Discover Slovenia through the new OM-3

Ever since Olympus changed it’s name to OM System and I started working with them, I (and many others) have been asking and hoping for a new PEN-F. Why? Because gosh it’s such a beautiful camera and the front dial with your own color profiles and quick access to black and white is a great feature.

Fast forward to April 19th: I am standing at the airport, watching one of the staff in customs hold my camera, turn it around, look at it closely and give a nod of approval as he asks me “So how old is this? 30, 40 years?” I could only smile in a smirky way as I responded “no this one came out a few months ago” Because yes, the new version of what I’ve always wanted is finally here. The beautiful OM-3.

At the end of April we travelled to Slovenia, a country that still seems to be a bit of a hidden gem. We wanted to explore the magnificent nature, and the colourful city of Ljubljana. And I wanted to put the OM-3 to the test, using one camera while moving between urban -and nature. Needless to say, I was not dissapointed with the experience nor my gear.

This post is a paid collaboration with OM System

The sleek, analog look of the OM-3 makes it very inconspicuous so street photography felt easy, although it’s been a while since I have done it and daring to move close to people was slow to come back. In nature it felt small and light, something OM System is good at delivering. Spending entire days hiking I did not feel weighed down by my equipment. It feels like the company has really studied their older cameras, and thought about what could be improve.

All the dials and buttons are in the perfect spot.

We start our first day in Ljubljana with breakfast at Le Petit Café before going on a walking tour to learn more about the city and it’s history. It’s also a great way to get a good lay of the land and get more familiar with a new place to more easily find your way around it. It was a great tour and previously knowing nothing about the city or Slovenia as a country, we certainly learned a lot. It was also beautiful: Ljubljana, especially the old part, is a city of color and greenery with the Ljubljanica river meandering through it. It was a nice way to walk around taking photos while listening to the guide talk.

Coming here from the north of Sweden, where spring and summer are late to arrive, what struck me the most at first was just how green and lush everything was. And how much was in bloom. The first thing I did in the morning, when we got outside, was to walk to a grassy spot, crouch down and photograph and feel all the flowers and the green grass, whispering “I’ve missed you“.

Ljubljana is a city with a lot of greenery, with trees, flowers and big park. Cars are not allowed in the old town and you see people biking everywhere. It was beautiful and felt so clean. Something I wish was true for where I live as well.

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Our Airbnb apartment was close to the wonderful pub Lajbah, with great vibes and sour beers from Funky Fluid,
one of our favorite breweries. We can’t get their beer in Sweden very easily so we we’re pretty stoked!

If you go to Ljubljana you need eat at Raw Pasta at least once! They make their own pasta, and it was unreal. We ordered different dishes and shared so that we could try a few, and everything was out of this world. We paired our food with a Slovenian wine, and I think this might’ve been the best dinner of the whole trip. It’s a super small restaurant in a cute alley. We we’re lucky to get there earlier than when Slovenians seem to eat, and got a spot, but booking in advance is probably smarter.

From urban to mountains and canyons

After spending our first day in the city, we spent the rest of our days in Slovenia driving out into the wild nature to hike.

Triglav National Park is the only national park in Slovenia, founded in it’s modern form in 1981. Mountain huts are spread throughout this park that offers everything from magnificent mountains, lush green valleys and deep forests to rushing waterfalls. It’s a small country, so getting to different places is rather quick and easy.

We drove around and explored both mountains and canyons, turquoise rivers, the oldest stone arch bridge, picturesque alpine villages and of course Lake Bled (a must see when in Slovenia). Everywhere we went, nature was breathtaking, and the OM-3 slung over my shoulder, ready to capture what ever presented itself. Including bugs, lizards and frogs!

Guys, I love this camera. It feels really good to hold. My hands are not very big so I am not having issues with the lack of a grip at the front. However, it would look stunning with a wooden one so I might splurge on one anyway… Anywho, compared to the OM-5 that I have used as my main camera for years now, this has some very nice upgrades:

• There’s a dial on the top left that let’s me quickly swap between photo and video
• The left side also has a quick button to turn on double exposure (the B&W photo below was created that way)
• There’s a quick button for all the computational modes: Live ND, Gradient ND filters, high res shot etc.
• It has the new meny system and can be charged with USB-C. I always had a battery pack with me!
• AOn the front is the dial I wanted from the PEN-F: An easy way to switch to black and white or custom color profiles.

I will be honest with you. I have not felt very inspired to take photos lately, and while I stand firm in my belief that constantly chasing the newest gear is not what matters within this field, this camera does something. I feel very inspired again! Summer is here, and with a new camera and creative tools readily available at my fingertips (literally), I have a feeling I will be doing a lot more photography in the coming weeks, months even.

And if you haven’t been, I cannot recommend Slovenia enough. It was beautiful, affordable, good food and wine and the people incredibly friendly. It’s a perfect place to go to for a mix of city life and nature! If you have been, I’d love to hear about it.