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I’m very proud and happy to write that I now got my very own website! jennyjacobsson.com
Therefore this blog site, http://www.jennyjacobsson.wordpress.com, is put to its final rest and the whole blog is moved to jennyjacobsson.com/blog where I aim to create an even more attractive Photography Blog, both in looks and in content.
For you who already subscribe to my Photography Blog, or if you wish to start, update your subscription to the new site via RSS here, so you don’t miss out on any news, images of events, sneak previews of new work, behind-the-scenes footage, more personal shots from trips and moments in live, and other fun stuff.
Feel free to leave a comment over at the new website or drop me an email at mail@jennyjacobsson.com if you have anything you’d like to say about the site, blog, or something else you would like to share.
Love from Jenny
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This weekend Gothenburg was shrouded in fog. Very cinematic. And it made me actually love autumn 
The photos are a collaboration with my beloved Andreas Gustafsson.
Visit me on Flickr
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Even if they are from an ordinary day, or from the coolest trip I’ve ever made, I want to take this opportunity to share some shots with you. With these posts, I want to share with you, my moments in life.
Some bands gets stuck with you at a young age. And they never let go. And of course you think it won’t end in a very very long time.
The music helps you through your darker times, enhances your brighter times…
…puts words onto what you feel deep inside, makes you think at details around you that you never reflected on before…
…and strengthens your already planted views of life.
It makes you angry, makes you cry…
…makes you sing out like a maniac with a hairbrush as a mic in front of your mirror (yeahyeah, you never get to old to do that!)…
…and dance around until the neighbours think your tapping is too disturbing.
Some bands just connect with you, speaks the same language as you. One of those bands for me is The Ark (visit The Ark World here).
And when a band meaning something like that to you say that it’s time for them to retire, you can’t help but feel a little lonely.
Something that is such a reminder of your youth… is disappearing, and you can’t help but wonder if that means that your youth is leaving with them? It’s like a close friend is slipping away from you.
So you go to your final concert ever on their last tour… and you try to absorb every little moment, every little tone that sparkles out of Ola Salo, every little movement (and trust me, there were LOADS).
And you just can’t help to cry your heart out when the entire crowd bursts out in song as one enormous chorus, following Ola’s every little direction in Calleth You, Cometh I.
And even though you are sad, you start to listen to the lyrics… and you start to think that yes… even though they are not coming back… maybe the music you’ve listened to for so many years will always be there. You can always go back and feel, and remember.
And maybe it will feel like they never left. You do have so many vivid memories.
And they have certainly created leaps of joy!
So you say so long, farewell, Auf Weidersehen, goodbye. Lift your hat. You wave back. And are grateful for the good times spent. And I hope we’ll see each other again someday.
But trust me… I will certainly miss you.
First impressions last. Here’s the video of It Takes A Fool To Remain Sane from 2000.
Whatever happened to the funky race?
A generation lost in pace,
-Wasn’t life supposed to be more than this?
In this kiss I’ll change your bore for my bliss
But let go of my hand and it will slip out
in the sand if you don’t give me the chance
to break down the walls of attitude,
I ask nothing of you
not even your gratitude
And if you think I’m corny
then it will not make me sorry
it’s your right to laugh at me
and in turn, that’s my opportunity
to feel brave
Because ridicule is no shame
it’s just a way to eclipse hate
it’s just a way to put my back staright
it’s just a way to remain sane
Every morning I would see her getting
off the bus the picture never drops
it’s like a multicoloured snapshot stuck in my brain
it kept me sane for a couple of years
as it drenched my fears
of becoming like the others
who become unhappy mothers
and fathers of unhappy kids
And why is that?
‘Cause they’ve forgotten how to play
or maybe they’re afraid to feel ashamed
to seem strange
to seem insane
to gain weight
to seem gay
- I tell you this:
That it takes a fool to remain sane
Oh It takes a fool to remain sane
Oh It takes a fool to remain sane
Oh In this world all covered up in shame
(-Oh, take it to the stage!)
So, take it to the stage in a multicoloured
jacket take it jackpot, crackpot,
strutting like a peacock
nailvarnish Arkansas
shimmy-shammy featherboah crackpot haircut
dye your hair in glowing red and blue,
-Do, Do, Do! What you wanna do, Don´t think twice,
do what you have to do,
Do, Do, Do, Do, let your heart decide
what you have to do that´s all there is to find
Cause it takes a fool to remain sane,
Oh It takes a fool to remain sane
Oh In this world all covered up in shame
Oh It takes a fool to remain sane,
Oh It takes a fool to remain sane
Oh It takes a fool to remain sane
Oh In this world all covered up in shame
-Oh, it takes a fool!..
