Harald Svensson
Swedish Photographer and Diver
www.haswe.com
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Started with a Nikonos III in 1981 but soon realized the great advantage of pin point focusing and the possibility to accurate compose the picture on the screen and therefore bought a used a Nikon F photomic, which is still in use. Get the first Hasselblad, a 500C/M, together with two lenses, a CT* 50mm/4.0 and a CT* 150mm/4.0, in 1989. Up to 2008 large part of the scenic pictures was taken with the medium format system. Both the 135-system and the medium format analog system are now retired. Are now using a Nikon D800 underwater and Nikon D3x/D810 for the scenic and the wildlife pictures. As a complement when traveling light a Sony RX100 compact camera, an Acquapazza underwatercase and two Sea&Sea YS-101a strobes has been added to the equipment.

Water play an important role in the pictures. Moving water such as in the flooding rivers in the swedish mountains or jökulså on Iceland OR Calm water as the surface on a lake in the middle of the swedish forest OR roaring waves out on the sea. The favourite lens for scenic pictures was the Distagon 50mm which now has been replaced by the ultrasharp Nikkor AF-S 14-24mm/2.8G.

Most photographic trips are done in the northern part of Europe. Favorites among places are Scotland, Orkney, Iceland and Shetland and the Norwegian west coast. These places all gives have the right combination of wild nature and water. They also gives the oppertunity to photograph both above and under the water surface on the same location.

The underwater photographing have to large extent been focused of documentation of different species living in the sea and still is. But the aim is not only to create a sharp and well exposed picture for documentation. As important is to place the animal in it's correct habitat. The viewer must be given the oppertunity to see and feel the same as an observing diver does when he closes up to the subject in the dim light below the surface. Are very seldom using the full power of the strobes but only use them for giving some of the red color back. Accurate focusing and large aparture normaly from 2.8 to 8 are used even at short distances. Balancing the strobes and the natural light to give a picture where the viewer can feel how it is "down there" is the main goal. Was for a period using a Nikonos V but guessing the distance forced the use of small aparture ruined the feeling of being underwater. The Nikonos V was therefore sold after only 1 year.
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