I got shot...

… last year by a photographer ;)

I know, I know, that was blatant click bait. In my defence though, I think the only one who reads my blog regularly is my mother (thanks mom), so I had to take drastic action to lure you guys here ;)

And now that you are here, I thought I’d share something different with you. Last autumn, my beautiful and sweet friends, Kylie and Kerry, came to visit me here in Stockholm. Kerry is one of the U.K’s top dog photographers. You can check out her incredible work here: https://www.furandfables.com/

Kerry suggested that she photograph me working on a portrait session and also get some shots of me with my gorgeous Tibetan Terrier, Riley, and a few shots of me, well, just doing my thang at home. She said that because I’m always behind the camera that I should experience what it’s like for my clients for a change. So I reluctantly let her photograph me throughout the day. Thankfully she was very patient with me with, as I’m no natural in front of the camera.

Thank you for these memories, Kerry. You are one talented and fabulous lady xoxo

Here I am photographing my beautiful model, Kylie. This time I had security with me guarding my camera bag - see Tibetan Terrier keeping watch behind me. You can never be too careful.

We move the shoot into the woods as the sun was making my mascara run (waterproof my foot) and my eyes burn. And you thought your job was stressful. Note, leaky mascara has been hastily cleaned up.

The combined weight of this camera body and lens is about the equivalent of a four month old alpaca. The sweat patches must have been photoshopped out.

I feel no pain, I feel no pain. Mind over matter all the way.

“Oh my God, Sandra, you’re so talented. That’s, like, the best photo of me I’ve ever seen.”

“No, seriously, you are the bomb, Sandra. I look amazeballs.”

Then it was mine and Riley’s turn to shine. Now, I’m no runner. If a balaclava-wearing, chainsaw-wielding man started running after me I’d probably curl up in the foetal position and wait to die. Kerry, however, somehow got me to run over and back this field with my dog until she got the shot she wanted. I was doing more panting than Riley.

And then he broke free and decided he wanted to be the center of attention.

But I was having none of it and eventually caught up with him. He can run, but he can’t hide.

After the chaos comes the calm. “You want a treat, Riley?”, I ask on repeat all the way across the bridge. Hopefully he loves me for more than just my treats.

And the award for most handsome dog goes to…

Aaaaand that’s a wrap, folks. It always helps when a day of shooting ends with vodka ;)

If you enjoyed this little look behind the scenes, do please let me know. I’m very approachable, you know - case in point - everywhere I go I get asked for directions (ironic, considering I’m usually lost myself). So, if you’re not my mother, do the decent thing and say hi or hej, I’m not fussy :)

Peace and love :)

A day in the life | Stockholm Child and Family Photographer

Hey you :). Wanna see how I spent my day yesterday? I thought maybe I should share some behind the scenes from Jolly HQ. So, don’t just sit there thinking about it, grab a Budvar and start reading. It’s short and sweet :)

Early start and I roll out of bed looking like an extra from The Walking Dead. It’s time to hit the yoga mat and get to work. Where there’s a camera there’s my photo-bombing dog ;)

I don’t leave home without meditating. My presence muscle has definitely gotten stronger, but there is always room for improvement.

Time to walk the dog and sit at my favourite spot in Sweden. They can scatter my ashes here when I’m gone… if it’s not too illegal.

Can’t go to the office without a big mug of Irish tea and some homemade chocolate chip cookies. C’mon, I’m only human.

It’s client photo book design time. This is when I wish I had a private masseuse to give my back and neck a good seeing to.

Have to retrive some stolen socks from my dog. This time he let me have them. Sometimes he swallows one, then waits until we’re home alone together and vomits it up for me. Good times.

Checking client prints. Imagine, these prints are going to be in a family for generations. Print your photos, people.

Now, I had hoped to wrap up this blog post with a shot of a perfectly executed dinner (OK, I was never going to produce a perfectly executed dinner), but I ran out of time to cook any kind of dinner before I headed into Stockholm for the night with a friend. Didn’t crawl into bed until 2am this morning. What can I say, I don’t get out too often ;)

I should also mention that I have a personal goal every day to make at least one person smile. I am thrilled to tell you that yesterday, I made - wait for it - 12 PEOPLE SMILE. No word of a lie. 12 PEOPLE. Should I not get some kind of a Nobel prize for that? And on top of that, I made two brand new friends. Not bad for a Thursday, right?