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In June 2011 I went to Prague, the goooorgeous capital of the Czech Republic, on business for the DNA analysis company I work for. We were organizing a big event there for a week with courses, exhibition and speaker sessions, and I was in charge of the exhibiton and taking care of the sponsors (The week was awesome! A big thanks to all the participants, sponsors and my colleagues). Since I’d never been in Prague it seemed like a waste just going there for work, so I took some extra days of vacation to just enjoy the city. I was a bit reluctant, not only because I was going alone and I knew I would get serious abstinence after Andreas, but also because I tend to really really want to share memories like this with the person I love. But, it’s good to do things you normally don’t! So off I went
Another downside to travel alone is that you have to carry all your heavy bags, filled with camera gear, by yourself ;-P Another is to have to eat at restaurants sitting alone at a table for two, not having anyway to talk to and just stare at your food or other guests who after a while think you are creepy (at least it feels like they do!!). But enough about the bad!! Since I try to look on the brighter side of things, as a photographer, there are surely some advantages as well.
Being a photographing maniac can put a strain on a relation when travelling. One wants to move on, and the other wants to find the perfect light direction, spending a great deal of time by each site. I for one was happy this time that I could walk up and down the Charles Bridge, about six times, just to see if the angle on the other side was better. And then I mean all sides. And then also combine it with a perfect timing for that boat… I don’t think any of my near and dear would have been happy about that.
Instead of sitting down at cafés (I don’t often get tired legs) I now could stroll around with a take away coffee in one hand (Starbucks Hazelnut Caffè Latte omg…), and instead got more time to use the other hand to shoot OTHER people at cafés.
One truly amazing place in Prague is the Old Jewish Cemetery. With tombstones from 1439 to 1787 it today contains some 12,000 tombstones on an undersized area. Although the number of persons buried here is much greater, the cemetery being filled up by the harsh history of the Jewish people. When the area wasn’t large enough to fit more graves, earth was brought in to add further layers. Therefore the cemetery contains several burial layers placed on top of each other. From the upper layers tombstones from various periods emerge, both beautiful and historically important. I think most people would find this place interesting. But chasing tombstones without contrasty harsh daylight for two hours might be a bit too much for any company…
In the adjacent Pinkas Synagogue all walls were covered by inscribed names of the Jewish victims of Bohemia and Moravia. 80 000 names, hand written, with all personal data and the communities to which all the victims belonged. A building with high impact. Don’t miss it.
Who would want to walk up the stairs of the tall Town Hall Tower by the Old Town Square, squeezing and pushing through the tight crowd just to be able to have a look at the view in all directions, saying “I’m sorry” every other second, finally reaching the door to get out, and then take another round, just because the sky was lighting up? I do!!
It can also be a bit tricky to convince a travelling partner to climb a very high mountain, just to get that one photo that you just have to get of Prague. Now I could sweat and swear as much as I wanted to! At least I got up there. And the reward afterwards was a nice moment on my back in the pretty park crowning at the top.
(not my shoes…)
Prague is famous for its puppets and marionettes, and if I have had children with me I would most definitely had visited one of the wonderful puppet theaters around the city. …. No. Wait. Hm. I’m not telling the truth here. Let me rephrase…
Since I’m a big child at heart, if I have had a little more time on my hands, I would most definitely had visited one of the lovely and fun puppet theaters around the city. All by myself
Prague also had some downsides…
But most of it was a shear joy. Although one night it was raining… I think from below and upwards, with a wind making it hardly impossible to hold on to an umbrella. Yet still I got to cling on to a bridge railing and take images without anyone complaining (god it’s difficult not to get rain on the lens…)
And Prague was truly beautiful. And most of the time it was showing off itself from the best possible side. If you go there, don’t miss the gorgeous amazing Astronomical Clock…
…by the Old Town Square…
…or the castle with the St. Vitus Cathedral.
And most definitely don’t miss the river Vltava with all the bridges…
…or to take a long stroll around town, just to admire the wonderful architechture.
And even if you are alone, you can always meet wonderful new people (cheers to the super nice two american guys I met on the sightseeing bus tour and kept on bumping into afterwards), and maybe even ask a stranger to immortalize you with your own camera (hey, can be nice to at least see what age you were when you were there 
).
This last image does not only represent a scrumptious dinner. It represents the process of my solo trip. The last evening in Prague I went to one of the really busy restaurants at the Old Town Square. I’d passed by so many times the last couple of days but it had felt really odd to sit down there all by myself when everybody else were cheering in large groups or enjoying romantic dinners for two. But after having enjoyed my own company for quite some time I now felt confident in being me, myself and I. So I actually did take a table for one, got superb service from the waiters (maybe due to the fact that I was a lonely little girl) and had a splendid dinner, studying all the tourists passing by and enjoying the lovely views of the plaza. And I had a wonderful final evening.
