STOCKHOLM PRIDE

(Warning: some pictures may not be suitable for children)

What has got to be one of this year's highlights for me as a budding photographer has finally come to pass. Early Thursday morning I boarded the plane to Stockholm to take part in what has got to be one of Scandinavia's biggest and much anticipated events: The Stockholm Pride, a celebration of love, tolerance and acceptance of one's sexual orientation. 

Compared to Oslo's very own Skeive Dager (Oslo Gay Pride), Stockholm Pride is probably a hundred times bigger. Since I arrived on a Thursday (the event started on Monday, 1st of August), I didn't have the time to cover all of the events. I was able to take a lot of pictures nonetheless, and was able to participate in some of the seminars, which proved to be a very rewarding experience.

Part I. Seminars / Fora

Stockholm Pride was mainly divided into two venues: the Pride Park in Kungsträdgården, which hosted mainly stalls with different exhibitions and the main stage for the concerts, and Pride Sergel in Stockholm Kulturhus. During the course of the week literally hundreds of workshops and forums were arranged. Among them, interviews with American porn stars like Buck Angel, Scott Spears and Michael Brandon. Though these were quite entertaining, the icing on the cake for me, personally were the forums discussing pressing issues about homosexuality in Europe and all over the world. One particular forum worth mentioning is the QPOC (Queer People of Color) where non-ethnic Swedes talk about how they deal with their sexual orientation and racism on a day-to-day basis.

Part II. The Shows



No festival would be complete without a show of concert of some sort. Every evening concerts were arranged at the Kungsan, and this is where I found out how fun concert photography really is! And I brought with me the right equipment: a full frame camera and a fast lens. I didn't use a flash, but I was able to get great photos with very low noise even at ISO 5000. And it was fun to be standing in the photographer's box, right in front of the stage away from the madding crowd. You get a closer view of the performers (too close sometimes) and you can take pictures unhindered. I do have to remember to bring with me a set of earplugs next time!

I was also able to grab some shots of my good friend, Swedish actor Pelle Hanæus before his one-man performance. He is a really good actor, and I cannot wait to see more of his work.

Part III. The Parade



Of course the "piece de resistance", what Stockholm Pride is really famous for, is the big parade which for this year was held on a Saturday. This was by far the most fun event I ever had to cover, and being an accredited photographer meant that I get to take pictures of the participants and the floats on the starting grounds located in Tantolunden, a good 7-8 kilometers from Sergels Torg, the parade's end point. This is an "anything goes" event, where the most daring costume, in my opinion, were those who didn't have any (clothes) at all! And you thought you've seen everything!

Bears, anarchists, vegans, people into S&M, you name it, it's there. It would not surprise me that some people would see this as appalling, perverse or simply insane, but this is what Stockholm Pride is all about: tolerance and acceptance. And I could not agree more.

Part IV. Epilogue

For the first time in my life I have found out how it is to be a photojournalist for real. And I also realized how powerful the press can be. During my short stay in Stockholm I was treated exceptionally well, far beyond my expectations. Wearing the press pass around my neck, everybody made sure that I had everything I needed to make sure that I get to capture the images that I wanted. I got ahead of long lines, a press lounge to recapitulate, report and rest, entrance to the back stage and take photographs where most people weren't allowed to. It was exhilarating and overwhelming. And definitely easy to abuse. I must say I passed the test! I didn't misuse the power that the Stockholm Pride committee bestowed upon me, and treated everybody with respect. I wasn't a paparazzi who took pictures of people "on the fly". I asked permission almost every single time, and said thank you after every photograph was taken. I must say that the humility and respect I displayed during this weekend was rewarded: I got to talk and make friends with a lot of other journalists and photojournalists, performers and politicians. I met people from all walks of life, and my network has expanded immensely!

I would probably need to make more equipment investments in the future. An external flash unit would be a nice addition. But the thing I saw most photojournalists were using during this week was the Canon EF 70-200mm F2.8L II USM lens, a hefty piece of glass and costs roughly the same as the Canon portrait lens I have been dreaming about.

Still so much to learn! Since this was my first time to participate in this event, I had to divide my time between being serious and "working" and just having fun. Most evenings I had to leave my camera at the hotel room to just be me and experience how it is to be just have fun during the Stockholm Pride (and a lot of fun it was indeed!). But in doing so I missed out on a lot of photo opportunities, and by being a photographer I also missed out on a lot of fun things! So next year I have to make an itinerary of events I wish to cover as a photographer and the events I want to take part in, as me.

A big thank you to the beautiful city of Stockholm, Sweden, and the Stockholm Pride committee for an unforgettable experience, definitely one of this year's highlights! I can't wait for next year!