Lina Scheynius – Photography

I wish I was Swedish. They’re all so effortlessly cool, stylish and blonde. Fuckers. I do realise that’s a bit of a generalisation. A bit like saying all Irish are drunk gingers. We kinda are though.

Anyway, here’s something else to add to my Scandi obsession; model-turned-photographer (see what I mean) Lina Scheynius. Her photos of beautiful girls, flora and fauna and gorgeous Swedish woodlands are dream-like and whimsical. Now London-based, she’s shot for magazines such as Vogue UK, Dazed & Confused, ELLE US and AnOther Magazine to name a few. She was snapped up by an agent after they came across her casual photos of her ex-boyfriend and friends on her Flickr and website. Her first ever job? A portrait of actress Charlotte Rampling for Dazed & Confused. Not bad at all.

Check out her incredible photography here.

 

 

 

Transience of Flowers

As morbid and almost intruding as the below images are, I find them so beautiful.

Dutch photographer Danielle van Ark‘s Transience (2011) series, involved taking these stunning photos of stranger’s gravesides just days after burial. I do feel kind of guilty for admiring someone’s mourning mechanisms.

Ken Hermann and The Flower Men

Back when I was creating the print issue of Thorn, I spent a lot of time researching the uses of flowers in rituals and religious ceremonies, especially the offering of flowers to the River Ganges which runs through India and Bangladesh. The river is known for it’s deeply spiritual connections and is revered with the utmost respect in Hinduism. Many wish to die either in the river, alongside the banks or have their ashes scattered in the waterway. Gifts such as flowers, sandalwood and candles are all offered to the Goddess Ganga, with blooms such as marigolds being one of the most popular choices. The flowers are picked with five fingers and offered with all five fingers, each representing the five senses and therefore relinquishing one selves before the God. Deep!

                                      

I recently came across this gorgeous set of images from Danish photographer Ken Hermann called Flower Man, but I only wish I had sooner. He spent time with the local flower merchants at the Mallick Ghat flower market in Kolkata and produced some of the most striking portraits I’ve ever seen. According to Hermann, there were certain flowers he wasn’t allowed to shoot as they’re considered to be holy and would lose their power if he did. These included hibiscus, lotus flowers, Indian magnolia and yellow palash. He also said he managed to prise the busy men away from their stalls for a few moments to take the shots. Aren’t they amazing?