iceland - southern peninsula.

our last day in Iceland it rained for the entire time and the miserable weather seemed to mirror our mood: it was hard to accept that such an intense journey was over. with heavy hearts we drove back to where we started: the Southern Peninsula. after encountering the solitary lighthouse of Selvogur we reached the lake Kleifarvatn covered by fog. I am not good with words when it comes to conclusions though I must say I loved our second journey around Iceland even more than the first: I am very thankful for such an unforgettable experience and I hope you have enjoyed my posts and photographs!

Southern Peninsula - Kleifarvatn and surroundings

camera Nikon F5
lens Tokina 16-28mm f/2.8
film Kodak Ektar 100

song of the journey Crystals - Of Monsters and Men

lover of the light I.

on a Saturday two weeks ago I took a walk with Jacopo in the forest: the weather was so lovely we could even have our lunch outdoors. The light filtering through the trees was beautiful so that this song came on my mind.

Nikon F5 - Kodak Ektar 100

© Polly - AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.4G

mökki - more photographs.

the best thing of staying at the mökki is of course being surrounded by nature every minute of the day: being able to acknowledge the changes of the light as time passes and finally admire the sun setting on the sea. it is not easy to capture such beauty in a photograph yet I try every time anyway.

more photographs from the mökki:

Nikon F5 - Kodak Ektar 100

in this selection of photographs there is a bit of afternoon light and a bit of evening light: they were all taken with the Lomography Petzval. I especially like the first one I took of Jacopo.

Stay Gold! ♪ ♫ ♪

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!

all around kaitalampi V.

I hope you all had a lovely weekend and a wonderful start of December! I went to a spectacular concert - Sigur Rós in Helsinki - and I had a delightful Pikkujoulu with some dear friends. December will be a month of travels for me - hopefully with many photographs - but before starting a new film roll there are still a couple of posts I would like to dedicate to Kaitalampi.

all around Kaitalampi - part V:

Nikon FM - Fuji Pro 400H

these photographs were taken just before turning on the right side of Kaitalampi lake - where the hiking trail became unexpectedly challenging. even though the sun was already beginning to set we had to stop once again to take photographs of such an incredible view. I really like the last picture of this batch where Jacopo's silhouette stands out against the brightness of the sky and the lake below!

kuupuu pt.2.

below is the second batch of photographs me and Jonna Karanka have chosen among the ones I took of her in Niskala Arboretum. for those who haven't read my previous post: in occasion of an interview for DRECK Magazine I took care of a photo-shoot with Kuupuu - the solo project of Jonna Karanka and one of my favourite Finnish music projects. that day Jonna brought along some of her old cassette tapes.

my photographs with Kuupuu:

Nikon FM - Kodak Portra 800
Hasselblad 500 C/M - Kodak Portra 800

I had a great time with Kuupuu: by getting to know her more I have found out that not only she is a wonderful artist but also a very nice person who enjoys spending time in the wilderness and loves cats. at the end of the day Jonna had a surprise for me: a copy of her album Sous Juju recently released on EM-Records. thank you Jonna!

• read my interview with Kuupuu.
• learn more about Kuupuu.
• view more photographs on my website.

kuupuu pt.1.

over the past couple of weeks I had the chance to spend some time with Jonna Karanka - the artist behind the Finnish music project known as Kuupuu: the reason was an interview for DRECK Magazine. since Kuupuu has always been among my favourite local artists - taking care of her interview and especially doing a photo-shoot with her had been a very exciting experience for me. I would like to share some of the photographs I have taken of Kuupuu in a couple of posts and this is the first one. for the location I chose a place that is very dear to me and for the cameras I brought along my two most favourite ones.

my photographs with Kuupuu:

Nikon FM - Kodak Portra 800
Hasselblad 500 C/M - Kodak Portra 800

the weather that day had been quite gloomy and the sun came out only a few times from behind the clouds - yet it didn't rain and I was very pleased with the colours around the forest. I will share more photographs in a couple of days.

