In the head of @indarkesthour
EDC – Everyday Carry: A matter of fashion, organization, and above all, being prepared for the challenges of our daily life. True fans know how addictive it can be. Combine it with a hobby like Photography, and find a whole new world to discover!
Hi Joacim! Thank you for this opportunity. Could you start by introducing yourself to our readers?
I have been photographing since the winter of 2018, but it is only in the last year that I have “found myself” and what I am interested in photography. My name is Joacim Fryksenius, and I am a hobbyist photographer from Karlstad, Sweden. To finance this fantastic hobby, I work as a preschool teacher full time.
Besides photography, do you have any other hobbies and passions, sports, or other creative activities?
In addition to photographing products or street/landscape, I try to find inspiration by reading books or watching a good movie/series. I no longer feel that I have time to see a series that extends over a long period of time, but instead, I want to see something and be inspired for an evening.
Not something that I have to put time and energy into. However, I try to give myself time to read a good book. Right now I am reading a Swedish book called Björnstad which recently premiered on HBO Nordic. Other than that, I play boardgames about once a week and try to get in about two fishing trips a year to clear my mind and recharge.
Much of my inspiration also comes from the children at my work. I work as a preschool teacher and find the children’s way of seeing and exploring the world as a fantastic way of seeing and learning. There are nether a wrong or “right” way to do things; there are just different ways to explore the world around us and make it understood. There is a doctrine that says that a child has 100 languages (Reggio Emilia) for me, it is with a camera in hand that I discover and examine the world around me, and with simple means, inspire a style and every day carry.
The concept behind EDC (Everyday Carry) – is it a matter of organization and being prepared to face another day or a fashion statement?
It’s probably all together. It started out as a matter of organization and being prepared, but then I fell down the rabbit hole. I love to keep everything in order. All things have their place.
Do you still remember the moment when you started organizing and preparing your EDC?
I started on my EDC about a year ago and probably got into it more and more during COVID-19. I wanted to keep using my camera and shoot stuff, and I found @petespiratelife, @capt.ricky, @sennahoj and @dressedupdenimdude on Instagram that really inspired me and got me into Denim and EDC. A fun way to stay creative and shoot, showing the beauty of simple everyday carry items and clothing.
What are the essential items in your EDC, and why?
If you asked me to empty my pockets today, you would find in my right front pocket one Mr Bear Family Beardstache Wax in Woodland edition, a CRKT Squid, a Petespiratelife and big ideas first edition bullet pen.
In my right back pocket, you will find a Leather by Bow wallet. In my left back pocket I’m carrying my 1706 lucky pirate coin that was made in collaboration by @piratesamuel, @cap.ricky, @the.jakedonahue and @driftwood.edc just for fiddling, practice and for those days when you can’t decide, heads or tails your pick.
In my left front pocket I’m carrying an iPhone of some sort, right now its the regular iPhone 11.
Like everyone else, we guess that you also have your favourite brands, whether for knives, watches, boots and even jeans. Would you like to share your preferences with us?
I’m a sucker for quality items and gear. Who’s not? Too many times I bought stuff that just breaks after a short period of time, and I wanted to change that. That’s probably what got me into EDC in the first place too.
My favourite watch is my James & Son that I got from my wife for my 30th birthday. It carries a lot of meaning and probably because of that I haven’t been looking at the watch game so much.
Leather by Bow is my go-to guy for wallets and all things leather. A sweet small business that makes some cool gear and also has helped me with some tailored wallets.
Crud Sweden is where I get my gloves. I’m on my third pair of Gjöra gloves, mostly because I lost the other pair.
As of the date, I only owned knives from CRKT, so I might have to say one model from them. They make some quality knives at a low cost that fit into everyone’s budget. I would definitely recommend them to someone just starting to get into EDC.
Boots, do I need to say? Red Wings, of course, it just screams Quality. And if you have seen the looks of a pair of Red Wings, man you’re hooked.
Jeans is more difficult to say. I own a pair of SOSO Brothers, Nudiejeans and a LEE. I’m still experimenting and trying different types, but I have to say that my SOSO have a place in my heart. They were my first, and they are tailored. They are my absolute favourite right now, and it’s a Swedish company which is a big plus, as Iove to support the local business when I can.
