29 November 2013

all around kaitalampi IV.

when along our trail we spotted a wooden sign promising a wonderful view - Jacopo and I decided to continue hiking in that direction: we were eager to find out what the sign meant. to do that we had to leave the side of Kaitalampi lake behind us for a while and enter deeper in the forest: the path became narrower and steeper until we reached the top of a hill.
all around Kaitalampi - part IV:
Nikon FM - Fuji Pro 400H
after climbing on top of a huge rock - covered in soft green moss and virtually free of trees - we were finally able to look down onto a large forest endlessly streching in front of us. that wooden sign was right: it was indeed a wonderful view - even more glorious in the light of the setting sun! I could have stayed there contemplating that spectacular vista for hours but we had to keep on moving: it was going to be dark soon and we still had to hike a considerable length of the trail around the lake.
more about Kaitalampi next week! have a lovely weekend! ♥

27 November 2013

all around kaitalampi III.

gratified by all the positive feedback I have got on the previous posts - I now want to proceed by posting a third batch of photographs taken in Kaitalampi. I really hope you are not yet bored with trees and lakes because there are going to be three more batches coming after this one!
all around Kaitalampi - part III:
Nikon FM - Fuji Pro 400H
the trail on the left side of the lake was going up and down hill and whenever we reached a clearing there had been a huge rock where to climb on and admire the panorama: Southern Finland is relatively flat so these changes in level were quite exciting for me to experience - it was so beautiful to look down onto the lake! I was also very fascinated by the strong contrast between light and shadow. when Jacopo spotted a wooden sign that promised a wonderful view - we momentarily left the side of the lake to follow a second trail in that direction... I will tell you more in my next post!

25 November 2013

all around kaitalampi II.

I hope you all had a lovely weekend and are ready to start a new week! snow has not yet fallen over Helsinki but we have had some beautiful sunny days instead - just like the one we spent in Kaitalampi over a week ago. here is a second batch of photographs from that outing.
all around Kaitalampi - part II:
Nikon FM - Fuji Pro 400H
the first time Jacopo and I visited Kaitalampi was last summer on a very hot day: we did not walk all around the lake but simply stopped to have a picnic on the sunny side. last Sunday instead we wanted to follow the trail until the very end and it was a beautiful and surprisingly challenging hike. I took these photographs during the first part of our walk on the left side of the lake: this was the easiest bit of the trail and we could stop many times to enjoy the wonderful view.
to be continued!

21 November 2013

all around kaitalampi I.

so far November has been rainy and dark except for a few rare days of incredible sunshine: last Sunday was one of those and Jacopo and I decided to take a stroll all around Kaitalampi lake in Espoo. at this time of the year the hours of light per day are so few that it is not possible to take very long walks in the wilderness and the trail around Kaitalampi is perfect for a short yet beautiful hike in the forest.
all around Kaitalampi - part I:
Nikon FM - Fuji Pro 400H
the sun was so bright that by looking at these photographs you may think it was warm - though it was extremely cold instead because of a very strong and persistent wind that kept the sky clear and almost blew me off that wooden jetty. despite the cold I was mesmerised by the beauty of the landscape soaked in that golden light and shoot away an entire roll of film: therefore if you do not like trees and lakes - I am warning you - keep away from this blog for the next couple of weeks!

P.S. it may seem that lately I have started to favour my Nikon FM over my Hasselblad: the truth is I am finding the 80mm a little restrictive and I am looking for a wide-angle lens. instead my Nikon 28mm f/3.5 feels perfect at the moment.

18 November 2013

a visit to kruunuvuori III.

these are the last few photographs I would like to share from our latest visit to Kruunuvuori. later that morning it started to rain quite insistently and it became unpleasant to walk around the wet forest - we decided to leave then. I have to say that every year the closer it gets to the winter the harder it is to go for photographic excursions: it may not show in the pictures but there is a lot of hassle behind them - the cold turns my fingers numb and heavy scarves and hats stifle my movements with the cameras. I still love being outdoors though and I will try to do so every time I get the chance!
a visit to Kruunuvuori - part III:
Nikon FM - Fuji Superia X-tra 800
despite the rain we could not leave before paying a visit to my favourite abandoned villa - the one you can see in the last two photographs. it is quite far from the sea and the little dark lake but it is the most special to me: I bet it used to be so beautiful once! I really love the way the upper part of the house is decorated exteriorly and I can only imagine how gorgeous it must have been inside. the fact that somebody has covered the walls with graffiti really upsets me though: they are totally out of place.
I wish you all a lovely start of the week! ♥

15 November 2013

a visit to kruunuvuori II.

