M10 to Stockholm
Wild horses couldn't drag me away from a summer on the Stockholm archipelago. ― Bjorn Ulvaeus
When our youngest suggested that she was thinking of a long weekend in Stockholm Helen and I took the opportunity to invite ourselves along. I’m sure I saw a small tear of joy in Cerys’ eye when we gave her the news. In the event we had a great weekend with fatastic weather in a fabulous city.
Stockholm
Stockholm from Monteliusvägen
Leica M10 | Summicron 50mm f/5.6 1/250s ISO 100
I’m sure there are plenty of comprehensive travel guides; we were only there for three days and in that time we barely had time to scratch the surface. What we saw, however, hugely impressed us. Stockholm is an old city and one with a rich history and heritage. It’s also a very compact city centre despite being spread across a number of smaller islands and, in the event, very walkable.
We spent a fair amount of time in the area around Gamla Stan and the Old Town, including the Royal Palace. The weather undoubtedly helped, but it struck us as a very clean, well-maintained and pretty part of the city. Crossing the river to Monteliusvägen in Södermalm also gives great views over Stockholm. While it’s hard to do justice to the rich variety of the city in just a few days, hopefully the images above give a flavour of what’s on offer.
Gamla Stan
Leica M10 | Summicron 50mm f/5.6 1/125s ISO 200
Museums
Vasa
Leica M10 | Summicron 50mm f/2.8 1/45s ISO 1600
The area around Djurgården is home to quite a number and variety of museums. We only managed a few and would definitely recommend the Vasa Museum, which was our pick of the bunch. We also visited the ABBA museum (also recommended) and a couple of others, including the open air museum of Skansen. I’m not sure whether we caught the latter on a bad day, but it was probably the most disappointing. Sadly we had no time for the Viking museum nor the museum of Swedish drinking culture…
We did, however, find time for a tour of some of the locations at the Royal Palace, including the Treasury and the Royal Apartments. Again, this was well worth the visit and in the end one of the better value options.
Stockholm Archipelago
Stockholm Waterfront
Leica M10 | Summicron 50mm f/4.0 1/500s ISO 100
A highlight of the trip was a boat tour along the Stockholm archipelago. I’m a big fan of a boat tour generally, and this one is very picturesque in its own right. It also provides a good insight into aspects of Swedish culture and life outside the immediate city. The only downside was the twelve year old tour guide describing the great Bjorn Borg as ‘an old Swedish tennis player’… Youth is wasted on the young.
The Photography Bit
The Stockholm trip was a city break and an opportunity for some family time. I didn’t want, therefore, to be travelling with excessive kit particularly given that we were travelling with hand luggage only. Photographically I also wanted to keep things simple, and that pointed me in the direction of a single camera and a couple of small lenses.
Earlier this year I bought myself a used Leica M10, together with a nice example of the Suimmicron 50mm, a small f/2 prime. I’ve subsequently picked up a relatively cheap (at least in Leica terms) Voigtländer 28mm lens. The Leica is a camera that I’ve wanted to shoot with since I took up photography, and more recently my photographic interests have started to suit the capabilities of the camera. Given the cost, even used, I accept that it’s a massive indulgence.
Those who know their cameras will know that the Leica is, in many ways, a limited proposition, albeit not a value proposition. While digital, the camera is largely manual in operation. Modern cameras are particularly good at getting out of the way; metering is excellent, autofocus fast and accurate, stabilisation allows handheld shooting at low shutter speeds, fast burst rates allow every moment of action to be caught while a wide array of zooms and primes cover almost every eventuality and composition.
I’m constantly in awe of just how well these cameras perform and frequently grateful for the capabilities they offer. However, on occasion they leave me feeling disengaged from the photographic process. The Leica fills that gap. It’s often described as promoting a slower, more contemplative style of photography. I’m not sure that’s quite right; it’s still possible to act quickly. However, it can be a more involved and mindful approach to the craft and one which I’m enjoying thus far.
Having just two focal lengths, 50mm and 28mm, proved to be far less limiting that might be imagined. Indeed, in many ways I find shooting this way to be quite liberating. Knowing that there are shots that may not be possible almost gives a permission to walk away from shots. In turn, that takes the pressure off to get ‘the shot’. Instead, I can simply focus on getting ‘a shot’ and be content with the outcome.
