2012 – a year now in the past

Diary, Photography 6 Comments

So, the year of 2012 is over – and what a year it has been! I’ve developed so much as a photographer, both in terms of technical skills, but also in finding my style and what I want to do, and to have it as a professional work – to earn a living using my skills. One year as a freelancing photographer, and owner of my own company. I’ve sent bills, done book-keeping, emailed a lot with clients… and it’s been so much fun! My dream has started to come true, to be real. It’s been an amazing passage on this journey that will never come to an end – the journey to develop as a photographer, individual, business woman, friend, girl friend and human being.

Now, it’s time for the post I usually do – a review of the past year, mostly in pictures, month by month. It’s really fun, both to show all of you, and to see for my self and remember what I’ve done and accomplished during the year that’s been. I’ve found old pictures I’ve forgotten, and memories that’s been pushed aside to make room for new ones.

Anywho, this is a long post – and I do not want to scare you away with a lot of text, since this is mostly about the pictures – although some text will be found to explain what and when the pictures show you, I hope you enjoy this walkthrough of my entire year, of my 2012.

Also – a huge shout out to all those wonderful people, friends and family, near and dear ones – who’ve been e a huge part of this year, and who’ve helped me get through hard times, and laughed with me through good ones <;3

I realized how great the floor on our balcony is for shooting products and I did that a lot. I met with (and shot) Astrid for the first time – and it was also the first time I worked with Martina as a make up artist, something that turned into a great collaboration and friendship between us. Also, the first time I dared go in to the studio alone, of my own will.

We had a lot of courses in school, amongst some we spent an evening outside with Hendrik Zeitler, learning about light while shooting architecture/buildings and of course my dear friends and classmates Jenny and Nadim made everything even more fun <3

I headed into the studio once more, to meet with and shoot Jasmine for the first time, another meeting that lead into a friendship and ongoing collaboration. We shot 3 different sets/themes: this, this and this.

Being in the studio so much was a new step in photography for me, and I was very nervous and did not know what I was doing, but I learned a lot and got more secure with studio photography. For the second time Martina was the make up artist. We created some really great pictures, and I’m really glad and appreciative concerning that – because it lead to us creating even more during the year!

Click here to continue to read and be a part of my year that’s been –>

We started a shorter project in school, and I decided to head to my grandma and do a reportage/series about her. So I spent 27 hours on a train to spend around 10 days up in the north with her (then there was another 27 hours to get home). We hung our projects on the walls in our school and spent a day looking and talking about them. It was also my birthday and amongst things I got was my lovely tea pot which my honey gave me. It was a lot of days with lovely weather and we walked around a lot outside, shooting and stuff.

Mars was a busy month, I did a lot – I did not do a single photo shoot though…

The book Half Heard Voices, written by Bobbie Ward came out – with a picture of mine as the cover. I have always dreamt of having a picture of mine as a book cover, sto have that dream come true felt beyond amazing! The fact that a poet in the USA found me and wanted my picture on her book feels a bit surreal. To see the text “Photo & cover design by Rania Rönntoft – Rania Maria photography. For additional information, visit Rania’s website at www.raniamaria.eu” inside the book creates a huge smile on my face – thank you for this Bobbie! The book can be purchased here at amazon (it also exists for kindle).

We had a movie project in school, and a lot of lunches and coffee breaks was spent at a café called Fröken Olsson, eating and planning with classmates. I bought a new linen tunic at second hand, spent some time with Andreas and friends at the pub Bishop Arms, and I went to Borås to spend time with my mum.

Andreas and I spent time in the woods, walking and photographing. It was a really nice spring weather in Mars and I met up with Meliha to grab a coffee at da Matteo, the coffee shop I ended up doing a job for, shooting their cafés, roastery and bakery for their website. The great weather continued and we spent a lot of time in town, grabbing coffee with friends, walking and doing some street photography as well as eating ice cream!

I continued to visit and shoot at the cafés of da Matteo, a lot of my pictures can be seen in a separate blog post about it. Some of us in my class went to Hans for a BBQ evening. We also finished our movie for the film course in school, it can be seen here (it’s in swedish).

We payed a visit to our relatives in Halmstad, I photographed with my second cousin Selma – she’s taken up quite an interest in photography so I’m learning her everything I know! :) As always when going there, we cuddled a lot with the dogs and enjoyed lovely meals in the glass encrusted patio.

