They made me part of their team. They gave me the feeling, I was in charge, but in reality, I was not. It was them. No, I am not talking about my cats. I am talking about five Alaskan sled dogs who pulled me through the Northern Swedish wilderness in March.
We were four “greenhorns”, 26 dogs and Julie, our human guide ready to go on a 3-day tour in north-west Sweden near Slussfors. Everybody had to handle five dogs (Julie had six), search the right harness, put it on, hook them correctly and in proper order to the large main line, not forgetting about the tugline and the neckline, while they were already howling and jumping out of joy ready to rush off any moment. Not an easy task… There was no rehearsal, no exercising in a closed setting. On the sled we stepped, we loosened the two heavy iron anchors which hold the sled, and off we dashed. Luckily, Julie was in front and kept us rallying behind her.
My team of five dogs was amazing: Oreo, the small and almost delicate , but determined energy bundle with a clear sense of control and lead, kept the sled on the track while her neighbour, Hope, was always pulling slightly to the left. In the middle, there was Skorpan, whom I nick-named the yoga dog. He was always calm and relaxed, with one exception: just before taking off he would start bouncing up and down like a madman. In the back, there were Donna and Radar, Donna as the name suggests, a slim lady like black female dog with long hair, and Radar, her muscular partner, all of them eager to pull my sled wherever necessary.
I was long thinking about whether I should take my camera with me at all. There was always something to do – connect the dogs to their lines, release them, feed them, get their straw bed ready. On the sled it was shaky and uneven and the most important rule is: never ever lose your hold of the sled! So, how the hell should I be able to take good pictures? Let alone with a big camera?
Eventually, I decided to take my Fuji F100X, a very good and robust camera and despite its small size with an excellent quality. The limitation was a fixed focal length of 35mm (in reality 50mm since it is an APC sensor). And I decided to set myself another limitation: I would shoot in black and white. White snow, black and white dogs, dark trees – anyway the colour pallet in the north in winter is reduced. At the same time it is a challenge to operate within a given set, to weigh your options and to be creative. But actually, is it less a limitation than it is freeing your mind from worrying about gear – which lens to use etc. It helps you to focus more on the composition, the atmosphere and the options you have to make the most of it. And yes, the blue-sky pictures for Fb I took as well - with my smartphone. A tour to be remembered !
To see the full gallery, please continue to > gallery Tugline
Leaving winter behind and wishing you a lovely summer,
Petra
Dear Petra. I really love your new blog post. And Tugline is a very creative name, as well. Your intro story and photos are beautifully arranged. It brings me as close as I could imagine to experiencing the magnificence of this remote northern Swiss region. Well done! Thank you for sharing it. 🙏