• read my interview with Kuupuu.
• learn more about Kuupuu.

getting ready for iceland.

last summer I didn't leave Finland at all and for the past two years I haven't been anywhere else - if I don't count my hometown in Italy: I feel like I haven't travelled anywhere new for a long time. I remember writing a travel wishlist and Iceland was at the top of it - so it shouldn't be a surprise that my first trip this summer will be there. it feels like a dream coming true: despite the fact that that travel wishlist isn't older than a year - I have been wanting to visit Iceland since I was a teenager. back then the reason had been my love for Sigur Rós - nowadays I still adore Icelandic music but there is so much more that attracts me to Iceland and that is why I have decided it is about time for me to visit it. I am so happy I will finally be able to go there - in exactly 20 days from now - and that Jacopo will be my travel companion for such a wonderful adventure!

getting ready for Iceland:

♥ photographs of Iceland from The Commons on Flickr

while waiting for these twenty days to pass I am looking at some beautiful photographs: among the blogs I read there are many that feature images from Iceland and I know that some of you have been there already and loved it. what do you suggest us to visit? we will have a car and only ten days to travel around but I especially would like to see some geyser and glaciers, Puffins and Icelandic Horses and some beautiful isolated wooden cottages. I would love to get some suggestions from you so please feel free to comment below - Jacopo and I are soon going to plan our itinerary.



P.S. I have already started to collect some film rolls to bring along with my favourite cameras: I am going to get a lot of them so that for once I won't be counting the number of shots I take - my very first trip to Iceland deserves very many photographs!

end of 2012.

since the start of Passer Domesticus in 2009 it has become a tradition of mine to post my top ten artist of the year on new year's eve - so here I go again with the musicians and bands I have listened to the most over these past twelve months.

Paula i Karol

♥ song: mother's stew.

PASCAL PINON

♥ song: undir heiðum himni.

Belle & Sebastian

♥ song: come on sister.

Scandinavian Music Group

♥ song: mustarastas lauloi ooh la laa.

First Aid Kit

♥ song: emmylou.

God Help the Girl

♥ song: act of the apostle.

Cats on Fire

♥ song: my sense of pride.

Emilíana Torrini

♥ song: nothing brings me down.

Lykke Li

♥ song: I follow rivers.

Patrick Wolf

♥ song: wind in the wires.

I am really glad about this past year but I hope the next one is going to be even better. happy 2013 everyone!

lapland IV.

the second part of the walk through Malla park had been harder than the first one - since we started to climb the mountain: the muddy path was partly covered in swamps and full of big rocks which were likely the result of various landslides. the closer we got to the top of the mountain the harsher the path became - yet the landscape was becoming more and more spectacular and that kept me going.

photographs from Lapland IV:

Nikon FM - fuji superia x-tra 400.

on the way up we spotted a couple of reindeers running away: I managed to captured that moment with my Nikon - even though I was far from them. on the top of the mountain we saw a full herd of them as they were eating on the edge of the cliff - but I didn't dare to get close.

click on the 2nd, the 4th and the 5th photo to see the reindeers better!

this is the last of my posts about Lapland: it was a truly beautiful journey and I will never forget it! I didn't see any of the birds from my list though - one more reason to get back there soon.

Scandinavian Music Group - Manner

♥ the album I had listened to the most while I was in Lapland: enjoy!

music on monday.

it has been a while that every monday I write about music on Le Ombre Nel Cielo: since January I have featured many singer-songwriters and bands among my favourite artists. today I would like to share here five of my absolute favourite artists among those I have written about.

top 5 artists on Le Ombre Nel Cielo:

The Bony King of Nowhere

First Aid Kit

Pascal Pinon

Lullatone

I am Oak

every monday I try to share something special - hoping that my article will be a way for someone to discover new music.

if you like my music selection - please follow Le Ombre Nel Cielo!