It has happened several times in the past 3 weeks, that I carried my photo bag around at work for 7 hours - with the Fuji GFX an the 500 mm lens - and then walked somewhere in the city without taking a single photo.

Really, several times. Kind of "meh".

Sometimes feeling sort of "lost", no wait, better said; aimless without goal or inspiration really. And just went home instead.

"Meh".

It does indeed happen that after work, I don't really know where to go on a little photo tour [with a very long lens]. Long lenses are of course less flexible when it comes to inspiring motives. When you are in a tight street, the lens isn't exactly suited for that kind of photography (in general). So, I sometimes tried to think of places I could go after work. Not for large walks, but more fore little walks like 1-1.5 hours, and then go home again (in order to sleep).

Sometimes you have it. Sometimes not

The energy and inspiration, i mean.

I guess it is a mix of being already tired, a bit "empty" after work - which sometimes robs that "magic feeling" - which can be transferred though camera and lens. Weather also plays a roll.

The sudden shift from very warm, often sunny weather into what now feels like cold mornings, wasn't so inspiring either. Actually it isn't that cold at night (being still above 10°C), but it felt really chilly, together with rough wind gusts.

When the sun gets brutal

Now the other side: brutally sunny (and hot) weather without a cloud in July isn't so ideal either. Especially when the sunlight goes directly into your eyes all the time. I had that a lot at Slussen, barely able to see anything. Sunshine is lovely, sure. Absolutely.

Yet other times the sun can be so intruding, as if a guy constantly pulling you at your jacket, screaming for attention. You just wanna say "Piss off. Let me be alone". You just want to go home and take a breathe in peace in not so bright environment.

Hahaha. During the long wintertime, you YEARN for sunlight during endless weeks of darkness, this shitty dull gray weather that never seem to end.

This morning however

I had a lot more energy and inspiration - walking a different route; after work taking the buss 4 from Gullmarsplan to Hornstull, then walking along the Årstaviken Bay Beach park towards Skanstull. That streak along the water is a place I haven't been much in the past 30 years, I realize. 1996, 1997 and 2005 come to mind.

I will suggest Sal that we take a long walk there very soon. Perhaps on Monday when we are both off from work. It is really lovely.

A lush City Beach-Park

City On that path, they installed a lot of things for citizens to relax, amuse and walk there. I am sure that during summer evenings there are many people and events going on. It looked like it.

A very cool streak to walk along, I think. Like a sort of very green "city beach". Even installation for swimming at various spots. Lots of benches. Really lovely !

The other side of Årstaviken

towards Liljeholmen showed three or four high rise buildings - which I never seen close up.

It felt... well, different. Unusual somehow, to see all those new buildings having been erected. Sleek, on the verge of graceful tower, at least 22 levels high... Not as hysterical as New York or other dense high-rise building in cities...

They still somehow manage in Stockholm to make modern buildings fit into the surrounding landscape and cityscape. I will not say those were pretty buildings... but they were not ugly either. I do like the variation in style, instead of 4 towers with exactly the same look. (one tower is not visible in the photo)

So, there is more afterthought to the whole design, than you see in other cities. I also like the sleekness.

When i turn around the train on the Johannesbro Bridge at Gullmarsplan, i can see the building lights melting together into an island of glittery lights across the Årstaviken Bay at night. Like a little Bladerunner city far away... I have seen it a thousand times - but never been close to that area. Until this morning...

• Årstaviken Bay and Liljeholmen (to the left) seen from Johanneshovs Bridge / Gullmarsplan at night

I might walk... the same streak tomorrow morning ?

Just in the opposite direction instead; from Skanstull towards Hornstull instead. With the Fujinon GF 500mm / 5.6 OIS lens picking out details - instead of using the Pentax 645 FA 150-300mm ƒ 5.6 ED (IF) lens from this morning. The latter however has the wonderful ability to zoom, which made it more flexible in use of course.

It is a good mediumformat SUMMER lens - for ridiculous low prices on the second hand market. I would call it a sleeper lens. (It requires a Fringer P645-GFX adapter, though, which costs several times more than the lens).

Add some sharpening in post (via Photoshop's Noise AI) - and you find there is plenty of fine details visible in the files from the Fujifilm GFX 100s II camera. Sure, the lens does have LoCA (green fringing) in the bokeh sometimes (but less than the 400mm lens). In general, you can iron that out in Photoshop. In sharp details the LoCA is less visible, sometimes not at all.