SWEDEN - 2017

SWEDEN INDIAN SUMMER AT THE POLAR CIRCLE

EXPERT HANS STRAND 4 DAYS OF ADVENTURE

Photo by David Trud

Thanks for choosing Better Moments for your next adventure workshop.

Better Moments was founded in 2011 by Philip Boissevain and me, two experienced veterans of the international professional photography industry. We met when working at Hasselblad, Philip as the Global Marketing manager and me as the Global Photographer Relations manager.

Today Better Moments has become the leading photo workshop platform organizing high-end workshops for photo enthusiasts worldwide.

You will learn from the world’s most experienced photographers within their fields to refine your personal style and sharpen your technical skills. Additionally, we want you to share your excitement for photography and enjoy great moments in life. And we want you to explore your passion and expand your photographic skills and vision.

Better Moments CEO and founder: Christian Nørgaard Graphic design: Anders Lundgren Text editor: Jeff Grant All images and text in this catalog are under International Copyright Legislation.

However, Better Moment’s guests and potential customers may download the catalog for private use, but not for any commercial use.

Any violation of the International Copyright Legislation will be reported to the International Court of Justice of International Copyright Legislation Cover photo by Hans Strand

Better Moments mission is to deliver exclusive workshops in landscape, wildlife and travel photography at unique locations around the world. I want you to explore your passion for photography and work and earn from the world’s most renowned photographers who all have excellent teaching skills, local knowledge and experience.

Photography with passion, Christian Nørgaard

PHOTOGRAPHY WITH PASSION

Photo by Hans Strand

INDIAN SUMMER AT THE POLAR CIRCLE Majestic, picturesque and serene are all words that describe the mountains, valleys, plains, forests, rivers, flora and fauna of Abisko National Park in Swedish Lapland.

The 77 km2 (30 sq mi) paradise is located 195 km (121 miles) inside the Arctic Circle. It is famous for its stunning beauty, Nordic wildlife and one of the best spots in the world for photographing the Aurora Borealis.

To get a true sense of this unique and incomparable location you have to visit Abisko and inhale a breath of fresh mountain air and view the scenery.

Photo by Hans Strand

TRAVEL Better Moments’ mission is to deliver exclusive workshops and we want you to explore your passion for photography and to work with the world’s most renowned photographer, Hans Strand during your Sweden expedition.

HIGHLIGHTS Photography at the limestone formations and river rapids in the upper reaches of Abisko Canyon.

Aerial photography around Mount Njulla with instruction by Hans Strand.

Visit to Mount Njulla by cable car.

Hike through the birch forest and enjoy an open-air lunch.

Sunrise Abisko.

photography

around

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN You will learn how to approach the unique challenges of landscape photography and how to capture expansivesness, dynamic energy and the simplicity of natural landscape photography.

ON LOCATION

How to handle equipment with care on location.

Private hands-on lessons that can help in taking your photography skills to the next level.

IN CLASSROOM Expert review and constructive criticism of the images taken during the day.

Workflow in Photoshop and/or Lightroom, and printing.

Portfolio Review.

A Better Moments Certified Photo Instructor is available during the entire workshop to offer assistance with camera settings, the basics of composition, and to generally guide and help.

PRICE & BOOKING

Teaching and training in the best techniques and personal hints and advice.

Composition and focus on lines, golden section, perspective, foreground.

Work in different lighting and with short/long exposure times and apertures.

Photo by Hans Strand

WIT

TH PASSION

HANS S Hans was born in 1955 in Marmaverken, Sweden.

For more than 20 years, the entire world has been his workplace.

Photographing everything from the vast expanses of the Arctic, to steaming rainforests and dry deserts.

“My back broke down and I could not sit all day long, like I was doing as an engineer.

At this time my great hobby was landscape photography, so I took a chance and became a professional and it has worked since 1990.”

MADE IN SWEDEN His work has been displayed in numerous exhibitions and published in many international photography magazines.

He has received several awards for his photography, including the Hasselblad Master Award in 2008. Hans has lectured on his photography internationally and published a number of photography books, with more on the way.

