About me

My name is Marie and I live together with my husband and dogs on an island called Gräsö in the northern parts of Stockholm archipelago in Roslagen, Sweden.

I’m a dedicated and happily learning photo enthusiast since many years, and now I feel that life has given me the opportunity to focus more seriously on my photography than before.

What drives me and also is my photographic slogan that I try to comply is:

CAPTURE THE ESSENCE

and I always try to do that, whether I photograph people, nature, animals or things.

Around 2011 I happily rediscovered the joy of photography with an analog camera and film. FILM IS SO VERY ALIVE!! What a joy!

All my films, black and white, colour negative C41process, and colour positive E6 process are developed at home. The film strips are then scanned, and the finish is done in Lightroom with some cropping and level adjustments.
I also have a traditional darkroom which has been a dream for many years. I had a darkroom in the early 90’s, but for more than 15 years I have been without, and not many days has gone by without missing it…

It’s a unique feeling of craftsmanship with the film, and I am extremely happy and grateful to have found my way back there.

Because I just love the organic aspects of the film, I aim to get the image in the most perfect way possible in the camera, and I’m getting more and more picky and do not like what the digitization sometimes do to my images.

As you probably already gathered, I am a person who loves change and development, even though I have “gone back” to film.

Film for me is an artistic expression, and I am thrilled that it is still an option, and I hope to be an ambassador for the photographic film and help to spread the interest, and that many will be inspired to learn more about film and it’s unique feeling in the images.

Hasselblad 503CX
Lomography Redscale XR 50-200ISO @100ISO
Home developed in Tetenal C41

130 thoughts on “About me”

  1. Congratulations on your first post. Well done, I might add! My husband, like you, loves photography done with film. Although I’m a digital-kind-of-gal, what he has been able to tell me about shooting with film has been a great help for me and learning to shoot digitally.

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    • Thank you very much for your kind words Carol!
      I think that is true, it sure helped me, when I had my digital camera.
      You should try film sometime, it is a wonderful creative feeling!

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  2. What a beautiful, elegant site I admire your commitment to film. I’ve always wanted a Lomography camera but now I’m a digital kind of person and like instant results .

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  4. Your site is really wonderful and your photos… wow. It has been so long since I shot with film. You have inspired me to dig my old camera out.

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  8. Hello Marie in Sweden .I share the same thoughts like you about photography. Living here in Belgium Damme near Bruges , it’s a pleasure for me to “caught” the light and what it is doing to and with people and things .To lock it up in a black box called “taking photographs in an old fashion way ! ” I live in the digital world but my art is analogue …
    Kindly to meet you on the net .Sometimes I post photo’s on my facebookpage – tjen dezutter belgium .I’m inviting you to look at them with a critical eye ….

    byeeeeeeeeeee

    tjen

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    • Thank you very much for your kind words, most appreciated!
      Well, it don’t have to be a lost art, as long as we want, and buy film. I strongly believe that there is room for both film and digital, but the problem is that people think that film is dead, I thought that too a couple of years ago. Then I realized that it was not! Film is not dead, and as a very passionate user I want to tell others that too.

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  14. Marie, many thanks for liking my bustard post! I hate to disappoint you, but I was once a dedicated film fanatic – but now I have to say that I’m 101% commited to digital, because it gives me far greater creative opportunities. Thanks again for liking! FATman

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    • Thank you very much for your visit! 🙂
      Hey, the most important thing is that you are satisfied with your active choise!
      When I photographed digitally, I wasn’t.
      There is no either or, there is room for both film and digital. I just want to tell people that film is still a choise.

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  15. Marie, I’ve been meaning to ask you, do you have a negative scanner at home? If you do, what type is it? I’m ready to commit to buying one finally, so I’m comparing what’s out there!

