Skånes rapsfält. Hur vackra är dom inte så här års? Och doften, sen då? Ljuvlig. Jag har verkligen tagit fasta på det där man säger lite flyhänt att man skall stanna upp lite och lukta på blommorna. Känns sunt och livsbejakande. Är verkligen less på inomhustillvaron och all evinnerlig, oåterkallelig tid jag lägger framför skärmen.

Tonight Charlotte and I enjoyed something new at Hai – one Malmö’s two good Japanese restaurants. We ate a tasty Hawaiian dish called “Poke” /poʊˈkeɪ/ which according to Wikipedia is Hawaiian for “to section” or “to slice or cut”. Poke is a raw fish salad served as an appetizer in Hawaiian cuisine, and sometimes as an entree. Traditional forms are aku (an oily tuna) and he’e (octopus). We had the not-so-oily tuna which was basically cut into sashimi slices and placed together with other goodies on a bed of sushi rice. It’s a hyped dish here in Malmö but simple enough to make at home.

Snart är galleriet tömd. Bara några få möbler och min arbetsstation är kvar. I studion är i stort sett allt sålt. Känns oerhört befriande. “Sista svepningen har inga fickor” som gamla grannen i Göteborg, Siw Swahnberg, brukade påminna mig om gång efter annan med tillägget, “Samla på minnen, inte prylar, Joakim”.

Not too long ago, I shot over to Lithuania for a short shoot. As during last year’s fashion assignment in Vilnius, I once again opted to work with the always easy-going model Karolina Janickaite. And despite the extremely unsupportive weather conditions (rain, snow and then more rain followed by snow), within an hour’s time, we still got all the shots we needed. Karo’s wardrobe was designed by Erika Kiele for Second Me.

En liten vink till norska succéserien, SKAM som jag producerade för en mycket välkänd kund i transportbranschen i februari. Tyvärr blev reklamfilmen aldrig visad på bio på grund av intern oenighet om farbroderns ansiktsuttryck….go figure.

Ända sedan jag plåtade Ploy, “Diesel Ballerina” i bilskrotkvarteren vid floden i Bangkok i december, har jag klurat på fler kontrastrika fototeman. Igår genomförde jag en av dom tillsammans med Tora Rosenkjaer. Tora och jag har jobbat ihop tidigare med både kommersiella uppdrag och ett par andra, mer fria projekt och hon är ung, energisk och bjuder alltid på sitt yttersta i studion. Så när jag föreslog ett bröllopstema med en twist, nappade hon direkt.

I’m now six months into one of my career’s monumental book projects. So far, it’s been nothing short of an epic experience with pretty much equal measures of psychology, creativity and technology involved. Which, to a degree, has made it a balancing act. An equilibrium of rigorous scheduling, mental prepping and an unavoidable dash of planned improvisation. And though mostly well-planned, the process still feels organic. A healthy dose of, let’s see what happens, mentality.

I’ve met some extraordinary people and seen them do amazing things with their talents. I’ve listened to many a compelling story of passion, of love and of enchantment – on and off the stage. Having been born in Hollywood during the 1970s and worked on a few shows in the 1980s, eons before Reality-tv, youTube and the like, I’ve felt right at home from day one. Hm. In retrospect, I think the concept enticed me subconsciously thanks to the subject matter’s inherent seductiveness and its connection, albeit somewhat distant, with my childhood.

Now, lets get nerdy.

The vast majority of my portraits and probably 90% of all other interior and exterior shots were taken with the above lens (taken with an iPhone 7+). A formidable field of view coupled with light sensitivity that provides an astonishing amount of usefulness and tack sharp images from f1.4 all the way down to f22.

When used together with my full frame Canon EOS 5DS, the planned shots are phenomenal and the slightly improvised exposures are often still really, really good. It’s been a love affair between the two with no boundaries and only one solid commitment; to always be compatible and work hard not to disappoint.

I soon realized that my old 50mm/f1.4 is far too slow and certainly unreliable when the pressure was on. The 24-70mm/2.8 worked great outdoors, but sucked badly without strobes and even then, nowhere near as sharp as the 35mm/1.4. The exterior night shot I’m most happy with, was taken with the hefty, “Mr Holmes”, a thick, 100-400 mm (Mark II) f4.5 behemoth that when carried for too long, makes you want to amputate your arm.

The field of view offered by the 35mm is considered that which likens human vision the most. For years, I’ve disrespected 35mm as being a choice of mediocrity. Not wide enough for landscapes, but too wide for portraits. That is, until I tried one in a camera store in Asia over the Christmas holidays. The bokeh alone sold me and then when I saw how well it performed during low light conditions, I was addicted, hooked, bewitched. Now, in typical evangelistic manner, I can’t recommend the thirty-five enough. Fact is, I’m seriously considering getting rid of every other glas I own. Except Mr Holmes, that is.

I tisdags eftermiddag filmade jag till en ny videoinstallation som skall rulla några månader  på en av väggarna intill nyinvigde Living Room Bar på Clarion Hotel Malmö Live. Filmen visar sekvenser i framförallt super slow motion från när olika varianter på gin och tonic blandas. Ganska häftiga att den gamle “GT” fått en sån renässans. Minns inte när jag inte hade en turkosblå flaska Bombay Sapphire stående i kökets vinfack.

Anyway…på 25e våningens populära restaurang, Kitchen & Table, projiceras sedan hotellets invigning min kollagefilm, “Malmhattan” (med blandade vyer från Manhattan och Malmö) på väggen precis när man kliver ur hissen.

Kommer att lägga ut den nya filmen snart, måste bara sätta lämplig musik till den…

Bilden ovan med hotellets barchef, Noel Ekstrand, är från tisdagens filminspelning.