
Currently film. But I hope to get my hands on a reasonable digital SLR any day soon. But that doesn't mean I'll abandon film, as I think it is still superior in many respects. Digital will be a complement to traditional photography for the time being.

Why did you start a photoblog?
To receive critique on my work and put photos on display for an audience bigger than my family. It's a bit thrilling to see the access logs and realize I've had thousands of hits in a week, and at the same time realize that I only know who a handful of them stem from. My 15 CPU-cycles of fame :)

What have been the biggest joys in running a photoblog?
The feedback.

Any particular comments or feedback that stand out in your mind?
Getting feedback on the form of comments or private emails is a way of growing a network of web-acquaintances. I now have a couple of "pen pals" that I email regularly, and people sometime ask me to participate in various events... So, no, no comment stand out, but the results of comments do.

The biggest strains in running a photoblog?
My family sometimes are a bit unwilling to recognize why I need to sit in front of the computer, "All the time." As if. I spend too much time with the computer, and too little out there shooting.

Has photography and photoblogging changed your life?
Not my life, but perhaps some of my habits. It's certainly changed my photography-life though; I take shots purely because they're bloggable, 'blog-shots'. I didn't take the kinds of shots I do now prior to starting my blog.

Your inspirations? Both in photography and photoblogs?
I've got a list of sites I frequent on my links page, including Orbit1, Chromogenic, Making Happy, and Overshadowed. There's sooo much inspiration to be found out there; just go to photoblogs.org and grab ten sites at random, and you'll be sure to find some gosh-wow photographs.

The best photograph you've ever seen?
I'm not at all aware of the classics of photography as I wish I'd be. For me, the sources of inspiration are out there, on the net, constantly evolving, so I'm afraid I have to pass this question.

What can make photoblogs better?
Larger photos, more interaction and feedback, more self-critique on the behalf of the blogger...

How so ?
Those three items apply to me; other bloggers may have other mantras :) I simply liked my photos better when they took more of the computer screen, allowing for more detail, so I changed my site design to one which allows me to post images in various sizes. As for the interaction; I think I achieve more interaction with my guests by answering all comments, at least I try to do that. More often than not, such answers spawn interesting conversations. As for the self-critique; I try to only post photos that I'm happy with... For me, there's a trade-off between posting every day and actually finding stuff to post that I like. So, I don't know if there's an answer to the original question that applies to everyone, but I'd like to think I have an answer that apply to me and my blog.

Are you involved in anything else photography-wise other than your photoblog?
I usually submit to Photo Friday, which is a great source of inspiration. Sometimes I also submit to Pixos and Word Photo.

As always, we thank you for both this interview, and for your wonderful photoblog...