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    • Hi there!
      Yes I do. I have an Epson V750 Pro. I bought that one just because I need a scanner that manage both 120 and 135film format. It is a flatbedscanner, but drumscanners that take medium format, well, that’s just a dream…..
      It’s a struggle to avoid newtonrings, but the filmholders that comes with the scanner is quite good. For scanning doubleexposures and including the frames or sprocketholes I found this thing, the Digitaliza, there is one for 120film and one for 135film, and it works perfectly. I’m very satisfied with this scanner, but the learning curve is steap, and you’ll also need scanning software, otherwise you will not be satisfied at all.
      I bought Silverfast, it is extremely good, but quite hard to learn to use too. But, it is all in the process…. 😉
      And now when I am on my way to beginning to scan properly, it is so rewarding to be able to do all steps myself.

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      • Marie, thanks so much for your thorough reply. Your review is the first I’ve seen that mentions newton rings, which I hadn’t even thought of — this is very good info. I’ve been leaning toward an Epson, so now I’m leaning even further in that direction!

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        • Just happy if I can be of some help. You need to decide if you want to be able of scanning different formats and overlapping frames from doubleexposures, OR, if you “just” need single frames of one format. In that case there is a couple of good filmscanners, a bit less pricy, no Newton rings, but then you don’t have experimental freedom, and you still have to buy the software. I think Silverfast and Vuescan (?) is the two best softwares. Epsons software leave a lot to wish, unfortunately…..

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  18. Thanks for stopping by. I like your work. I’ve done a ton of SX-70 photos too. Loved it while it lasted. Still have about 7 cameras waiting for the possibility of another company offering time zero film. : )

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  19. So glad I found your blog. I always thought it was so romantic and fascinating to develop your own photos…..
    I fondly remember my Grandmother’s Brownie camera, a little plastic camera I won at the fair one year, flashcubes, polaroids…. but I have to admit… I now love digital. Your way of photographing is so much more of an art form! Love your pictures.

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  20. There is no comparison, film is always better, nowdays people chose to go digitally for a number of well known reasons, the major one being the ease of clicking without getting too concerned about the costs afterwards ;). I really like your work Marie.

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  21. Nice site. You have a great eye – I like the way you frame your images. – shows you are deliberate about what you are expressing. Thanks for sharing.

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  25. Thanks for following my Hamilton Color Lab blog, you have some great images here, I love the mushroom in the forest one. You’re right film has a certain essence that you just can’t capture in digital. I’m glad we still do the E-6 and I can see some of the analog shots.

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    • Thank you very much! I’m glad too that you process E6, please keep it up! In Sweden (I think) it is only one lab left who process E6… So very sad… Then we users have to process the films ourselves, and then the labs get even fewer customers… Bad circle indeed…

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    • Congrats Steve!
      I grandly appreciate you thinking of me, I really do, you are most kind. 🙂
      But I can not accept it… This kind of awards is not my cup of tea….. Sorry…..
      Give it to someone who like awards better than me. 😉
      Thank you anyway, and have a great week!

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      • Oh yes, I forgot you told me that before. But it’s ok, it cost me nothing and this award can be issued in unlimited quantity without penalty to its value, kind of like the US dollar nowadays.

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        • That’s good to hear! I really appreciate your kind words about my blog, and I feel very honored by them! 🙂
          Hehe, yes, monetary problems can be crippling for a country, here in Sweden we have right now a far too strong Swedish krona, it is very bad for exports….

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    • Hej, och tusen tack för besöket och dina vänliga ord!
      Du är hjärtligt välkommen tillbaka! 🙂
      Jag kommer snart, förhoppningsvis inom de närmsta veckorna, att publicera fler bilder från underbara vackra Smögen och Ramsvikslandet! Har massor att scanna och gå igenom först bara, så de kommer i omgångar sen. Jag har använt olika kameror och filmer, så det blir några poster…. 😉
      Ha det gott!
      Marie

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  29. Hi Marie 🙂 Nice to meet you (Tjena!) 🙂
    It’s very impressive that you develop your own film! I wish I could do the same.

    Looking forward to follow your blog!

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  32. Gorgeous photo. And I love “capture the essence” – I would say I myself *feel* the essence, but as a photographer I suppose your aim is indeed to “capture.” So to you I say Happy Capturing!

