Flickr a Day 220: Chat

For some people, photography is a way of life. For shooter Erik Hagström, it is a way of living—of expressing himself in ways his body otherwise limits. There is a cool, somber ambiance to his art I could see, before learning his story, that captures more than just images in around the French Alps, but essence.

About himself, Erik explains: “After two cerebral accidents vascular in 2007, making me lose most of the control of my members, reconquered gradually, not being able more to play of musical instruments, or use pencils to draw and paint, I turned to the photograph”.

He continues:

My doctors having advised me to walk at least one to two hours per day, these photographs are the testimony of these ballades in the marvelous area where I live since nearly twenty years, after much travels, and having lived in various parts of the world.

Erik captured our Caturday pic on Sept. 14, 2014, using the Nikon CoolPix P7800, in Haute-Savoie, Rhône-Alpes, France. Vitals: f/7.1, ISO 110, 1/30 sec, 7mm. He joined Flickr in March 2010.

The subject—expression and scruffiness—and overall photographic composition take the Day. Our selection joins felines on Days 38, 51, 143, and 201. I had originally slated our furry friend for August 1, but hours before switched to self-titled “Cecil“, an African lion killed by an American hunter.

Photo Credit: Erik Harström