Photo by private

”Photography is not about capturing what you see, but to interpret what you f

STRAND

feel”

CAREER CHANGE After working as a mechanical engineer for nine years he made a career change.

“The complexity and the sense of being a part of nature. After all, all living things have their origin in the wild landscape. I have always found myself drawn to the untamed and unmanipulated nature. The wilderness is the mother of all living things. It is always honest and never trivial.”

BAD WEATHER IS TERRIFIC As a professional and especially having spent many years in the northern hemisphere, Hans has developed a style very much reflecting his attitude towards weather.

“The right weather is important, but not everything. Shooting a rugged landscape like Iceland in sunshine is not what you want.

There you want moody conditions to get the right drama in the landscape. On the other hand, you have to work with the light you have at hand and try to make the best of it. You can’t just skip taking pictures because you don’t get what you have anticipated.

There are always possibilities in every kind of light. Often landscape photographers regard grey weather as bad weather, but I think it is terrific.”

Photo by Hans Strand

Photo by Hans Strand

A NORTHMAN OF ICE AND FIRE In the late 90’ Hans went on a unique expedition to the icy Arctics.

“The Arctic landscape is virgin territory. In 1999 I visited the island of Ellef Ringnes in Northern Nunavut. Hardly anyone has been there since 1904 when the island was discovered, and definitely no one has been photographing there. The silence and the long lasting light are fantastic. It is very minimalistic compared to a rainforest but nevertheless complex.

In 2004 I visited Svalbard and was even taking pictures of polar bears.

Normally I am not so interested in wildlife photography, but seeing a polar bear in its natural habitat is something very special.”

Hans has travelled between the deserts of America to the Tasmanian outback and photographed a wide range of landscapes, but when it comes down to the favorites he always ends up in Iceland. “Each year since 2000 I have returned to Iceland to take pictures.” ”I find its landscapes the most spectacular in the world. Nowhere else have I seen landscapes with such complexity and color. I have also practiced aerial photography a lot and have found new perspectives to take my landscape photographs.”

THE FIRST ROLLS OF FILM Hans was 25 years old when he bought his first camera during a school trip to the United States.

That’s where he took his first rolls of film, on the holy ground for landscape photography since Ansel Adams first captured his iconic images there. But it wasn’t the last rolls of film for Hans Strand either.

Today he’s a widely acclaimed landscape photographer with high workshop expertise in the northern landscapes.

Photo by Hans Strand

ITINERARY DAY 1

IMPORTANT

ARRIVAL AT ABISKO

Due to the weather we point out that, changes to the program may occur.

Better Moments staff will pick you up at the airport. Lunch in Kiruna and transport to Abisko for checkin at our hotel. Slideshow and presentation on Abisko, followed by a welcome dinner. After dinner we look out for the Aurora Borealis, the Northern Lights.

DAY 2 ABISKO We leave after breakfast to explore the canyons and to shoot the limestone formations and river rapids in the upper section of Abisko Canyon. We will do evening shots of the mountain range, before dinner. After dinner we look out for the Aurora Borealis.

AIRPORT PICK-UP Better Moments arranges one pickup and one return to the airport on arrival day and departure day.

Most often, none of our guests will wait longer than one hour, as all international flights arrive and depart at the same time.

PRICE & BOOKING

HOME

DAY 3 AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY OF MOUNT NJULLA In the morning, cable car lift to the top of Mount Njulla. Hike down through the birch forest and open-air lunch. After lunch we will do aerial photography from a helicopter, with personal in-air instruction by Hans strand.

For the rest of the afternoon we will shoot in the lower section of Abisko Canyon.

3-course farewell dinner, followed by an evening seminar in the conference room.

DAY 4 SUNRISE SHOOTING AND DEPARTURE We are up early to capture the sunrise in the amazing scenery.

After a morning of intense shooting we leave for the airport to catch our flights home Photo by Hans Strand

GETTING THERE

QUICK GUIDE

The nearest airport is in Kiruna, which has flights to from Stockholm by SAS and Norwegian.

A cable car takes visitors to the top of Mount Njulla for a truly wonderful view of all the sights of the park.

