It is the small chances that creates opportunities. Think about it for a while. Think about the smaller opportunities that have created greater opportunities for you. Think for a moment about how opportunities over all have developed from smaller ones. In my case, it is just about small coincidences, small coincidences that sometimes created great and lasting opportunities and personal success. It’s going to be interesting to see what last weekend's chance creates for opportunities ...
After several days of more or less bedtime, especially being "screenless" since sitting with a computer or mobile gave me a lot of headaches and dizziness with nausea. I worried that I would manage to guiding with Marcin and Daniel (Karlsson ) when Daniel's job would come to visit at the so-called Deluxe tour. But at Friday morning I woke up so excited that I could work and if I could work, I would probably have energy enough to do som guiding.
The tour went well, 21 happy guests. I got a group of 7 to guide down the Via Ferratan to 80m below surface. Later on some dinner from Sahlin Struts and after that some zipline, look at the new stage and the lodge and finally walk slowly up through the open pit out of the mine.
When all the guests went home, we went down the mine again, but this time with sleep over stuff - sleeping bag, sleeping mat and some breakfast. Yes and the camera of course. The old school, or village cottage called, was fully booked so we decided to spend the night down in the mine in the lodge instead. So much calmer and more cozy.
After a slightly warm but dark and quiet and really good night's sleep, we had some breakfast and headed to the diving site to see all the people there. Among other things, a team from National Geographic is visiting with Micke Tilja and dives. It must have been at least 100 years since a last saw Micke, so I really had to went by to say hello to him. On our way we meet a cute girl, with the towel turban and mugs in each hand and a mobile and she asks for "the conference room". Luckily, at least Marcin recognized her again and of course we showed the way to the large heating room, we would still go there ourselves to do some gadgets. A towel turban would probably work fine in any way as an helmet.
We take a short trip to one of the mine before having lunch with the team and chatting a bit before Marcin has to go up to the surface to take care of the guided Adventure Tour he will be guiding. During lunch we discussed to make plans with the National Geographic team and that I will be helping with light and act model at the zip line.
My original plan was to photograph the indysalen and its new stage, while its cleaned up and finally finished. While the rest of the company needed to prepare the photography by taking all the diving gear there and also gear up, I had some time to finish my plans. With rapid steps I walk away towards indy, but, then it becomes totally black. Really really black in the mine. The thoughts went through my head like "what did they say about when all the lighting goes out in the mine" and concluded that this must be something else. When I return to the stairs and the elevator, Micke communicates with Marcin on the surface and finds that there is a power failure. The next thought that went through the head "Damn, last time there was a power outage, Marcin said it lasted several hours". The photo team had obviously fallen for the beautiful illuminated water. So typically cool that it would happen today, of all days. But, the team is getting ready while I watch the radio and any message from Marcin.
After something that felt like forever, everything lights up again. *phew* order is restored. The harness is also on the way down for zipline photography. It might be something of all ideas, after all.
Ivana and Janez test lighting for the photoshoot and I assist. Suddenly we notice that it is getting darker in the water and it is the lights that have gone out. ”Hmm, I had pressed the button to set the maximum time for the day”. But, while they go to prepare for diving and photographing, I go walk all the way to turn the lights on again in the water(you who know where the lamp buttons are located also know that it is a bit to go from illuminated water in indy) and go back. Black, dark as in a mine is the water when I come back. More troubleshooting in the head. I go back and press the reset and then light the lights and go back and the water is back again ... Yey.
The team is not even close to ready, so I take the opportunity to photograph Indy in the meantime. I know from where I want to shoot and with this light it becomes easier to see in the camera even when I shoot with my tilt-shift. I climb around for a while before I hear that the divers are heading into the water. Then I return back to the team. Acting light assistent and finally model on zipline
We exchange insta accounts and other things so we can stay in touch and see you again for new collaborations where I will be able to do more than just assist with light. I am happy with the day and very fun to be able to follow such good photographers for half a day in this way. It's always fun to see that we work quite the same after all.
Now I look forward to two major events in the mine - a big corporate event with 150 guests and Moneybrother and the weekend after the grand opening with Loreen and Trix and others on stage. After that we take a weekend off from social media and mobiles, me and Marcin.