I had a maternity shoot, where I photographed my friend Josefin and her boyfriend Kieven in the studio when they were expecting their baby. Then I had a really good photo shoot with Jasmine, for a school assignment, that resulted in Interspaces Pt. I and Interspaces Pt. II

After that, the class took a trip to Berlin – and I have so many pictures from that journey. We saw a lot of monumental buildings, went to a lot of art exhibitions and museums but most of all I just had a really really good time with my friends – it was so much fun, and a great way to end April. The food was good, the drinks were cheap and the weather was fine, and we laughed way to much. A lot of internal jokes were born there. For example; Jenny, Nadim and I are now Team Sauerkraut haha! That trip got a blog post of it’s own, which can be seen and read here.


May kept the lovely weather, and me and Andreas had a lovely day outside. We grabbed a coffee in town, strolled around and then we took a boat to one of the islands outside of Gothenburg, where we strolled some more and had a lovely, late lunch.

We had a fashion-course in school, together with photographer Per Zennström (whom we met with in Berlin), and we worked in groups with a model from JO! Models, and our task was to take new pictures of the model and create an advertising campaign for their new name and look as a model agency. So, we worked as a team to set the studio, direct the model, photograph, edit and make a campaign.

Me and Andreas went to my parents during a weekend, we had some BBQ (the first for the year, I believe) and played Trivial Pursuit (I sucked at it!) and such, it was nice :)

I headed in to the studio with my best friend and muse Emmie, Martina did the make up as usual – and I discovered the lovelyness of using a Lensbaby in the studio!

Me, Andreas, Nadim and his girl Emma headed over to Jenny and Andreas (I know, our boyfriends has the same name and it’s confusing) to enjoy some more BBQ and each others lovely company – as always loads of fun. The men had a hard time starting the grill, but with combined forces – everything is possible!

I photographed Astrid amongst the azaleas, and my mum came over to Gothenburg and we strolled amongst a huge, outdoors market and had a lovely lunch and very pleasant day together.


There was not much photography taking place in June – maybe I was to busy enjoying the summer? I did photograph a wedding, that of Rebecka and Rickard. Then we once again headed to our relatives in Halmstad – where once more we enjoyed their beautiful garden, good food, great company and late nights on their patio. We also strolled around outside a lot where they live, photographing and such.


I enjoyed many cups of coffee in the sun on our balcony, started to draw more and payed a weekend visit to Linn and Jens. After that I got on a train to join Andreas and his family and relatives that he was visiting.

We went to a rather big second hand store, and later had a lovely evening down at the local pub – with good food and music, and really nice weather. I picked a bouquet of flowers, and we moved in at a cottage in the woods – with no electricity, and two martens living in the ceiling. A party was held at a friend of Andreas’ sister, and we sat outside drinking, listening to music and singing quite a few hours in to the night – northern summer nights are really bright! Also, the days just passed with us relaxing, reading, drawing etc. One day we biked around a lake, with various stops along the way – it was exhausting but fun! Andreas dad invited us over for dinner, and we did some fishing.

Also, I ran barefoot over a field during a lovely sunset – it felt great!


I went to Borås to spend some time with my parents, and while being there I got interviewed and photographed for the local newspaper Borås Tidning. Andreas came and spent a day there, and while walking past a window late one evening, we saw a cute little kitten that desperately tried to get on to the window seat! I played a lot of League of Legends, and had a photo shoot with Emelie.

I went back home for a while, and enjoyed late mornings in bed, while the sun shone in upon me. I really enjoyed having a summer holiday! Then I went to my parents cottage for 2 days, I took some self portraits and tried to enjoy the loneliness and silence of the forest – but with wasps ruining everything for me (like building a huge nest in our grill so that I could not BBQ), I went home sooner that I had originally planned haha.

I/we made a lovely soup and I took a photo of it that’s one of my favourite shots from this year – it was also really delicious! I met with Martina a lot, grabbing a coffee, or tea, somewhere while we sat and talked, drew and such. I took a picture of me playing magic – and with that I won (for the second year in a row) a photography contest held by the gaming union Sverok (of course, I did not know I was the winner until a few months later).


Woah, September was one busy month – I got a lot done!

I had a post apocalyptic shoot with Xenia, and in school we started a course in photographing interior. We visited interior photographer Helene Bernstone at her home, where we had coffee, browsed interior design magazines and talked about life as a photographer. We also visited the home of her friend and stylist, and practiced photographing in her bathroom. I obviously look very funny and do not stand very ergonomic when I shoot… I really liked Helene and I am doing a part of my internship with her – I’m very excited about that!

