Passer Domesticus

ARTS exposed.

2013-05-17T07:42:00.000+03:00

if you are in Helsinki this weekend do not miss ARTS Exposed in Kruununmakasiini at Hämeentie 39: tomorrow from 12:00 to 18:00 and on Sunday from 12:00 to 18:00. I will be showing and selling some of my framed prints from Lapland, two series of postcards and some copies of Päiväkirja. beside me many more talented artists and designers will present their own works.

ARTS Exposed 2013:

ARTS Exposed banner (image 1) and invitation (image 8): Matti Virtanen.

in occasion of Restaurant Day ARTSushi & Soup pop-up restaurant will be serving delicious food right in Kruununmakasiini tomorrow during the art and design sale.

spread the word to your friends: this weekend you are all welcome to ARTS Exposed 2013 Art and Design for Sale!

kivinokka II.

2013-05-12T18:19:00.000+03:00

below are a few more photographs from our sunday spent around Siirtolapuutarha and Kivinokka. not too far from the cottages and their gardens there is a place where we hadn't been before: more little houses lay closer to one another in the forest.

Hasselblad 500 C/M:

Ilford PanF Plus 50

on that rock overlooking the sea Jacopo and I had our first picnic of the season: riisipiirakat and a big kanelipulla each. unfortunately the wind was still a little cold that day and we couldn't stay long but I am sure there will be more picnics now that summer is finally approaching.

I hope your weekend has been lovely!

kivinokka I.

2013-05-10T07:30:00.000+03:00

on a sunday morning over a week ago Jacopo and I decided to try and have the first picnic of the season. it was a fine sunny day and we first took a walk around a springy Herttoniemen Siirtolapuutarha.

Hasselblad 500 C/M:

Ilford PanF Plus 50

most of the houses had been just opened up after the winter and many people were taking good care of their little gardens. we then walked up a hill further into the forest and settled on a rock overlooking the sea: a lovely place called Kivinokka.

the bright sunny day and the very low iso gave a nice contrast to the photographs: I should use Ilford PanF Plus more often. ♥ the 5th photograph was taken by Jacopo.

I will share more from that day soon!

excursion II.

2013-05-07T15:04:00.000+03:00

here are some more photographs from the film roll I took during our excursion in Vanhakaupunkilahti: I especially like the one with Annie as she fits in perfectly with the colours of the surroundings. one of the ducks I was trying to photograph had been a little too fast running away.

Hasselblad 500 C/M:

Kodak Ektar 100

outside that fascinating wooden cottage there is an old garden rocking chair: it is probably my favourite spot of the island of Lammassaari and Anne and I sat there that day to have some chocolate. I cherished every moment of our excursion.

♥ thank you Annie!

excursion I.

2013-05-03T14:26:00.000+03:00

last saturday my friend Annie and I went for a photography excursion together: it had been a lovely day and the weather was just perfect to take photographs as the cloudy spring sky emphasized the yellow tones of the ground making them brighter.

Hasselblad 500 C/M:

Kodak Ektar 100

every time I get the chance to spend an afternoon with Annie it is always a beautiful one: we spent the most of it in Vanhakaupunkilahti talking and taking photos - I finished an entire film roll. I will share more from that Ektar 100!

I wish you all a lovely weekend! ♥

päiväkirja.

2013-05-01T18:14:00.000+03:00

Päiväkirja - the book I had worked on for over three months with Celsy Sabilla - has finally been printed and a limited amount of copies will soon be available during ARTS Exposed art sale in Helsinki.

Päiväkirja - “diary” in Finnish - was born to collect together the numerous amount of scattered photographs I have taken during my first years of living in Finland.

Photographs © Polly Balitro
Editorial Publish © Celsy Sabilla

if you are in Helsinki on the 18th and 19th of May come and get your copy of Päiväkirja during ARTS Exposed - I will be selling prints and postcards as well.

after the art sale the remaining copies will be sold online and a PDF version of the book will be available for a very few euros: just remember to check Päiväkirja on my website by the end of this month.

P.S. my special thanks go to Celsy!

PZ 680 color protection.

2013-04-22T14:33:00.000+03:00

a few weeks ago Jacopo got a Polaroid Image System camera and last weekend we finally got the chance to test it with a first pack of PZ 680 Color Protection.

