The Cousins

These two girls are cousins. Sara, on the left is an eight grade student. She lives in Jordbro. Her cousin Sihint lives in Farsta. She is a secondary school student. The dress is called Shalwar kameez something I didn't know. I noticed the girls in Jordbro the other day. They were taking photos of each other so I stopped and asked if I could take a few portraits. I asked them if they had any fun hobbies. The answer was the very typical teenage response "hanging out with friends and listening to music".

The Whisk and The Donkey

Walking out from the cultural centre I noticed two cute teenage girls a few meters from where I had parked my bike. So I decided to ask them for a portrait. This is Vispen (The Whisk ), and Åsnan, (The Donkey). They are enjoying the summer by hanging out with their friends. They told me that there's been a lot of sunbathing and swimming at Lake Rudan. So I guess it is possible that they know the tough girls I met at the Lake last year. I asked them to name something fun they had done. The Donkey told me about a concert she had seen with Ziggy Marley at Gröna Lund in Stockholm. The Whisk mentioned a family vacation to Crete. The story behind their nicknames are as follows. The Donkey has a laughter that sounds like, you guessed it, a donkey! The Whisks real name is Elvira and that sounds a bit like Elvisp which translates to whisk.

Posing with Leibovitz and Ohlson Wallin

This is Marie, a horse crazy girl that lives in Tungelsta, and her friend Jennifer, who is from Nynäshamn. I noticed them at the cultural centre in Handen yesterday. They were taking photos of each other and holding up a couple of books, near the Viking Era Runestone. Both girls are photography students at the Fredrika Bremer school. They told me that they were working on a school project, and had just been to the library to pick up the books about Annie Leibovitz and Elisabeth Ohlson Wallin, the two photographers that they will make a movie about. As I told them that I would like to take a portrait, Marie informed me that I had met and photographed her two years ago. That time she was out riding on Nisse, the one eyed horse. It is the sixth time something like that has happened.

The Accordion Virtuosi

This is Natalie Heselaars-Karlsson and Andreas Nilsson. They performed during the Haninge Day celebrations at Lake Rudan in Handen on Saturday. I don't know much about accordions, so when Natalie's father "Kifas" told me how much he paid for her accordion I didn't believe him at first. It costed him 110.000 kronor. That's around 15000 US Dollars. And that was a bargain apparently. Andreas accordion only costed him 30 000 kronor. Natalie Karlsson is only fourteen years old. Her friend Andreas Nilsson is three years older. Nathalie is a student at the Lilla Akademien in Stockholm. Andreas is also a music student. He is attending Nordiska Musikgymnasiet.

Walking The Dog

This is Jack. He is a dog. More precisely a Danish Swedish Farmdog. The two cute girls behind him are Elin and Amanda. They live in Tungelsta, and I met them near the Nödesta farm. Promenades are actually one of their hobbies, but if I heard them right they have yet to walk up to the old tree which was a bit of a surprise. They tried a few excuses not to appear in a photo. Like no make up, bad hair-day and a few more, but none of them took. Both girls are secondary school students. I asked if they had anything fun planned, and they sure did. It won't be long now before the girls fly down to Crete for a week of fun. And I'm guessing it will be a memorable vacation, as it's the first one they to without any parents around. My only advice to them was to try some Ouzo 12 with crushed ice and 7Up. And to fly down to Santorini next time and to some island hopping in the Cyclades.

The Beach Girls

Tuesday was the warmest day of the year so far. I'm guessing around 26 C. Not bad for Sweden in late June. I noticed these two girls heading for the bus station, so I decided to see if I could hold them up long enough for them to miss their bus. Luckily for them that didn't happen. Gabrielle and Sofie have been friends for many years. Both girls live in Västerhaninge. After a very short chat where they informed me that they were heading for the beach, and that the bus was about to leave, I snapped a few quick portraits and after that they ran for the bus!

Two Girls on a Lawn

I was on my way to a supermarket in Handen yesterday when I saw these two pretty girls sitting on a lawn. So I decided to join them for a chat and a portrait. This is Emily and Victoria. They are sisters. Both secondary students. Emily attends Young Business Creatives in Nacka. A state funded school where the programme is taught in English. Emily sees herself as a future journalist.Before that she plans to study abroad.One of her hobbies include painting. Victoria is a student at Nacka Gymnasium. She wants to work with people, but hasn't decided on her future yet. She enjoys Street Dancing. After our talk I was going to take a few photos and that's when I realised that I had left my memory card at home. Luckily for me I had an old 256 mb cf card in the camera bag!

The Soulmates

Meet the soulmates. Stålis and Faber. It was hard not to notice them in their long black leather coats in Handen a couple of days ago, and I figured they would be interesting to talk with. They told me that they share everything. Like what? I asked. Oh, you know, everything from boys to underwear! Stålis is a secondary school student at the electrician school at Telefonplan. Faber has quit her studies and is hoping for a future in the music business. The girls play in a new band. Stålis is a vocalist and Faber plays the drums. They are members of Black Sheep at Solna, a music scene where many girls play. When there's a gig at Black Sheep the girls help out with security. Faber is working there at the moment and they are planning for a two day music festival next summer.

We Shoot Film

A little out of breath as I had been on a lengthy bike ride, I had to stop at St Eskil's Park in Handen when I spotted three young photographers. I quickly explained the 100 Strangers Project and the trio agreed to have their portrait taken. This is Bella, Oscar and Sofie. All three are third-year students at the nearby Fredrika Bremer Secondary School. I asked them if they were out on a school assignment and they told me that they were. We take a course in photography. We shoot film, and today's assignment handles Depth of Field they told me. I asked if there was any chance of seeing their work online but that wasnt the case. I told them that there are quite a few flickr groups for film lovers, so who knows, maybe they will set up an account. Bella, to the left comes from Dalarö . She's a swimmer and also plays volleyball for Dalarö Sports Club. Oscar comes from Jordbro and his big hobby is longboarding. Sofie lives in Tungelsta and enjoys travelling. When I asked her to pick a favorite place she choose Koh Samui in Thailand. After this short interview I took a few photos and that was it.
This is my 93th photo for the 100 Strangers project. You can see the rest of my strangers in my Set.

Johanna & Katrin

From a distance I see two blonde teenage girls with big sunglasses, and I think that they must be students from the nearby Fredrika Bremer School in Handen (like a sixth form college or college preparatory high school). I decide to ask if I can take their portrait for the 100 Strangers project. They gladly agree, and strike a pose even before I can lift the camera! This is Johanna and Katrin. They are a few years younger than I first thought, and are eight grade students. They both live in Nynäshamn (30 km to the south), and became friends last year. I asked them if they had any hobbies and they said that loved dancing. Johanna is into something called showdance. And Katrin enjoys belly dancing. This is my 27th photo for the 100 Strangers project. And my youngest strangers so far. You can see the rest of my strangers in my Set.