Photographer of the Week - Göran Tonström

Berlin face
Hello darkness, my old friend! 


Approaching 63 and with one by-pass open heart surgery behind me, I haven’t got the time for spending my days turning words – or pictures – for the sake of it. Autumn is here to stay I suppose and you just have to cope with it.

I am fully aware of the fact that life is expiring and want to do what I can to make the last laps of the race as pleasant as possible. But it’s a fight all right!

The factor of fun is what really matters to me. It’s essential for everything that I do to have fun and I consider humour the most important human quality.

When I started taking pictures 45 years ago I did it for fun. Then I became a professional photographer and seriousness took over. I had to make a living out of it which killed my lust. So I quit and took to words and have since earned my living as staff reporter for different magazines.

But deep inside it is the pictures that matters to me. And not necessary the Arty ones. Snaps of my loved ones – these days grand children – mean in many ways more to me than a perfect copy framed on the wall.


Expression is natural


But as I get older, I’ve found that my thoughts more and more circle around the eternal questions about life and death, love and hate, light and darkness. 

I have tried to make it easier to take my pictures because I don’t want to carry heavy equipment any more. But as long as I feel comfortable with the camera on my chest and find myself using it once in a while, I’m happy.

The pictures I’m showing here is a mixture of old and new. Of shown before and newly re-discovered ones. If you’ve seen some of them before you’re right. But hopefully you can live with that. At least I can. So even if expression is natural for me, I am always struggling to finds new ways into it. For now – and forever.

I am married since 35 years and have two grown up sons and two grandchildren. I guess I am a fairly happy person.




Berlin Wall

Photos, text © Göran Tonström

Comments