Peace and love :)

Extended family photo session | Stockholm Outdoor family photography

Guess who’s back, back again. Sandy’s back, tell a friend. Guess who’s back. Guess who’s back. Guess who’s back. Guess who’s back. Guess who’s back.

You get the picture, right? :)

The summer holidays are drawing to a close, so I thought I’d pop in here and share this fun extended family photo session from last month. When the mom, who has booked several Jolly sessions the past few years, got in touch and told me she wanted to book a surprise photo session for the grandad who was having a big birthday, I jumped at the chance. I LOVE being involved in a sneaky surprise ;). So, I did all my usual pre-shoot prep work, then make sure all my lenses were squeaky clean and all batteries were charged. Off to bed I went the night before feeling pumped to be involved in a surprise shoot...

Stumbling out of bed the next morning (I never arise gracefully after slumber), I made my way to the bathroom, looked in the mirror and screamed loud enough to be heard in the Outer Hebrides. I probably woke the dead. The left side of my face looked like I’d taken a round-house kick from Conor McGregor. My eye was almost swollen closed and my cheekbone was buried miles beneath puffy, tender skin. I probably made Quasimodo look like a complete babe. Somehow, I had developed a nasty eye infection (damn you a million times over eye infections). Crying/going back to bed wasn’t an option, however, as I had a client waiting and ain’t no way I was going to let her down. I donned the biggest pair of sunglasses I had and made my way south of Stockholm.

For fear of making the family run screaming for their lives, I left the sunglasses on for the entire shoot, not my usual modus operandi, I can assure you. I even managed to leave all my self pity at home and had a cracking time with this fun and fabulous family. Just look at these photographs (priceless family heirlooms) - you’d never think the photographer was functioning with only one good eye and a massive pair of sunnies, right?

If you are planning a cunning surprise for a loved one, don’t, for the love of God, forget to book a photographer. If you’re looking for a fun one, then I’m your woman ;)

Now, be a darlin’, and let me know (down below in the comments) what you think of this session.

Peace and love :)

P.S Can you believe one of the girls found a little bird on a twig. She carried him around for ages and he just sat there on the twig, loving the limelight.

Summertime and the living is easy | Familjefotograf Stockholm

Hey you :) Are you having a lovely summer so far? Are you having fun and also enjoying time by yourself? I think both are equally important. Have you stepped away from your phone for a while and just enjoyed the sound of silence?

As usual, I have been working on and off during the summer break. Well, if you can call making people laugh and taking their portrait work :). In between the planning, shooting, culling and editing, I have also enjoyed some beautiful moments with family and friends. I’ve been loving spending more time in my spiritual home, the woods, and listening to inspiring podcasts. On one of my recent woodland walks, I encountered a snake and made the mistake of telling my mother about it. “What if it wrapped itself around you and squeezed the life out of you?”, she asked in horror. “There are no anacondas in Sweden, mom”, I replied. I’m not sure she was totally convined…

Tonight I plan on watching the sunset from the balcony with some friends, and enjoying a glass or three of something cold. I thought I’d leave you with some phone snaps from the last few weeks. I’d love to hear how your summer is going. Don’t be a stranger.

Peace and love :)

When your dog loves the feel of the wind in his hair!

Sometimes you find a beautiful bench and a rusty basket at a flea market hundreds of miles away, and somehow manage to squeeze them into the boot along with two suitcases, numerous bags, etc. It was so worth the crammed journey ;)

It’s been a while since I’ve been in the saddle, but I recently enjoyed riding through a magical forest. I only walked like John Wayne for a day afterwards. By day two, feeling had returned to my thighs.

It’s always worthwhile to explore. You never know when you might find yourself a quiet beer garden and enjoy two of the most relaxing hours of your life, literally just watching the clouds go past.

This is what happens when my husband takes the kids to work for the day. I finished an entire client gallery AND I made my very first Irish soda bread. It was a roaring success with the Jolly gang :)

My dog has figured out that when I make tea, we go and sit together and have treats. Well, he gets the dog treats and I get the chocolate chip cookies.

Once you have a dog, you’ll never have a Netflix evening alone again ;)