Travelogue: The Stockholm Archipelago, Ramsö.

Okay, so I am putting this out into the universe, I really, really, want to shoot a Stockholm Archipelago wedding.  I am smitten with this place.  Obsessed.  I want to move here. I already shot the wedding of gorgeous Martin & Elle in Stockholm, and visited the same city for the Way Up North photography conference, so I was a Swedish convert, but the archipelago itself is something else.

I returned last night from the most wonderful family holiday on the island of Ramsö.  We found a beautiful house through Air BnB that suited our family perfectly (plus our brilliant interloper, Scarlett’s friend Ruby – henceforth known as Trolley Child).  It was the perfect mix of traditional Swedish Archipelago living & modern Swedish design, and the location could not have been more perfect in a small sweeping bay, with views of the boats & ferries passing from the window. Go stay there.

We kayaked, and ate interestingly named food, and walked & biked & sailed around the island. We were a bit feral, to be honest. Every now & then I would pick up my laptop to work, and go ‘nah’.  Not when the water was sparkling & my kids wanted to play – kids who usually spend too much time wondering what Splatoon character to be, and not enough time wondering what brave path to take next.  When the sun shone, we made full use of the beautiful island, when it rained, we sat on day beds & watched out the window.  At night, I lay in my bed and listened to nothing. Because nothing was to be heard.  It was a tonic and a joy, and reaffirmed by oft-doubted decision that taking a week to be with my family at the busiest time of year for me was a good one.  As an individual, I am not serene.  I work hard & am enthused & excited (and often angry) at the world around me.  I find it hard to stop.  A calmer person might even have put their camera down, but I have never learned how to do that.  But for a few days I began to feel what truly relaxed was like.  And that is a gift.  I might have left a little part of my heart on the jetty…

(For those of you interested in this kind of thing, this travel journal was brought to you by the Sony A9, 28mm f & 85mm 1.8 Zeiss Batis lens, and the GoPro Hero 3).

If you are thinking of having a Stockholm Archipelago wedding, please please please get in touch!