summer in black and white.

I know that colours are beautiful in the summer but so is the light and I personally think that black and white photographs enhance it in a wonderful way. these are just a few portraits of a series that Jacopo took of me on an extempore trip to Nuuksio sometime ago: I hope you will like them as much as I do!

Nikon F5 - Ilford FP4 Plus

© Jacopo - Lomography x Zenit Petzval

two black and white portraits.

I would like to share my favourite portraits of a series that Jacopo and I took of each other two weeks ago in black and white. I hope you will like them as much as I do! I am a huge fan of the Ilford PanF Plus 50 though I wish we had more light that day.

Nikon F5 - Ilford PanF Plus 50

Lomography x Zenit Petzval

petzval in black and white.

I had not been shooting black and white in a very long time and I had never tried my Petzval nor my Nikon F5 with a black and white film. we finally decided to take some black and white portraits a few weeks ago on a Saturday morning at the botanic garden. going back to my darkroom was a wonderful pleasure and I think what came out of it is quite beautiful too!

Nikon F5 - Ilford Delta 100 Pro

© Jacopo - Lomography x Zenit Petzval

© Polly - Lomography x Zenit Petzval

I had miss darkroom processing so much: I must take time to do it more often this winter! my Petzval has once again done a stunning job and I cannot wait to take more black and white shots with her! ♥

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.

autumnal light.

what I like the most about autumn sunny days in Finland is the light: on those rare days when the sky is completely clear - the low position of the sun creates the most perfect natural light to take portraits outdoors. today I would like to share a couple of black and white portraits we took last Saturday on a walk in the forest: the day was cold and the sky was incredibly bright - it was hard to stand still but I think these results were worth the effort.

portraits in autumnal light:

Hasselblad 500 C/M - Ilford HP5+

that is me in the first photograph and Jacopo in the second one - as you might have already guessed: Jacopo took the first and I took the second. just a couple of weeks ago he got the same model of parka as the one I have and that makes us look like we are in a team! I have developed and printed both of these photographs in my darkroom on the Sunday morning after our walk: it had been a very peaceful darkroom session - I will have plenty more this coming winter. you might have noticed that I have chosen this portrait that Jacopo took of me to become my new profile picture here on Blogger and on other websites too: I felt that it was time for a change and I really like the photograph - it seems that Jacopo really knows how to picture me.

I wish you all a lovely weekend! ♥

from the darkroom - part 2.

I would like to share a few more prints from my latest darkroom session of Monday morning: three more photographs to compensate with the three ones I have already shared a couple of days ago. whenever we go for a walk with two cameras Jacopo and I always like to pass them on to each other - so that both of us get to shoot we both of them. my Nikon FM looks so small when Jacopo is holding it: I bet it feels less heavy for him than it feels for me!

a few more darkroom prints:

Hasselblad 500 C/M - Ilford HP5+

I am going to use this post to take the opportunity to thank you for the numerous amount of comments you have been leaving here lately: Passer Domesticus has got many new followers and that makes me really happy! just so you know I appreciate every single comment you write.

I wish you all a wonderful weekend! ♥

from the darkroom - part 1.

last week had been raining practically every day and when on Friday the sun finally came out Jacopo and I decided to go for an evening walk. the light of the sunset is particularly beautiful this time of the year! I took both my Hasselblad 500 C/M and my Nikon FM along: the first one with a black and white film and the second with a colour one. as on Monday morning it was raining again I took the chance to spend some time in my darkroom: it had been a lovely start of the week!

a few darkroom prints:

Hasselblad 500 C/M - Ilford HP5+

there is nothing more relaxing than spending a rainy morning in my darkroom! I am not really looking forward to the end of the summer but I already know that the darkroom will be the best place for me to shut away from the coldness of the winter.

I am going to shoot many more black and white films!

nuuksio national park II.

a week has almost passed from our first visit to Nuuksio National Park - yet I still have a few prints from my latest darkroom session that I think are worth to share here. the last two photographs were taken by Jacopo: I especially like the portrait he took of me standing on the wooden bridge - I am wearing my dear old straw hat which has become a symbol of summer for me.

Hasselblad 500 C/M - Ilford HP5+

5 prints from my darkroom.

it took us about two hours to go around Lake Haukkalampi: the path wasn't as easy as we were expecting it to be and the intense heat made us slower. I am not the ultimate hiker but those beautiful surroundings really kept me going and once we got back to the start I thought it had been totally worth it. I am looking forward to visiting Nuuksio a second time - hopefully before the end of the summer: it would be nice to go there by bike with a few friends too!

nuuksio national park I.

it has been very hot lately like it hadn't been in two years at least: it feels like summer is here already. last sunday we decided to visit Nuuksio National Park for the first time ever: I couldn't believe we still hadn't been there in almost three years - being Nuuksio fairly close to Helsinki and reachable by public transports. we first took a train to Espoo and then bus 85 - which left us a 2-km walk to the park: all in all a 2-hour journey that was totally worth it: Nuuksio was every bit as fascinating as I was expecting it to be. we walked the Haukankierros path around the lake Haukkalampi - which took us up and down a few cliffs and through a beautiful forest.

Hasselblad 500 C/M - Ilford HP5+

5 prints from my darkroom.
the last photograph is a courtesy of Jacopo.

after graduating I had to empty my studio at the university and storage my darkroom equipment in a friend's. finally last week I rented a van and with Jacopo's help I have brought everything home: since setting up the darkroom in our little bathroom was the only possible solution for me to keep on developing and printing my black and white films - I decided to go for it. yesterday I set it up for the first time: being back in there again had been a bliss - even if it wasn't as spacious as in my studio.

I really enjoyed our sunday in Nuuksio: I will tell you more about it in a second post. there are also some more photographs that I like from this film roll so I will share more prints too!

päiväkirja - teaser.

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!

a few portraits.

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!

hasselblad in seurasaari.

on saturday morning I decided to go back to Seurasaari - this time with a black and white film roll and my Hasselblad 500 C/M just fixed with her new light trap foil. so I have started the week with a pleasant darkroom session by developing a HP5+ with finally no light leaks at all - below are eight of my favourite prints.

Hasselblad in Seurasaari:

✻ dakroom process - Ilford HP5+.

I especially love the last print: despite the fact I had been to Seurasaari many times I had never seen that mill before. I hope you had a wonderful weekend too!