on landscape The online magazine for landscape photographers

The Jawbone and the Element of Surprise

Open to new things

Theodor Paues

Theodor Paues is a Swedish amateur photographer, based in Stockholm. When not shooting, he runs a public affairs consultancy. He’s married with two children.

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Element Of Surprise 1

Sometimes, the most captivating images emerge only when we resign ourselves to the possibility of not finding anything at all. Perhaps it is in these moments that we are truly open to being surprised.

Sometimes, the most captivating images emerge only when we resign ourselves to the possibility of not finding anything at all. Perhaps it is in these moments that we are truly open to being surprised.

Such was the case last autumn when I set out with my camera on the outskirts of Stockholm. It was my first visit to this particular location, and I found it uninspiring. The landscape did not catch my eye in any significant way—it was neither strikingly beautiful nor interestingly bleak. The light was harsh and unforgiving.

After some time spent wandering and brooding, camera in hand, I surrendered to my disappointment. I sat down on a rock and poured myself a cup of coffee from my thermos, finding solace in the simple pleasure of a break in nature when photography fails to deliver.

As I sat there, a peculiar sight suddenly caught my attention: the jawbone of an animal with large tusks lying next to me on the rock. Later, when I consulted knowledgeable friends, I learned it was the lower jaw of a wild boar.



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