Martina was once again a make up artist, but this time I was the model – when Jenny shot me in a very interesting, fantasy way during a cold, windy evening by the sea.

I went to Halmstad and my relatives yet again, to photograph their home as a part of our assignment for the interior photography course. We also enjoyed a crayfish party there, and I photographed my second cousin and the jewelry she’s started to make and sell, for her site and such.

Back home I met with a new model – Sissel – and we had a test shoot in the studio to get to know each other and see how we worked together etc. I then met with another new model, Sarah, which I shot for an entire day – first outdoors and then in the studio (once more with Martina as my make up artist).

Then I took a trip to Stockholm, to speak with photographer Anna Kern, someone whom I’ve liked for a really long time, about the other part of my internship, and she said yes to take me in! Besides that, I spent a lot of time with my cousin Michelle which felt nice – I can hang out with her in such a different way now that she’s older, and we do not see each other that often so it was fun :)

When I arrived from Stockholm, I headed directly to a job and photographed a baby girl and her parents, Andreas assisted me – out of respect for the family and baby though, I am not showing any pictures.

Then I headed in to the studio once more, for another test shoot with a new model – Maria.

Me and Jenny went on a trip to a town a few hours away, where we worked together on a school assignment, photographing animals in a youth hostel.

Also, me and Andreas celebrated being together for a year, so we had dinner at a restaurant and went to the movies <;3


We had a course together with those studying 3D and we made images with 3D rendered cars. You can read about the process and see how we did it here.

I photographed the Icelandic model Svandís, and me and Andreas went to the woods one evening and enjoyed the sunset, had some hot dogs and hot cocoa, it was very cozy.

I photographed some alchemy/steampunk-ish pictures and I had yet another photo shoot with Jasmine, for my portfolio, and make up artist was of course Martina. More pictures and behind the scenes footage can be found here.

We went to Borås to celebrate the birthday of my mum, and we strolled around amongst the beautiful autumn leaves while photographing, throwing leaves around us and just having a good time. In the evening, we headed home to Martina for a Halloween Party – she was a pirate, yaarrr!


We had a very difficult school assignment, and I photographed a lot before I was satisfied. I first did a reportage/series of Martina and her room/workspace as an artist. Then I did the same with the home of Sissel (the model I photographed earlier this year), who’s a singer in a band.

I then took a break and shot some food for my portfolio – beetroot and artichokes. Then I hit the assignment again, and photographed the home of my friends Jenny and Andreas, one photographer and one web designer.

Mum and her husband came here to celebrate their birthday, we ate great food at Hard Rock Café, and then we had a great time at home playing Worms and Mario Cart! Me and mum had some mother – daughter time and went to IKEA the day after.

I shot some more for my portfolio (by messing up our kitchen table), this time some lifestyle/still lifes that I’m very pleased with. Behind The Scenes pictures can be seen here.


With the arrival of December, the Christmas ornaments where brought forth and a cozy, wintery feeling spread in our home.

My new business cards arrived, the design for them, along with my logo, website and blog were all designed by Mollbyrån this year – and I am so pleased with the results!

We took some wintery, lovey-dovey portraits of us, to give away as christmas gifts to our parents. Speaking of parents, we went to mine in Borås to celebrate Christmas with them a little early, since we were going away to Andreas family during Christmas.

I finished the making of my portfolio, and in school (and on almost all our spare time) we worked hard with finishing our pictures, printing and setting up our examination exhibition. We did it, we pulled it off and it felt so great!!

The time in school came to an end, now it’s only the internship period left. We hopped on a train and left for the north, to Andreas family. There we enjoyed all the snow, the winter wonderland, the serenity and silence, along with spending time with his family, eating great food and celebrating Christmas of course. Then we got home, did nothing in particular – Andreas started working and I, well I’ve been busy looking through pictures in order to create this blog post – and yesterday we celebrated New Years Eve with lovely friends and great food.

It’s the end of a year, and the beginning of another one. I welcome 2013 – and I am ready and excited, I feel new energy building up in my body! There is always a bit of nervousness and anxiety revolving around the future, and the uncertainty of what will happen, and how things will turn out – but that is not something I have any control over. I just have to live each day, one at a time. Carpe diem. The rest will, no matter how cliché it may sound, work itself out.

Happy New Year, and thanks to all of you who’ve liked my Facebook Page, follow me here, on instagram and such, for your comments and for reading, for staying <;3

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