Getting late to Malta

I went to the airport with the models, Heidi and Iselin, and the make-up artist/hair stylist Rebecka, to the Skavsta [NYO] on Wednesday and that was pretty smart of me. Of course they had to much luggage all except one. Rebecka even had to leave a plastic bag full of stuff just to get the weight down to 15 kilos on her check-in bag.

Why did I not join the Wednesday flight? I was part of a Swedish TV show and they would not be finished with shooting until Friday. When I was spending time in front of a camera (which I hate) them ladies were having a tour on Malta with our dear friend and local celebrity actor, Steffen, where giving un-healty cake and some nice wine. (Why do they always get the best part of a shoot?)

I finished shooting late on Thursday evening, arrived at Arlanda [ARN] on 2.30 in the morning on Friday after a really hectic week. You feel really glamourous sleeping in a noisy (they where doing construction works) departure hall on a marble bench, always with a hand on your EUR 40.000 camera bag.
Then you pay EUR 270 for the extra weight and get on the plane at 6.25. I fell asleep at once and woke up when they landed.

"Welcome to Arlanda!"

WTF!?
A window cracked in cockpit and they had to return. As being a pilot myself, I bonded with the crew and saw a picture of it. It happened while they where climbing through 28.400 feet. Thankfully it was just a middle layer of the multi-layer safty glass there.

After spending three (3!) hours in line to get a new ticket, 4 hours in Frankfurt and a nice time chatting with the crew of Malta Air - I finally arrived at MLA 22.30 on the Friday. Half dead...

I got a great welcome by the ladies and Martin in his apartment and a couple of drinks later I was perfectly OK. :-)

Ar, the location = carry stuff

When being on Gotland last year shooting for my now slow Morre's UK Babes project I had spotted some nice locations. One was at the Northern part of Gotland at Ar where a very small, inhabited, island resided connected to the main island only with a small (almost) land tounge.

When there, I immediately knew we picked the right location, when I saw the wind blown tree on the island! I do not know how, but it just feels right. I do not really pick the location - the location pick us.

So then is the fun part - carry kilos of equipment out on a far off location and through water. Hiking boots is a good pick and the abilty to stand wet socks for hours.... Sometimes I really miss my assistant.

Getting to Gotland and a sweet ride

The lucky models to join for Gotland was Terese A and Victoria N, chosen in collaboration with Johanna from Studio Paus. Amazingly both models and the make up artist Maria L, got to Linköping on time. On Tuesday we pack us all in with a lot of gear in a small airplane and I flew us to Visby. I would have taken 6 hours by car and ferry, but it only takes 1 hour by private plane.

When landing the first priority was to get a car big enough for a fat photographer, his models and gear. I called some of the people I got to know when working there with Gotland Ring. And guess what? Ove at the furniture shop EM, is just the best! He borrowed us a Hästen designed Mercedes and even picked us up at the airport! Hats off for Ove!

Being a models is hard. Sometimes you have to wait for hours. Sometimes you have to order the right food in bright sunlight in Visby's best beach club, Kallis.

The car has been standing since the winter so I had to get a workshop to change from winter tires, and there I cleaned it up. It was not the most luxurious ride, but it was cool! The downside was while driving, it smelled like burnt rubber inside. When driving to our location we where pretty scared it would caught fire but we where totally shocked when the back window exploded at 90 km/h!!

When picking up the car I had noticed it had been a bit loose at the upper rim but did not think it mattered. What probably happed, was that the wind caught the upper side, creating tension in the hardened glass, making it explode into pieces.