A new Project: Olsson Photography Journal
Who I am and what I do.
A bit of my background. I was born and grew up in Sweden but I have been living in England for close to 9 years since I’m writing this. I grew up in a medium-sized town called Västerås. Ever since I can remember, nature has not been far away. Deep forests and the archipelago have always been a calming escape, even more so as I’ve grown up.
I would love to say that like other wildlife photographers and nature filmmakers, I grew up with a fascination for wildlife. Unfortunately that was not really the case for me. Of course it was always exciting to see a Moose, a Fox or an Eagle when we came across one, but that excitement was usually gone as quickly as it came.
One thing that did follow me growing up till now was filmmaking. I was always amazed when I came across some BTS or “Behind The Scene” footage. The “how they were made” really inspired me to want to do my own films, so my poor sister and cousins became my cast and production crew. I didn’t have a plan, I just came up with something on the spot and pressed record. I’m sure anyone else who ever made a movie as a kid would have a familiar experience.
The breakthrough that got me into photography came many years later. I’m now married to my fantastic wife and we have recently moved into a new apartment, and have some empty wall space we would like to fill with something nice. We came up with the idea that prints of places and landscapes that are special to us would be very suitable. So next time we visited Sweden, I borrowed my sister's DSLR camera and we got to work.
I had no idea really what I was doing. Sure I took some “nice” frames of familiar locations, only shooting in Auto Mode. Not that there’s anything detrimental in shooting in auto mode, professionals do shoot in Auto Mode as well. But it did get me thinking. Why do I have the option to choose different modes? What do other modes such as Landscape, Sport and Portrait do that make them better for that particular shoot? What controls do I have in Manual, and why would I choose to take photos in that mode?
I always had a technical interest, so these questions took me into a rabbit hole of various YouTube videos and tutorials.
Thus my photography interest took off and I wanted to do more of it. Photography is a spectrum of different genres and niches, it is really amazing. One can definitely say that photography is “for everyone”, but as an introvert you do get “freaked out” about a great majority of all these genres. What would be best suited for someone who feels too awkward to ask, if it’s alright to take a photo of a person? Wildlife is a clear pick, the only problem…
The price tags once you research telephoto lenses. Here most of us have to be a bit modest when we start out, my first telephoto zoom was a 2nd hand Nikkor 70-300mm f/5.6 ED VR. I borrowed the camera body from my wife, a Nikon D5100. I do have to say that this is a great kit for learning wildlife photography, of course I am biased. But for the price it is not bad at all. If someone would be starting out with that kit, a 2nd hand camera, zoom lens and a memory card I estimate it would land well below £400
As I mentioned earlier, my upbringing with wildlife interest and natural history pales (I’d say it’s blown out white) in comparison to other wildlife photographers and filmmakers. However I would say that I do have a unique perspective. Ever since I started to study and observe these animals, my fascination and appreciation have grown tremendously. The more time you observe them the more of an individual personality you can see. You become more amazed, invested and sympathetic towards these animals. You start to think what a wonderful creation they are. I do think that is something most people miss out on in our busy lives, with so many things that are competing for our attention. The animals around us have their own stories going on. If I can tell one well enough that somebody stops, watches a bird a bit longer than they meant to, and walks away caring. That matters more to me than the photograph does.
I have now done wildlife photography for many years. I have learned a tone, polished my skills and gear has been upgraded since our first print project. Am I fully trained in wildlife photography? Definitely not, I don’t think anyone can be. There’s always new techniques and field craft to learn, once you have mastered one animal you have all the rest to learn to master as well. But this is why I’m writing this journal, so that you can follow me as I learn more. Especially as I’m starting to adapt more and more wildlife filmmaking. It’s a completely different medium to tell a story about. I’m excited about what wildlife stories will be told.