Street Photography in Stockholm (Pt. 2)

Just a few days left before I leave for Thailand.

I'm more or less done packing. I'm traveling light. Everything I need fits in my backpack.
If I need something, I'll buy it there. This gives me a very satisfying sense of freedom.
I am more or less just leaving with my passport, money, a toothbrush and a small camera with a fixed lens.

I've memorized some useful words; I've researched the places I will visit; and in my mind I have a loose plan for what kind of images I hope to take. Nothing is written in stone; spontaneity is always a keyword. A few days ago, I bought a violin. That was a spontaneous decision. For some weird reason I thought that it would be a piece of cake to learn how to play it. I was wrong. It sounds terrible.

I've tried to find some inspirational photography from the areas that I will visit, but nothing comes up no matter which search words I use. It's just regular tourist shots or dreamscapes. It annoys me.

I only found a few decent photographs by a female social documentary photographer who touched the subjects that I've taken an interest in. Maybe that's a good thing.

I want to capture something real. Something that quenches my thirst for authenticity. Big words for something that is just a simple personal emotion, that if you are lucky, is shared by others as well.

I crave to see another kind of life on the streets. To expose my eyes and soul to something new, to feel... alive. There is a magical feeling when you as a photographer, enters the "zone." When you find yourself looking through the viewfinder and everything just feels right. You see everything and you somehow become a part of what you photograph. Everything else disappear, you are right there, right then. A part of a fleeting moment that never can be re-created again.