Internet is a wonderful thing where you can find information about potential photoshoot locations. There is a beautiful little cave hidden away on Knappelskär about an hour’s drive south of Stockholm. So after doing a bit of research online, Natalie Petrov, Natalie Sundgren, Olivia Sundin and I headed out there on a beautiful summer morning. If you are interested in finding the location I have included a map at the end of this blog post with a short description.
Natalie Sundgren in Knappelskärsgrottan. There is a little pool of still water just by the entrance which is great for getting reflections. Maybe not the most comfortable place to lie down, but the photos are worth it.Natalie Petrov on Relevé. We moved some of the rocks in the puddle to get a cleaner reflection, and I also cleaned up the leaves with Photoshop.Natalie PetrovOlivia Sundin had brought some different cloths with her that we played around with. Here she is using an old curtain which works great.There was a little rock just outside the cave, almost like a stage. Here Natalie Sundgren has just climbed out of the water and onto the rock. Both the hair flick and the water add life to the photo.Natalie Sundgren on the rock. Here Olivia has found the right angle for the reflector, which helped light up Natalie.I played around with the editing on this photo of Natalie. When doing a black and white conversion you can choose how much each colour contributes to the intensity of the pixels. Here I decreased the blue colour making the water darker.Natalie SundgrenNatalie Sundgren. The photo that gave name to the blog post “No Woman Is an Island”.
‘No Man Is an Island’
No man is an island entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main; if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as any manner of thy friends or of thine own were; any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind. And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.
MEDITATION XVII Devotions upon Emergent Occasions John Donne
A behind the scenes look at our setup.Natalie Petrov climbed across the slippery rocks to get up on the top of the cliff.The waves varied a lot in intensity. I like the energy the foaming water adds to this shot of Natalie Petrov.Climbing back to the cave for a short food break.Natalie Petrov and Olivia Sundin.Olivia Sundin striking a pose in the mouth of the cave. With the puddle in front of her it is very tempting to play with the reflections, but for this photo it was better to step in closer and include more of the cave opening instead.A silhouette photo of Natalie PetrovWhen shooting in nature it is often great to have something red as it is the complementary colour of green and increases visibility of the dancer. Here Olivia Sundin on the beach.Natalie Petrov made a new friend. Bill was a willing participant, and was rewarded with a treat of dried pig ear.The waves broke over the rocks, and the foaming water made for a great photo complementing Natalie’s pose.Olivia Sundin. After a few tries we got the hair tossing perfected.Natalie Petrov creating a beautiful arc of water droplets as she whips her hair. The trick here is to dip all the hair in the water, to maximise the amount of water you can get flying. The darker the background the better for the shot, as the droplets show up better then.
It was a really fun day out in the sun! A big thank you to Natalie, Natalie and Olivia for joining me on this adventure. One of the great things about photography is that you get to go places you might not otherwise have discovered!
How to get to the cave on Knappelskär
When you get out on Knappelskär there is a small path leading out towards the cave. There are two ways to get into the cave itself if you come from land. You can either go up the cliff and then climb down on the left hand side of the cave. This was what we did, and it works fine on a sunny day. The other option is to find the crack in the ground and then try and find the hole leading down into the cave. We took this route when we exited. The map above shows you the location of the cave itself (GPS Coordinates: 58.86782, 17.93195).
To see more dance photos, check the dance category on the blog.
Wooow Johannes these photos are incredible!! I love especially the ones with the reflection in the water pools. I think you should try to hold an exhibition at some point 🙂
Wooow Johannes these photos are incredible!! I love especially the ones with the reflection in the water pools. I think you should try to hold an exhibition at some point 🙂