I have some wonderful memories from this trip, and I will treasure them for myself. And I really had a great time after all doing Prague on my own. But next time, I must say, my darling Andreas, my heart and soul, you are coming with me
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After a long journey flying from Sweden down to Marseilles, renting a car and having a road trip up along the gorgeous coast line of France, detouring through Saint Tropez and Cannes, me and my dear friend Hanna arrived in Juan Les Pines quite late at night. Here we were going to stay for a week with “the girl gang”, just enjoying life and feeling luxurious. And trust me, we did
Although the first thing I noticed when stepping out of the car and starting to pull my overweight bag over the pavement was… a tiny but very green frog, standing there in my way. Since I just loooove tiny little frogs I had to take a closer look, and I saw that there wasn’t only one. There were two! Mating! At first Hanna looked at me with worried eyes when I absolutely threw myself at the ground with my camera in my hand. But it didn’t take long before she was down there herself. So, before all the luxury started, I was spending my first minutes at the French Riviera flat on my stomach, in the middle of the night, sniffing asphalt, photographing one of nature’s wonders. And it was a perfect moment in time.
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Even if they are from an ordinary day, or from the coolest trip I’ve ever made, I want to take this opportunity to share some shots with you. With these posts, I want to share with you, my moments in life.
April 2011. Our so well planned 2.5 week trip to Japan was of course cancelled due to the horrible tragedy that hit the east coast there a few weeks earlier. So… what emergency trip could we come up with on such short notice… during spring… not so far away… for relaxing but still a lot of fun… OF COURSE! Why not go to Paris??
Paris delivered everything you can imagine. Romance (well, of course, since I was there with Andreas ), sunny days and warm evenings, trees in bloom, lots and lots of coffee at cosy cafés, great architecture, a cultural boost, wonderful food… I could go on and on. But I think I’ll show you instead
Check out my Flickr for completely different kinds of shots!
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Life offers so many photo opportunities. They may appear while you are on your bike on your way back home from work. They may appear while hunting for the perfect angle of shooting that famous building on your vacation. There might not always be time to prepare, no time to check the light. Your companion may not always want to spend that amount of time that you would really want to wait for the people in the shot to move to better positions (god knows I can understand that…). But even so, the photo that is captured can represent a wonderful memory. It can represent a situation that you never again will be able to recreate.
Even if they are from an ordinary day, or from the coolest trip I’ve ever made, I want to take this opportunity to share some shots with you. With these posts, I want to share with you, my moments in life.
In January 2011 me and Andreas packed our bags and took off to England for a short vacation. My personal aim for the weekend was to attend the absolutely terrific workshop by Miss Aniela and Brooke Shaden in Eastbourne, but I will make a post about the adventures of this event in the upcoming future (for those who are so curious they can’t wait, read Miss Anielas blog post here ).
While visiting England we had the wonderful opportunity to stay at my dear friend Hanna’s place in Richmond where she lives with Paddy, the sweetest man with the most tricky accent I’ve ever heard . Richmond was a really neat and gorgeous part of London and I got the feeling that Hanna, who recently moved there from Sweden, really liked it there. And I can understand why. Even though it was winter and freezing here in Gothenburg, the sun was beaming and spring was in the air. Strolling around Richmond was a really lovely moment in life, a welcomed pause from the ordinary life’s chores back home. Most impressed I was by the inhabitants of Richmond. Especially the fella´ below that I had the opportunity to get acquainted with, totally unexpected in the big city of London. Thank you, mr Bird, for a memorable minute.
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And so it was time once more. Getting a year older. Some people say they no longer care for birthdays since they are now “so oooold”. Now THAT does not apply to me!! Well.. maybe the “so old” part, but certainly not the caring part I just love birthdays! And my own is not exception. I’m told that I start talking about my birthday about a month in advance, not letting anybody miss that it’s coming up and behaving like a ten year old. Maybe I do, and I’m enjoying every little moment of it *giggle*. There is a Swedish saying, approximately like “You have as fun as you turn it in to”, and it sure applies in this case.
So last weekend Andreas and I threw a party and thank you so much guys for coming and making it a fabulous time! It was a mixture of my and Andreas’s friends and you are all so adorable, kind, and fun! And on Sunday, “the big day”, I spent my birthday with an american brunch at Egg & Milk, a long autumn walk in the beaming sun and crisp fall air, and enjoying a gorgeous dinner, all in the company of my beloved Andreas. It was a beautiful day to remember, even when I turn 85
As a celebration I created my latest Flickr self portrait, which appropriatly is called In da club and you can find it here. And I think you understand why Creating it I certainly got my groove on, putting on some awesome music and shakin’ ma booty until I was scared the neighbours were gonna knock on my door.
And after all that fun I had to be a bit more serious and place out the rest of the disco balls (unfortunately I only had one that I had to turn into several) that were going to be in the main image. It didn’t take that long actually. The long part was the post processing. But I just thought about the birthday and I did it with a happy face
To end this post I just would like to say A very happy birthday to the people out there having their birthdays today! I hope you all will have a wonderful time.
PS. I got a new brain with a memory from Andreas as a birthday present, and some power to go with it.
Really, I did!
He had stuffed a plastic brain with a 16 GB memory card and a new battery for my camera
THANK YOUUUUU!!! <3