Polaroid Image System:

my favourite 6 polaroids out of 8 - my portraits were taken by Jacopo.

I had never used a PZ film before and it is definitely wider than a PX one. both Jacopo and I were very pleased by the results: the Color Protection type seems to work perfectly and we cannot wait to shoot more with Jacopo's Image System.

P.S. spring has come to Helsinki for real and that makes me very happy!

one misty day pt.2.

2013-04-19T16:00:00.000+03:00

the air was so damp that my hair was soaking wet even though it wasn't really raining yet. also my camera's lens was steamy because of the intense humidity.

Hasselblad 500 C/M - Fuji Pro 160 NS:

Seurasaari.

it has been raining for days now and the snow has almost completely melted: I cannot wait to spot the first shoots and green grass growing - it is about time!

P.S. please remember to check out Hasselblad Diary on my website too.

one misty day pt.1.

2013-04-17T15:52:00.000+03:00

I hadn't taken out a camera for many weeks until last saturday: I just needed to photograph such a glorious misty day.

Hasselblad 500 C/M - Fuji Pro 160 NS:

Seurasaari.

such a melancholy and grey weather is a prelude to spring here in Finland: the rain helps the snow to melt faster and the fog comes as the temperature rises.

more photos to come in a new post.

Note: as Google Reader is closing down - please follow my blog with Bloglovin!

päiväkirja - teaser.

2013-04-11T12:07:00.000+03:00

a couple of months ago I have started collaborating with Celsy Sabilla on a book that was going to portray my first three years of photography in Finland. I am very happy to say that the book will soon be ready to be printed and sold: it is going to be called Päiväkirja and it will be a sort of retrospective diary.

Päiväkirja:

a preview of a very few of the many photos that will be on Päiväkirja.

this is just a teaser: Päiväkirja will be a collection of a numerous amount of photographs and notes - the result of a long and prolific artistic collaboration. keep on following this blog to get to know when Päiväkirja will be available!

settantasette.

2013-04-04T22:28:00.000+03:00

Jacopo and I had been talking about it for a while and finally decided it was time to publish an iBook together. the amount of photographs we have accumulated during these past few years is large and most of it had never been shared further than a post on a blog: that is why we thought about publishing our first iBook - which we have called Settantasette.

Settantasette:

"Settantasette is a photography book, a travel scrapbook and a retrospective of a journey into the world of Impossible instant film: a collection of images taken by the authors over the past three years. The authors have decided to put together images, annotations and memories meaningful for them and significant for everyone who uses, respects and loves instant photography. A journey from Italy to Finland and the evolution of the Impossible Project through the eyes of a couple of passionate young photographers and daily adventurers."

Settantasette on iTunes Store!
Settantasette on DRECK Magazine!

working on Settantasette has been truly exciting: Jacopo and I will definitely publish more iBooks in the near future.

nostalgia.

2013-04-02T15:46:00.000+03:00

last week I asked my family to look for some old photographs of the place where I used to spend my summers as a child. my mother's family has always owned a little cottage on the Alps 2000 meters above sea level: when I was a little girl I didn't really understand the beauty of the place but now I would love to visit it again.

old photograph found by my uncle:

photos taken by my dad in the 90's:

I especially love this panorama!

thanks to these photographs and more that my family had sent me I could recollect some lovely childhood memories and travel a bit with my mind during Easter break - while I had actually stayed in Helsinki.

I wish you a lovely start of April!

5 months of instagram.

2013-03-28T08:30:00.000+02:00

I have been using Instagram for 5 months but I have only made up my mind recently about sharing some of my pictures here.

5 months of Instagram:

✻ 10 of my favourite shots.

this blog has always been a promoter of analogue photography and uploading photos taken with a mobile may seem incongruous: yet if you love film as much as I do you also know how expensive it can be and how heavy and bulky a vintage camera is to carry. I cannot always have one of my analogue cameras with me but that doesn't mean I can restrain myself from picturing something that impresses me on the go: that is why cellphone photography can be sometimes useful and very convenient.

these images are special to me and I believe they are still worth sharing!

P.S. if you like what you see you are welcome to my Instagram profile for more.

hasselblad polaroid back.

