Swedish Lappland - How a "vacation photo" became my best paid photo.

In August 2011 i was on a vacation in Swedish Lappland.
By some called the "Alaska of Europe".
I have loved this part of Sweden since i was a child.
Mostly every summer i was there together with my grandmother while she had here vacation.
The nature is absolutely fantastic.
Since i normaly shoot mostly sport photos.
I thougt i should try to take some landscape/nature photos for a change.
So while on a walk in the mountains and nature.
i took these pictures below.
And published them on Flickr, with a small watermark on them.
Having no thoughts what so ever trying to sell them.
After that i didn´t think so much more about that.

The year after, i totally unexpected received a phone called from a person that presented himself as "Janne Biberg, graphical designer att Bonniers".
Bonniers is a big publishing house here in Sweden.
I had no clue why he called me.
The reason?
He had in some way found my photo, and made a  draft for a book cover.

And now he wanted to know it is was ok if he could show the draft for the marketing department, to se if the would like to use it in the final cover.
I told him he could do so.
Some weeks later, they decide to go with that cover.
And the actual picture has become my best paid photo so far.
How the cover looks can be seen here:
http://www.bokus.com/bok/9789100127848/styckerskan-fran-lilla-burma/

Soccer J-södra - Östersund

Icehockey HV71 - Pirati Chomutov

With the first image ,Assistant Coach Roger Forsberg, HV71.

I have used the new feature in Lightroom 5.
Radial filter.
First i changed exposure to the whole image with 1/3 stop:
Then i applied the radial filter over the face of Roger Forsberg.
"Restoring" the exposure with 1/3 step.
This way the background got even cleaner.

Preseason hockey (HV71 - Sparta Praha)

Preseason games, are not only "training games" for the players.
But also for us photographers.
This game didn´t really have that kind of intensity and action that i like.
At the same time, i haven´t shoot any hockey since the end off mars.
I consider this far from my best "hockey shoot".
Hopefully todays game will be better.

Shooting soccer from a low position (J-södra - Degerfors).

Inspired from last weekends workshop.
I used a "case" to sit on, about 15 centimeters above the ground.
It really helped me to get cleaner backgrounds.
(IE less "commercials").

Speedway in black & white.

A long time before i had any idea to become a professional photographer. And had no ideas at all to shoot sports
About 1991-92, i used to shoot a lot black and white film.
And developed the photos myself in the darkroom.

Last weekend i was reminded about how powerful black an white photos can be.
So this is a kind of going back to my routes, just as a way to do something a little bit "different" than i use to do.

Värnamo - Hammarby (Soccer)