Mats Kahlstrom.

Mats takes ridiculously good photographs and hails from Sweden but now resides in Stavanger on the west coast of Norway.

So whereabouts are you based?
I am originally from a tiny island called Gotland, situated on the Baltic Sea just off the coast of Sweden. Nowadays I live in Stavanger, on the south-west coast of Norway. I really like it here, a buzzing town with great transportation possibilites to the ”outside world” but with waves just a few minutes drive away. Great surfing, great city and very close to the mountains.

Favourite spot to surf in the North Sea? 

I've only surfed Stavanger so far, but would very much like to head north to surf Lofoten och Stad here in Norway. These breaks seem really good. Stavanger offers alot of variety which makes the coast surfable for almost any swell direction.

Favourite subject to shoot?

Skateboarding, bmx, snowboarding and surfing are without doubt my favourite subjects. I also enjoy travel photography and I always carry my camera with me when out travelling.

What's in your camera bag and what can't you live without?
I shoot with a Nikon D300, a bunch of prime lenses and strobes from Nikon and Elinchrom. I also shoot some rolls of film with my Hasselblad 500C/M. I would not survive a long time without my 35mm lens (50mm equiv). I just love that focal length. Also, I crave for potato chips, swedish meatballs and watching a sunrise over misty mountains.

You can check more of Mats work out here www.matskahlstrom.se

TOR BEGONIA.

Last year when we traveled to Norway and Sweden to shoot Uncommon Ideals, we traveled aboard a DFDS ship called the TOR BEGONIA that was transporting freight from Immingham to Gothenburg. Being on a 'real' ship, a working ship is an experience, an amazing experience. We had a tour of the engine rooms, a behemoth that is so colossal I can't begin to describe it, we spent time in the mess eating great food, chatting to weathered sailors that wouldn't be out of sorts in a Kerouac tale, helping ourselves to a overstocked fridge, where the find of the trip was the banana-chilli-sauce (another story). But constantly I was drawn to the bridge where thousands of square miles of empty North Sea, rigs, fishing boats, coast guard's messages, weather reports, stories and bottomless cups of great coffee passed hours and hours on those two trips. If you ever get the chance to spend hours on a bridge take it, I was enthralled.

Kattegat.

Somewhere between Sweden and Denmark in the Kattegat you might find this. More here... Oh Dawn

Østfold.

A tasty looking Swedish secret, more here... Nordic Surf Mag

Photos: Espen Oden Evertsen

Jeff Flindt.

Surfing Magazine’s senior photographer, now living in Sweden when not traveling to some far-flung destination in pursuit of perfect waves with the worlds best surfers.

So how exactly does one get a job traveling the world shooting for a top surf mag?

It takes years and years of hard work. My position at Surfing didn’t happen overnight. It took about 4-5 years before I became senior photographer at the mag. Before that I was photographing any and every contest and small travel trips with the worst surfers. It’s just like with any job, you have to start at the bottom and work your way to the top. As you work your way up you learn a lot and gain many contacts all over the world.

Favourite place to surf in the North Sea?

I don't surf, I body-board and I’ve never surfed in the North Sea. I’m usually shooting from the water if its warm or shooting from land. I still need to get out and explore the North Sea coast line, I’ve only been living in Sweden for 3 years, thats my excuse!

I mostly shoot from the water instead of bodyboarding, I have more fun shooting. I like to document the waves and be inside the barrel with the surfers so I can share with others what it’s like. My favorite place to bodyboard would be either Off The Wall in Hawaii or Teahupoo in Tahiti. I don’t like it big, maybe 4-6 ft faces.

What's in your camera bag, what can't you live without?

Canon EOS Mark III 1D, Canon 5D, Tokina fisheye (will be replaced with the new Canon fisheye soon), 500mm f/4L IS, 70-200 f/4L IS, 16-35mm f/2.8L, 50mm, and a 580EZ flash. I have a handmade water-housing plus ports for my Mark III and a 15" Macbook Pro. I couldn’t live without my computer. I use my computer way more than my cameras. What wouldn’t I do with out email, Facebook, Twitter, and Skype... Pfffff, just kidding!?

Check here for more... Jeff Flindt

The day job... Surfing Magazine

Save Mölle!

The wave at Mölle harbour was discovered by Swedish surfers back in the 80's. It has become one of the Sweden's best waves, but a few years ago the municipality brought up plans of building a breakwater to protect the harbour boats and traffic in and out of the harbour. The first "Save Mölle” session was arranged in December 2003 by surfer Anders Ingelsten. Surfers from all over Sweden and Denmark entered to show their support for saving the wave.

The battle to Save Mölle continues. The harbour extension plans were stopped. However, the harbour committee was granted the right perform some repairs and maintenance to a breakwater outside of the surf-zone. Work began yesterday and locals immediately noticed that the bulldozers were adding boulders and rocks 25 to 50 meters further than the original structure. This addition could reduce the swell therefore effecting the wave. Jonas Lilja of Skånes Wavesurfers initiated an immediate response by gathering local ‘Save Mölle’ supporters he called the media, the County Environmental Department and he called the Police!

For two days they have been observing and documenting the so-called maintenance work. A county official says that he will compare aerial photos of the before and after shots. If the construction is excessive, there will be legal action against the harbor committee and the work will be undone.

Show your support here... Facebook.

Cheers to Mat at Nordic Surfers Mag for the info.