It’s time for the next part of carboncollective™, the series in which we are showcasing the work of some of the best Flickr photographers from Scandinavia. We’ve hand picked some of the more interesting photographers from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden in order to show you a selection of their work. In our opinion, the photographers we've selected demonstrate a strong sense of Scandinavian aesthetics in their work and, as a collective, their photography spans a broad range of styles and subject matter.
Our fifth photographer is Guðmundur Óli Pálmason (born 1978) from Reykjavík in Iceland. Strongly influenced by the vast landscape of Iceland and his love of dark music, Guðmundur’s photographs are like stills from a rediscovered black and white movie. The deliberate imperfections of his shots only add to the heightened sense of atmosphere and seem to add a layer of melancholy to all of his images. Take a look at selection of his work in the carboncollective™ V gallery.
“I have always lived in the same suburb of Reykjavík, a place on a hill, overlooking the city and the ocean on one side, and the mountains and lava plains on most other sides. This is very much the way I see my home country, and this is probably what has shaped my taste in visual subjects the most. Iceland is a vast, barren and desolate island and that is something I strive to portray in my photographs. I guess what I’m trying to say is that there is something lonely but pure about the desolate vastness of Iceland. I love having an abandoned house in the shot or perhaps one person. Two is usually a crowd.”
Guðmundur (better known to his friends as Gummi) didn’t get into photography until he was 26, influenced by his girlfriend at that time, who was “heavily into all things art related” and happened to own an enlarger, he began by shooting film. So unlike most photographers that have started out in recent years, Guðmundur shoots mainly on film and didn’t actually own a digital camera until January this year when he was required to buy one for his studies.
“I still prefer film. I guess I am kind of afraid to lose my individual style if I start shooting too much digital. I’m a sort of anti technical nerd. I like old totally manual cameras and I don’t think I have ever taken a picture that is technically perfect. I really like technical imperfection, like the old Daguerreotype photos - they have so much soul.”
The other thing that has clearly influenced Guðmundur is his strong interest in music, especially death, doom and black metal. He happens to like all types of depressing music like drone, darkwave and even slow dark jazz but despite his taste in music, Guðmundur ensures us that he’s a happy guy who occasionally enjoys upbeat sounds accompanied by a six-pack or two of beer.
Guðmundur plays the drums in a band called Sólstafir, who have released a couple of albums in Europe and are currently signed to Spinefarm Records from Finland. Originally a heathen black metal band but more recently into psychadelic, epic rock/metal, music journalists have described them as “Sigur rós goes blackmetal”. Decide for yourself by checking out Sólstafir on MySpace
Take a look at a selection of Guðmundur Óli Pálmason's photographs in the carboncollective™ V gallery.
Guðmundur Óli Pálmason on Flickr
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