Concerning boots in particular, of all the options, what reasons led you to choose Red Wings?
It probably comes down to the fact that I’m a fan of vintage clothes and stuff. My wife and I used to teach lindy hop for some time and, with that, we fell in love with vintage style and clothing.
The other thing, and probably the biggest reason, is that in a sort of minimalism spirit I wanted to change my wardrobe to quality items instead. I rather prefer buying fewer quality items than quantity of garbage.
If you take care of your Redwings, then you’ll never need another pair. At the same time, all you want is another pair of Redwings.
Now, when it comes to Photography, could you tell us about the moment when it came into your life and the reasons that led you to grab a camera?
Well, that’s an easy question. I picked up a camera for the first time two years ago when we had our first child. I wanted to document his life growing up and wanted something better than just my phone to do that.
I found that the photos on my phone were easy to get lost somewhere, but with a camera, I thought I would cherish the photos more. It was for real when you had a real camera in your hand. But it didn’t take long before it became one of my biggest hobbies and I started to document everything. To take a photograph is to save a memory in time.
What was the main reason for buying the Fujifilm X-T2, and what is your opinion so far?
My first camera was the Canon 80D, but soon after I got it, it felt big and bulky, and not something that’s easy to use as your everyday carry camera. I fell in love with the vintage looks of Fujifilm cameras and the feel of them in my hands.
It felt like something more premium and it made me want to shoot more, and that is the best feeling you can have. The X-T2 was the first of my Fuji cameras that checked all my needs, and at the price point, it didn’t ruin me, as of the time I was still a student and had a child.
The X-T2 is a small compact “do it all” camera, it’s something that I can bring with me every day and use on more professional shoots as well. The only drawback I can see with it is the battery life. But it’s a minor problem, just buy a handful and you are good to go!
Besides, the size and the amazing shutter sound it makes (which is incredible and makes it tingle just at the right spots…) it produces incredible images, paired with a 16-55 2.8 or my all favourite XF 35mm F1.4 and it’s a home run. Well, I’m hooked on Fujifilm, and I’m going to get an X-Pro3 next time.
We understand that this camera also plays an important role in the EDC photos you share on your Instagram account. Which lens do you use most for this type of photography?
In the beginning, I used the XF 16-55mm F2.8, but ever since I picked up the XF 35mm F1.4, I have been using that thing for all my shots. There is something special about that lens that I can’t describe. It’s just magical. You can also get really close with that thing, but my next purchase will probably be that sweet 50mm F1.0 lens – that thing seems to be a beast.
Could we ask you to describe the technique to photograph your EDC?
I shoot all my photos in natural light. I don’t usually plan my shoots, it’s just the feeling for the day, or I see some interesting light, textures or something else that sparks that creativity to life.
I’m thinking about shooting some with one light source instead and seeing what I can do with that. But I’m somewhat of a lazy person and don’t want to have to set up too much to make something work. I just want to shoot.
To conclude this interview, what software do you use, and what’s your post-processing workflow?
I shoot in raw most of the time. Sometimes I just shoot Jpeg using the Classic Chrome film simulation (the way I shoot my street photography).
Then, in Lightroom, I make a basic selection of which shoots I want to use. I edit every one from scratch using the curves but try not to overdo it. I want a minimalist edit. I use the basic adjustments a bit and try out what’s working, using a bit of warmer colours, and that’s it.
I don’t want to edit photos I want to take them, trying to get most accurate in the camera, so I don’t have to do so much in post. Not every photo is the same, but I give them roughly 1-5 min in post. I probably need to make some presets, so my workflow goes even quicker.
Thanks for reading about my gibberish and I hope you found it somewhat interesting. You can find me on Instagram at @indarkesthour just send me a DM if you have any questions or just want to chat 😊
#flytheflag
“I have been photographing since the winter of 2018, but it is only in the last year that I have “found myself” and what I am interested in photography. My name is Joacim Fryksenius, and I am a hobbyist photographer from Karlstad, Sweden. To finance this fantastic hobby, I work as a preschool teacher full time.”