Abisko is located 94 km (58 miles) from Kiruna, and can be reached by train or bus (80 minutes). There are daily overnight trains from Stockholm to the Norwegian city of Narvik, and between Kiruna and Narvik.

Abisko is also reachable by car via highway E10.

VISA Sweden is a member of the Schengen Agreement. Nationals of EU and EFTA (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland) countries only need a valid national identity card or passport for entry.

All other visitors are required to have a passport valid for at least three months beyond the intended stay, and some will need a visa. Please check with the local embassy.

WEATHER Abisko is situated in the most northern part of Swedish Lapland or about 195 km north of the Arctic Circle, close to the Norwegian border. The weather is mild to cool in the summer months. Cold and snow are common in the winter months with temperatures remaining below zero for days and weeks at a time. Average daily temperatures in Abisko varies from -10.5°C in January to 11.5°C in July.

Abisko is also the starting point for the world-famous Kungsleden (“King’s Trail”), a 425 km (264 miles) long trail for serious hikers, which stretches across a vast wilderness area from Abisko in the north to Hamavan in the south.

This unique hiking route winds through an ever-changing, but ever-spectacular landscape with high mountains, gentle valleys, rivers and forests.

To cover the whole trail would take several weeks, but there are many well-marked routes for hikers to complete in around 5-7 days.

One of the most recognized natural sights is Lapporten, a U-shaped valley visible from Abisko.

EMERGENCY Emergency phone number: 112.

AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY Due to weather conditions we may need to change the flight plans and locations

PRICE & BOOKING

HOME

LANGUAGE The official language is Swedish, but most Swedes speak English.

CURRENCY The Swedish monetary unit is the Krone (SEK)

Photo by Hans Strand

QUICK GUIDE We wish you to travel with the greatest possible comfort and to know that you have received as much information as possible

EQUIPMENT Whether this is your first trip or your ”hundredth” workshop with us, it’s always helpful to have a rundown of what items you may want to pack so you have a travel checklist. Bookmark this packing list, because you’ll want to refer back to it to make sure you’ve thought of everything you might want to pack.

CLOTHING A good plan is to dress “layer-by-layer”. You then are well prepared for whatever weather arrives.

Wind and waterproof jacket Wind and waterproof pants Rubber boots - with room for extra (wool) socks Hiking boots

Fleece/sweater

NICE TO HAVE

Cap

Sunscreen

Gloves

Sunglasses

Waterproof outdoor cushions - nice to sit on when we sail in the arctics or when we sit and enjoy the scenery on land.

A swimsuit (for hot springs in Iceland only)

A small backpack Binoculars

Wool underwear

CAMERA The camera list is for inspiration, since you know better than anyone what equipment you prefer.

Bring you own laptop computer and storage medium Camera bodie(s) Tripod

Cleaning kit for cameras and lenses Rain/dust covers for cameras and lenses

NICE TO HAVE Lens extenders

Charger for batteries

Camera straps for ease of changing from one camera to another

Spare batteries

Graduated filter set

Standard power converter

Filter holder

Lenses, 24-70mm zoom and 70-200mm zoom or similar lenses are very good

Raw processing software

High quality polarizing filter

Memory cards and card wallets

Lens belt

Bag for all camera gear

Memory card reader

Light bag for easy hiking with camera bodies and accessories

USB key to exchange images

Photo by Hans Strand

Photo by Hans Strand

PHOTOGRAPHER Lucy Mohr was awarded Photographer Of The Month, July 2016 She participated in the Palio di Siena workshop with Marco di Lauro.

“The workshop probably changed my life. I was unsure about what, if any path to follow in photography, but under the tuition of Marco, along with Karen Gunn, the editor of the National Geographic, they encouraged me to follow my dream. I learnt so very much; both technically and in the attitude you need to have to succeed as a photographer. Their encouragement was the turning point for me and I’m very grateful to Better Moments for having such a once in a lifetime opportunity to work alongside such inspiring and talented people.”

BETTERMOMENTS.COM

OF THE MONTH

Each month we select a photographer from one of our many workshops who deserves special recognition. The Photographer of the Month is chosen by the Better Moments workshop experts, including Better Moments CEO, Christian Nørgaard.