Scenes from Vrango

 At the moment I am putting together a portfolio for stock photo sites in the hope that over the course of the year ahead I will increase the income from my photography. Whether I do or not remains to be seen but it will help me to focus on quality (I might have said this already in a recent post, I can't recall, I have been asleep since then) and improving as a photographer. As I have not been out much to get new pictures I am revisiting my older files and I am pleasantly surprised by many of the images I have put together over the years. I am also really pleased with the memories that come flooding back too. So most of the pictures I will share for a while at least will be from the archives.

These pictures were shot in Sweden in the summer of 2018. As I am writing this I am listening to the album Treeless Plain by Australian band The Triffids and the song playing right now is "Hell of a Summer" (click on the song title to listen for yourself).

I was on a road trip around Europe with my youngest son and we fulfilled an ambition to visit Sweden. We drove up from Copenhagen in Denmark across the Oresund Bridge which was a fantastic experience and then up to Gothenburg which was possibly the highlight of the trip (although there were several highlights to be honest) and while there we took a trip to Vrango, one of the islands in the archipelago close by. It was a really hot day and we had great fun walking around the island and enjoying the sun and the brightly coloured buildings that were all around the village and the harbour.

I have shared a mixture of colour and black and white images and while I like all of these photos and I would often prefer the black and white images today I much prefer the colour pictures because they are far mor evocative of the overall atmosphere on the island which although it was a quiet refuge from the busy city was still vibrant and uplifting.

On The Rocks

Having walked around much of the island we found a quite spot in a little bay where we could rest on the rocks and enjoy the afternoon sun before heading back to the port for the boat back to the mainland. 

When we arrived there was no one else there but shortly after we were joined by a family who took to the water by diving of the small jetty and I just caught the splash as one of the children entered the water.

It seems so long ago that we were here on the rocks in Vrango but looking at these images the memories come flooding back.

Island Life

Canon EF 24 - 105 mm F/4 IS USM

ISO 100   28 mm   F/4.0   1/800 sec

ISO 100  32 mm   F/11   1/400 sec

I just love the colours in these pictures and looking at them I feel drawn back to Vrango. I hope that looking at them you also can see why I loved this place so much.

On Saturday I was chatting to a couple who had just come back from what they described as a disappointing cruise and they told me that they didn't think much of Sweden. I guessed they hadn't been to Gothenburg or the archipelago because if they had they would have fallen in love with the place just as I did.

On Yer Bike...

Canon EF 24 -105mm F/4 IS USM

ISO 100  47mm  F/9.0   1/160

ISO 100  35mm   F/11   1/125

One of the great things about Vrango is there are no cars, and apart from the little motorised carts the only means of transport is the trusty bicycle which to me is a very civilised option. 

And when you no longer want to ride your bike you can always turn it into a beautiful decorative feature like this one with a lovely floral display in the basket. 

Vrango is a lovely colourful island and it's little touches like thus that really add to its charm.

Fjallkvanne

Canon  EF 24 - 105mm F/4 L IS USM

ISO 100  73 mm  F/7.1   1/250 sec

I spotted this unusual looking plant alongside the path on my walk around Vrango. I had never seen this type of plant before and had no idea what it was. I thought it might be a weed so I have spent a little time researching Swedish Native plants and discovered that it is a variety of Angelica or in Swedish Fjallkvanne (Angelica archangelica ssp. archangelica)  

I had only ever seen  candied angelica as a cake decoration and had no idea that it is a herb or that it had any other uses. It is a sweet herb "herb of the angels" and is part of the parsley family. Did you know it was once thought to be a cure against witchcraft, insomnia and plague among other things and it is used to flavour gin and sweet wines. 

Island Harbour

Canon  EF 24 - 105 mm  F/4 L IS USM

ISO 100  105 mm  F/20   1/125 sec

ISO 100  40 mm   F/20   1/125 sec

Today's pictures show the colourful harbour at Vrango taken from the vantage point of the Lotsukiken (the red house or observation deck from yesterday's pictures). 

I really like the row of huts in the first picture I like the uniformity with the bright white walls and the dark grey of their roofs.

As I review my roadtrip pictures I think this was definitely one of my favourite places along the way. Maybe because it was so relaxing and away from all the crowds. I will certainly go back here in the future.

Little House On The Rocks

Cano EF 70 - 300mm F 4-5.6 IS USM

ISO 100  150 mm  F/16  1/250 sec

ISO 100  135mm  F/16  1/250 sec

ISO 100  220 mm  F/16  1/250 sec

I am really loving the current spell of warm weather, it feels like a proper summer at last. The only drawback being that I have to be in work so I can't fully enjoy the sunny conditions. So when I was choosing these pictures for today's blog I was drawn to these shots of the little house on the rocks.

One of the things I was most keen to do on my roadtrip was to see something of the archipelago near to Gothenburg and on a hot and sunny day lots of other people had the same idea. If you ever get to visit this part of Sweden I would definitely recommend visiting the islands and even though lots of people take trips out from the city it is possible to find quiet spots and feel as though you are miles from anywhere and anyone else. What's more it is a cheap day out because a day ticket for the trams and buses is also valid for the boats which shuttle between the islands and you can get on and off to explore as many of the islands as you choose.

We headed to Vrango one of the southernmost islands in the group and it wasn't long after we got off the boat that we found ourselves away from the other day trippers. There are no cars on the island so it is really safe to walk around.

Here I have selected three different shots of a little red summer house which was perched on top of a rocky outcrop, it had stunning views in every direction and I think it looks great. I like the colour and black and white images but whereas I would often prefer black and white in this instance I think the colour images are much better. The colours really pop out and yes the sky really was that blue. This was one of the hottest days on our roadtrip and quite a surprise given it was the furthest north on our trip around Europe and we had expected things to be a few degrees cooler. 

There was lots more to see around the island and so I will be sharing more shots from Vrango in the days to come.