kivinokka.

it is the last day of February and I cannot help but thinking that this has been one of the warmest winters I have spent in Finland so far. the snow has completely melted and just the sea remains covered by a thin layer of ice. I am looking forward to the coming spring and I hope it will bring colourful sunny days and excursions in the wilderness. these photographs were taken last weekend in Kivinokka on a cloudy day: the mood is nostalgic and I love the reflection of the trees on the ice.

Kivinokka:

Nikomat EL - Efiniti UXi Super 200

I always prefer to take photographs from a high point of view and that is why I like that spot in Kivinokka so much. can you see the bird flying in the second picture? that one is probably my favourite of them all. I had never used a Efiniti UXi Super 200 before: lovely Evelyn from The Present Is sent it to me in a letter a few months ago and now I think it is a very fine film!

have a lovely weekend and a wonderful start of March!

the baltic sea in winter III.

these are the last prints from my latest darkroom session and the last images I would like to share about my wintry walk in Uunisaari. the weather is changing and the snow is melting: I am hoping for longer and sunnier days and for the spring to come early. I bet Uunisaari looks so different now from how it looked just a couple of weeks ago: that day it felt like a hidden island in the middle of the Baltic Sea - I am so glad I was able to register it that way through my photographs.

the Baltic Sea in winter - Uunisaari:

Nikomat EL - Kodak BW400CN

these two are my favourite among the whole series of prints: the contrast of the black rocks against the white frozen sea and that lonely bench looking towards the fog were such a powerful sight that I spent several moments just staring at it unable to take any photographs at all. that feeling of peaceful solitude will stay with me for a very long time!

you can now take a look at the whole Uunisaari series on my online portfolio.

P.S. I have an unfinished roll in my Nikomat EL and that means I probably will not post anything here for a little while - waiting for more photographic excursions. until then have a lovely week!

the baltic sea in winter II.

these are two more photographs among the series of six prints I worked on in my darkroom. I am glad to see that some of you have appreciated the first couple of images - as I was not sure wether many were going to understand their peaceful solitude or simply find them sad. I think there is a certain beauty in loneliness when in close contact with nature: it moves you and inspires you.

the Baltic Sea in winter - Uunisaari:

Nikomat EL - Kodak BW400CN

that day Uunisaari was completely deserted and the fog isolated it from the rest of Helsinki: it really felt like an island in the middle of nowhere. I cannot easily put such strong feelings into words but in that moment I was completely at ease with myself: it was a powerful sensation that stayed with me for many days after. I wish I could feel that way more often!

♥ listening to The Bony King of Nowhere

P.S. I was interviewed by lovely Ally of Petal and Plume for the new section of her blog Interviews with my Favourite Photographers: read it here if you wish. Thank you Ally!

the baltic sea in winter I.

last week I have found myself walking with a friend to a place where I had not been in a very long time. Uunisaari is a little island in the southern part of Helsinki - not that far from Kaivopuisto. while during the summer the only way to reach it is a ferry - in the wintertime a footbridge connects it to the mainland and it becomes a popular place for walks on sunny days. in my opinion the island can be very fascinating on foggy days too and that is why I decided to go back there with my camera on the foggiest day ever. between the rolls that my dad gave me I found a Kodak BW400CN and decided to use it: there are no colours these days but shapes and textures.

the Baltic Sea in winter - Uunisaari:

Nikomat EL - Kodak BW400CN

above are the first two of a series of six photographs I have printed in my darkroom among those I took in Uunisaari last week. the fog was so thick I could not see very far from where I stood but the shapes of the ice on the sea became an interesting subject to photograph: the ground was moon-like. that bench was left alone on the ice and looked lonely and very beautiful.

last saturday in suomenlinna.

the weather has been extremely foggy and gray for many days in Helsinki: I have never witnessed such a warm and wet winter before. the snow is almost melted and I wonder if it will snow again or the spring will come earlier this year. I am starting to get bored of this colourless weather and I cannot wait for the sun to finally come again - yet the fog has given me the chance to take some very interesting photographs: today I would like to share two from last Saturday in Suomenlinna.

last Saturday in Suomenlinna:

Nikomat EL - Kodak 400

the island was practically deserted in such foul weather and that made it more fascinating. this time though Jacopo was the one holding the camera: the first photograph is a portrait he took of me in front of a lovely yellow cottage - I really like it! I got my Nikomat EL back only at the end of our walk and took the second photograph you see here while waiting for the ferry. I think the contrast between the two images is very appealing - what do you say?

have a lovely Sunday! ♥

winter in kaitalampi II.

here are a few more photographs from that snowy Sunday that Jacopo and I spent in Kaitalampi testing my new Cokin filters. when I loaded the film into my camera I forgot to check the exposures - I just assumed they were 36 as usual - and only later I found out it was actually a 24 exposures roll. it turned out that all the Kodak films my dad has gifted me with have 24 exposures: in my opinion that is quite the right amount of shots for a day trip.

winter in Kaitalampi - part II:

Nikomat EL - Kodak 400

after trying out different combinations of filters on my Cokin holder - I run out of shots and all was left to do was enjoying the rest of our walk around Kaitalampi lake: without taking any more photographs we could fully relish our time in the wilderness. everything was utterly peaceful!

P.S. I am especially happy with the combination of filters I chose for the 1st and the 2nd photograph: I think they have turned out great. I am never going to go out without my Cokin filters again!

winter in kaitalampi I.

did I mention that for Christmas my dad has given me a box with over 50 rolls of 35mm film? such a wonderful present! they are all Kodak 400 and 200 rolls so you will see me using those for many months to come. for my birthday a few weeks ago I got another wonderful present from Jacopo: a set of Cokin filters! I finally got the chance to try them out last weekend once I recovered from a nasty flu. Kaitalampi looked so different from the last time we had been there!

winter in Kaitalampi - part I:

Nikomat EL - Kodak 400

that day the snow was still fresh and beautifully piled up on the trees. Kaitalampi lake was frozen and we could walk the length of it admiring the forest from a different point of view. I think the Cokin filters really made a difference: the sky was so bright that I would have not been able to get the same results without them. I am especially proud of that first photograph taken in direct sunlight!

road trip to tampere III.

I wish we had more time to spend in the company of our friends in Tampere but weekends are always too short - are they not? on the way back to Helsinki we took a country road to admire the copious amount of snow falling over the forest. the landscape looked so different than the day before: the temperature had dropped down and the lakes were frozen and completely covered in snow.

road trip to Tampere - part III:

Nikomat EL - Lomography Color Negative 400

I am sorry for that terrible stain on the upper part of the first picture: I must have wiped away some snow from my lens carelessly. I think it would be lovely to spend the winter in that yellow wooden cottage by the forest! can you see the snowflakes falling on the lake in the second photograph?

road trip to tampere II.

the night we spent at our friends' place in Tampere it snowed all over Finland and the day after everything was white and soft. that morning Annika took us to Pyynikin näkötorni: a panoramic tower from the 1830's that stands on a hill above the city. from the top of the tower the view was fantastic and the freshly fallen snow and a few rays of sunshine made everything even more special.

road trip to Tampere - part II:

Nikomat EL - Lomography Color Negative 400

at the bottom of Pyynikin näkötorni there is an old charming cafe famous for its doughnuts - the most delicious in Tampere according to someone. it was cold on top of the tower and a munkki with a cup of glögi were exactly what I needed: definitely the most delicious doughnut I have ever tried!

P.S. happy February! ♥