Forsakar, Degeberga.
Om fotograferingen af Forsakar, 2010
Forsakar ligger ved byen Degeberga i Skåne, godt og vel halvvejs fra Ystad mod Kristianstad. “Fosse-karret” er svenskernes billedlige navn for den lange, dybe ravine, der er formet af fossende vand på vej mod datidens Østersø fra den skandinaviske indlandsis. Sten og materialer i vandet sled sig ned i landskabet, så der i dag ligger en charmerende dal med stejle sider og et stilfærdigt vandløb i bunden.
Når man følger vandet opstrøms længst ind i ravinen, ender man ved foden af et vandfald med en samlet faldhøjde på 40 meter. Det er Skånes højeste vandfald, delt over et plateau. Vandmængden varierer meget fra sommer til sommer. I tørre somre syner faldene ikke af meget.
Jeg var heldig midt på sommeren 2010. Der var faldet godt med regn i de foregående måneder. Turen ind til faldene kan gøres på to måder, enten langs bunden af dalen eller ad en stejl sti til toppen af skrænterne. I det sidste tilfælde ender man med at kigge ned på faldene. Dalruten er den smukkeste og mest rekreative, så den valgte jeg den dag, men der er masser af motiver for en motiveret fotograf langs begge ruter.
Da jeg nåede faldene, blev jeg overvældet af naturens skønhed og de oplagte muligheder for et godt billede. En ung pige balancerede med ungdommens lethed på det glatte plateau mellem de to fald og lod ikke til at have travlt.
Jeg ville tage et billede af faldene, mens pigen endnu var midt i scenen og kunne vise størrelsesforholdet.
Så allerede en anelse tidspresset klatrede jeg op ad skrænten til venstre for at opnå en bedre vinkel. Nogle minutter efter slidskede jeg mig ned på et klippefremspring, der kun lige levnede plads til fødderne. Det positive var, at jeg havde uhindret overblik, som det fremgår af billedet. Men så indtraf erkendelsen, “jeg er fanget på denne afsats og kommer aldrig op igen uden hjælp fra venlige men overbærende svenskere.” Det medførte en øjeblikkelig hedestigning til kinder og ører.
Jeg var blevet offer for min egen dumhed og kunne ikke længere fotografere afslappet og med omtanke.
Det var næstsidste gang, jeg foretog mig noget hasarderet på det skånske grundfjeld. Sidste gang blev på Kullen nogle år senere, da jeg med fuldt udstyr faldt sølle 150 cm — men i fri accelleration mod den nøgne granit. Jeg afbødede faldet med blottet venstre kropside. Av for h… ! — Farvespillet på min krop varede et par uger. Forstuvningen af venstre håndled varede seks måneder.
Siden har jeg holdt mig til stierne. Kedeligt og turistagtigt, men sundere i min alder.
Hjemme på Beddingestrand konstaterede jeg, at billedet ovenfor var det bedste skud, men det var uskarpt i hele det centrale afsnit. “Bl. 3.5, 1/50 sek og 200 ISO” meddelte Photoshop lidenskabsløst. Havde jeg undgået at stresse mig selv og valgt 800 ISO i stedet, ville jeg have haft bedre skarphedsdybde og lukkertid.
Trods billedets åbenbare skavanker, kan jeg ikke slippe det. Det er blevet behandlet med både high-pass og kreativ slutskærpning, indtil pigebarnet stod nogenlunde veldefineret. Disse krumspring har til gengæld medført en speciel effekt på klippestrukturerne, som om billedet var produceret hos Disney.
Ikke flatterende, men alligevel — dette billede er ét af mine besværlige børn!
Fortsat 2024:
Med DxO PureRAW og Darktable er resultatet blevet langt bedre, end det var muligt i 2010.
About photographing Forsakar, 2010
Forsakar is located by the town of Degeberga in Scania, well halfway from Ystad towards Kristianstad. “Fosse-karret” is the Swedish figurative name for the long, deep ravine, which is formed by rushing water on its way to the former Baltic Sea from the Scandinavian ice sheet. Stones and materials in the water wore down into the landscape, so that today there is a charming valley with steep sides and a quiet stream at the bottom.
When you follow the water upstream furthest into the ravine, you end up at the foot of a waterfall with a total drop of 40 meters. This is Scania’s highest waterfall. It is divided over a plateau. The amount of water varies greatly from summer to summer. In dry summers, the falls do not show much.
I was lucky in the middle of the summer of 2010. It had rained well in the previous months. The trip into the falls can be done in two ways, either along the bottom of the valley or along a steep path to the top of the slopes. In the latter case, one ends up looking down on the falls. The valley route is the most beautiful and most recreational, so I chose it that day, but there are plenty of motives for a motivated photographer along both routes.
When I reached the falls, I was overwhelmed by the beauty of nature and the apparent possibility for a good image. A young girl balanced with the ease of youth on the slippery plateau between the two falls and did not seem to be in a hurry.
I wanted to take a picture of the falls while the girl was still in the middle of the scene and could show the size ratio.
So already a little under time pressure I climbed up the slope to the left to achieve a better angle. A few minutes later, I slid down on a rock outcrop that only just left room for my feet. The positive was that I had an unobstructed overview, as shown in the picture. But then I realized, “I’m caught on this ledge and will never come up again without the help of friendly but indulgent Swedes.” It immediately caused a heatwave to my cheeks and ears.
I had become a victim of my own stupidity and could no longer photograph calmly and thoughtfully.
It was the penultimate time I did something risky on the bedrock of Scania. The last time was at Kullen a few years later, when I with full equipment fell ridiculous 150 cm — but freely accelerating hitting the bare granite. I mitigated the fall with my bare left body side. Aw for h… ! The play of colors on my body lasted a few weeks. The left wrist sprain lasted six months. Since then, I have stuck to the trails. Boring and touristy, but healthier at my age.
At home on Beddingestrand, I found that the picture above was the best shot, but it was blurry throughout the central section. “f3.5, 1/50 sec and 200 ISO” Photoshop announced without passion. Had I avoided stressing myself and chosen 800 ISO, I would have had better depth of field and shutter speed.
Despite the obvious flaws of the image, I can not let go of it. It has been treated with both high-pass and creative final sharpening until the girl child stood reasonably well-defined. These twists and turns, in turn, have had a special effect on the rock structures, as if the image were produced at Disney.
Not flattering, but still — it’s one of my troublesome kids!
Continued 2024:
With DxO PureRAW and Darktable, the result has become far better than was possible in 2010.