2013-03-25T13:08:00.000+02:00

three weeks ago I ordered a Polaroid 100 back for my Hasselblad 500 C/M: the back has finally arrived last friday and during the weekend I took a few shots with it and Fuji Fp-100C instant film.

instant shots with my Hasselblad:

✻ Fuji Fp-100C

the first shot is a courtesy of Jacopo: the light in our apartment at that time of the day was really beautiful. I took the other photographs during a Sunday morning walk around the city and they were a little affected by the cold - yet I am quite happy of these first results.

P.S. the black frame around the little square photograph really fascinates me: I think it creates an interesting composition and it is a pity to cut it - don't you think?

postcards for sale.

2013-03-18T19:55:00.002+02:00

since last week I have applied for ARTS Exposed - I cannot stop thinking about how good it would be to get chosen and have the possibility to exhibit and sell some of my prints and works. even though I won't know if I will get to be part of it until april - I have already started planning ahead on what to exhibit there.

test postcards of two series:

Lapland - 10x15cm

Photomontage - 15x15cm

these are the actual first four printed postcards scanned: I am quite happy with the way they have turned out and I think I would be ready to print a batch of both series to sell - yet before doing so I got to know about ARTS Exposed. in the beginning I wasn't that sure about the yellow back side and the font - but as soon as I saw them printed I grew really fond of them. besides the postcards I would be selling some big scale prints and possibly a few copies of the booklet I am now working on with Celsy Sabilla.

I will keep you posted!

kaltblut magazine collection 4 - the north.

2013-03-16T15:17:00.000+02:00

Kaltblut Magazine has just published Collection 4: the new print issue around the theme The North. I am proud to say I was asked to submit some works for the issue and I am now on Collection 4 with other scandinavian and nordic artists.

my collages on Collection 4:

✻ previously unreleased.

you can order a print issue of Collection 4 here and download the pdf version here!

a preview of the magazine:

thank you Kaltblut Magazine! soon I am going to get my print issue of Collection 4 - The North in the mail!

waiting for the snow to melt.

2013-03-12T18:22:00.000+02:00

I remember writing about my new year's resolution of taking at least a film roll per week: I have stuck to it so far but I am starting to get bored with the snow. I really cannot wait for the Spring to come and hopefully do a bit of traveling: I miss colours and I long for a change of scenery. still I am going to share some photos of last saturday in Suomenlinna.

some photographs of Suomenlinna:

Hasselblad 500 C/M - Fuji Pro 160 NS

last weekend the sun was shining but it was still very cold. I know it is going to take a while more for the snow to melt but at least I can see the first bits of sea are starting to defrost already: that means Spring cannot be too far away then!

photomontage.

2013-03-07T16:41:00.000+02:00

I had never thought that photomontage could have been so much fun! you might argue that there are better ways to spend my free time - but when it is -10°C you cannot stay outside for too long even if the sun is shining. that is why I would like to share here my first attempt at photomontage which resulted into a series of totally absurd landscape photographs.

experimenting with photomontage:

✻ 8 of my favourite photomontages.

these photomontages are the result of the encounter between my photographs from Lapland and my collection of Finnish old photographs. they might make little sense at first glance - but all you need is a closer look to find the right connection.

P.S. I feel like making more: I really like how these turned out!

two special birthdays.

2013-03-04T10:36:00.000+02:00

the end of February and the start of March not only mean that the days are getting longer and the spring is getting closer - but they especially mean it is time to wish happy birthday to two very important people in my life: to Jacopo on the 29th of February and to my dad today.

happy birthday to both of them!

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

these could possibly be my favourite photographs of my dad and Jacopo: the 1st one shows my dad as a boy at school, the 2nd one my dad in his late teens - he always looked so smart, the 3rd one Jacopo as a boy in Oulu - posing next to a very impressive sculpture and the 4th one Jacopo with his first racing bike Bianchi two summers ago in Kruununhaka. the 4th photo is the only one I can take credit for - but I love the first three especially and I wonder who took them: to me old photographs are always the most inspiring and the most precious of all!

P.S. for Jacopo's birthday we held a wonderful house party last friday and tonight I will call my dad on Skype while he opens my birthday letter.

self portraits.