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  38. I like your dedication to your craft. The analog aspect is certainly one to love. I was a painter before moving into digital art in 1985. It was definitely in its infancy at the time and I gravitated towards the medium because of its exploratory factors at the time. I also wanted to transform my life experiences in a more real-time expression, while maintaining the fine art aspect. I hope you will explore my work and find some inspiration for yours. Peace and Light
    Walter.

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    • Thank you ever so much for your kind words and for following! I appreciate it very much.
      Film is awesome! I was never completely satisfied with digital, so I’m very happy to be back with film.
      I hope you will feel the same satisfaction! 🙂

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  45. I used to work for various photo labs years ago. I loved reading some of your blog, took me back to the days of film processing. I am glad not to have to be around all the chemicals now, but I also loved the printing of the picture, color correcting as needed, etc. Ektachrome, Kodachrome, all those chromes! Cool blog and great photos!

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    • Thank you for visiting and for your kind words, most appreciated!
      That must have been a glorious time, I wish I had done that too.
      Film processing is so rewarding to me, and I intend to do my own darkroom printing soon too. 🙂

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  50. Marie, if you got any more serious w/your photography, you’d be scary! Seriously, you are one EXTREMELY talented lady! I absolutely am honored you liked my Cardinal post. Thank you for visiting my blog. Carmen Aida

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  53. Your photographs are stunning. I’m glad there are still people like you keeping this medium alive and showing what the world is missing with the shift to digital. I appreciate my digital camera for the documentary style photographs that I shoot for work, but when it comes to photography as a passion for my own self-interest, I would really like to return to film. Having my own dark-room would be great, but I don’t see that happening in the near future. Is there a particular negative scanner that you use or prefer?

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  54. It’s the unique feeling of craftsmanship with the film that gets me going, from loading the film to washing the print at the end. I feel a lot more attached, Besides, more powerful to have control over every little steps. It’s more personal.

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  55. HI Marie!
    The quote under your pic on right caught me. Its beautiful and so are your pictures.

    I am your latest follower. see you around 🙂

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  56. Hi Marie,

    Reallly great to visit your web. Personally i’m old fashioned hobbyist photographer. unfortunately in last 5 years hard for me to find a film and the chemical in Indonesia. I use bw film for celebrating our marriage with nikon F3HP.

    nice to visit your blog.
    Bens

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  57. This is a wonderful site! I am so excited to take a little more time to look at these pictures. I am in the most novice category of novice when it comes to photography, but I am very excited to learn.

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    • Oh, I’m so very very sorry for impolite late response, don’t know how I could miss your nice comment, but I did….
      But I’m very grateful and also proud to have got those kind words from you, so THANK you so much Emily, and have a wonderful weekend!

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  59. First off – you have an absolutely marvellous blog.
    Second – Your photography is brilliant, stunning
    Third – how I envy you your darkroom. Sigh… This is the one reason I would move from an apartment to a house

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  61. Hi Marie, very interesting site. I to have just returned to photography after a long break. I still have my old Canon AE1 and I used to love the echtochrome film. Nice work.

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    • Thank you very much!
      Welcome back then, and I hope you will continue to use your Canon, there are lots and lots of lovely films to choose from, and I think you may even find some Ektachrome if you scan the market like Ebay or equivalent sites.
      Good luck!

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  63. Hello Maria, I’m so happy to have found your blog! I’m an analogue lover myself and just like you, I always have to explain myself to people. But I think, your results definitely speak for themselves! If you like, I’d be very happy if you checked out my Blog https://mintandcopper.wordpress.com/ or my photography website http://www.cargocollective.com/deborahdemuijnck as well. It’s always so precious to hear from fellow photographers.

    All the best, can’t wait to read more from you in the future!

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    • Thank you very much, I’m so glad you like it!
      Yes, film is very special, and I’m so happy that we are so many who loves analog photography! The more people using it, the better chance for film to still be around.

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