2013-02-27T15:45:00.001+02:00

last saturday I have taken the first self portraits of a series I am going to work on for the rest of the year: the concept and location will be the same while the changing of the seasons will naturally transform the look of the forest around.

Self Portraits:

Hasselblad 500 C/M - Kodak Portra 800

I had been thinking about taking a mirror to the forest for so long and finally I did it: it was just a test but I was so pleased by these first photographs that I have decided I will take more of them and transform this into a long term project.

take a look at it on my website too!

day trip to porvoo part 2.

2013-02-25T12:30:00.000+02:00

the best thing about our trip to Porvoo last wednesday was that the old town was almost completely empty - being a regular winter working day there were no local people around and very little tourists. Myriam and I were lucky enough to be able to take our photographs with almost no disturbance at all - even the temperature was rather fine that day being about 0°C.

more photographs from Porvoo:

Hasselblad 500 C/M - Fuji Pro 400H.

that beautiful afternoon ended with a delicious slice of pie and a warm cup of tea before heading back home to Helsinki. I really wish I could spend at least one afternoon a week as lovely as the one we spent in Porvoo - I am also very happy with how my photographs have turned out!

day trip to porvoo part 1.

2013-02-23T17:11:00.000+02:00

on wednesday I spent a lovely afternoon in Porvoo: my friend Myriam and I decided to take the day off and finally enjoy the first rays of sunshine in about a month. it was my third time in Porvoo and I hadn't been there since last summer: it was refreshing to leave Helsinki for a little while and a good excuse to take some photographs with my dear Hasselblad.

some photographs from Porvoo:

Hasselblad 500 C/M - Fuji Pro 400H.

before joining two more friends for tea - Myriam and I spent most of the afternoon taking photographs of the colourful old town and we both finished our film rolls.

I will share more photographs from our trip to Porvoo in a few days!

a few portraits.

2013-02-18T12:18:00.000+02:00

last weekend I was busy setting up my website and this past weekend I didn't go exploring new forests either as I didn't feel good - on top of that the weather had been particularly gray and horrible. though I did find the time to take my Hasselblad out for a short walk in the neighborhood on saturday: I wanted to take a few portraits as I hadn't taken any with it yet and I had a black and white film ready - Jacopo came along.

Hasselblad 500 C/M - Ilford FP4+:

✻ my favourite darkroom prints.

I spent yesterday afternoon in my dakroom developing and printing and eventually I was pretty happy with the results - which means I will take more portraits with my Hasselblad. please view the prints on black to appreciate better each detail.

P.S. I have important news to share:

1) I will be working on my new project dedicated to the forest with Ryuto Miyake - a brilliant Japanese illustrator.
2) I will be working on a booklet with a selection of my photos with Celsy Sabilla - a creative Australian graphic designer.

I cannot wait to share more about these two exciting collaborations!

website update.

2013-02-12T12:51:00.000+02:00

after several months of being offline my website is now finally up and running again with a significant selection of my latest photographic works and projects. I hope you will have time to visit it and maybe leave your feedback here afterward.

pollybalitro.com

✻ some screenshots of the website.

over the past couple of years my works have gradually changed and so have my style and themes - I believe that these sort of changes might happen frequently enough when following an artistic path. choosing which works to show on my new website was challenging for me and that is partly why it took so long for it to be back online - though now I am finally happy with it and I hope you will be too.

P.S. many thanks to Jacopo who was once again responsible for designing the look and feel of my new website!

looking for collaboration.

2013-02-08T15:07:00.001+02:00

I am seeking a collaborator to work on a booklet dedicated to the forest: dear illustrators please read on!

I would like my photographs to meet your illustrations and combine them to create a series of images that celebrate the forest and what it means to both of us.

a collection of some of my photographs from the forest:

✻ from various forests in Finland - during different seasons of the year.

the forest is a very special and unique environment to me and it is often the subject of my photographs. how do you feel about the forest? is it dear to you? my photographs will be of a Finnish forest but your illustrations may be inspired by anywhere you are from: merging different places through our work will make the booklet even more precious.

if you would like to work with me on this project please drop me a line!

P.S. depending on how many people will be interested eventually I will try to choose one illustrator by the end of next week - writing a comment with a link to your portfolio would be very helpful!