I have to say that all the wonderful and unexpected reactions to my previous post have made me more confident about the photographs I took in Kruunuvuori. thank you all for stopping by and leaving your comments! I still believe the sky to be too bright and the image too grainy but I am glad I was able to express my fascination for such a special place through my photographs - I can appreciate them better now. I am going to share a few more and I hope they will be as interesting as the first ones.
a visit to Kruunuvuori - part II:
Nikon FM - Fuji Superia X-tra 800
it is hard to believe those abandoned cottages used to be some grand holiday villas once upon a time - before their owners stopped coming back to take care of them. every winter the cold and the snow bring more damage to the houses - some of them are just ruins. I try to imagine how it used to be: were children swimming in that lake? now the water is so gloomy and the jetty is falling apart. the forest is slowly reclaming its own territory and that will never stop to fascinate me!

P.S. I will share one last batch of photographs from this film roll next week. enjoy your weekend!

12 November 2013

a visit to kruunuvuori I.

at long last we finally paid another visit to Kruunuvuori: last time I was there was several months ago and I did not find the place as intriguing as the previous times. now I realise it must have been the wrong season and I can maintain that the best time of the year to visit Kruunuvuori remains certainly late autumn: in fact it is easier to spot the abandoned cottages when there are no leaves on the trees - not to mention that the gloomy look of the forest really gives a more mysterious feeling to the area.
a visit to Kruunuvuori - part I:
Nikon FM - Fuji Superia X-tra 800
Saturday the 2nd of November looked like the perfect gloomy day to visit Kruunuvuori: in fact I finally got to see the cottages at their melancholic best once again! though I am not totally pleased with the way my photographs turned out: the sky was so bright it became quite overexposed and the grain of the X-tra 800 suddenly seems too grainy for me. having said that I still feel like sharing some of my shots - hoping they can carry that mysterious aura of Kruunuvuori which I find so intriguing.
P.S. more to come about that day in Kruunuvuori in the next few posts!

08 November 2013

the end of a film roll.

two weeks ago my friend Anne was on autumn break and could spend a few days in Helsinki: being able to see her longer than a couple of hours on a Sunday was lovely! we even got to go to the cinema together to watch a truly nice black and white film about friendship: Frances Ha by Noah Baumbach - if you have not yet seen it I really recommend it. one afternoon we went for a walk in Vanhakaupunkilahti to admire the last colourful signs of autumn. I took my Nikon FM along with a film roll that had just a few remaining shots - among those there are two I would like to share here.
the end of a film roll:
Nikon FM - Fuji Pro 400H
I will never get tired of capturing that boardwalk: to me it looks different every time. I recall visiting Vanhakaupunkilahti at the beginning of autumn and taking a similar photograph - do you remember it? this time though there were two ducks instead of just one.

I am happy to let you know that I have been interviewed for a truly inspiring online photography magazine: Top Photography Films. the interview has been divided into two beautifully edited articles: Featured Photographers | Polly Balitro and Living At The Edge Of The World - check them out if you please and let me know what you think.
Have a lovely weekend! ♥

06 November 2013

autumn at the mökki V.

I am a little sad as these are the last photographs I have to share from our autumn weekend at the cottage - many weeks have passed since then and October has become November. I miss that peaceful place so much and more than anything I miss those wonderful ruska colours: all the trees are naked now in Helsinki - while days are getting darker and colder I wonder when the snow will come.
autumn at the mökki V:
Nikon FM - Fuji Pro 400H
Hasselblad 500 C/M - Fuji Pro 400H
the sun came out on Sunday afternoon and that made it even harder for us to leave the cottage behind. as I was packing our things I was suddenly caught by the beauty of the autumn evening sunshine coming right through the bedroom window: I felt like standing there staring at it for hours - though we needed to get back to the city and we still had a long journey ahead.
I cannot wait to go back to the mökki again! ♥

04 November 2013

autumn at the mökki IV.

most of that Saturday the sky had been clear and it was only later in the afternoon that the wind died down and the clouds started to gather. I took these first three photographs when the sky was completely overcast: they look very different from the ones I have previously shared yet I find them beautifully nostalgic - the autumn colours appear somehow brighter against the grey sky.
autumn at the mökki IV:
Nikon FM - Fuji Pro 400H
Hasselblad 500 C/M - Fuji Pro 400H
by the time we got back to the cottage and had some delicious potatoes backed on the open fire - the evening winds had cleared the sky once again: that evening we were able to witness a truly breath-taking sunset. as soon as the sun went down and the sky begun to turn pink and red Jacopo and I run out to the shore with our cameras to capture the scene: it was spectacular! ♥

01 November 2013

autumn at the mökki III.

when I am spending time outdoors taking photographs I never seem to get tired - especially in the wilderness: I just feel so peaceful and happy with a camera in my hand and the forest all around me. that weekend at the cottage Jacopo and I did not need to worry about anything else but enjoying the nature surrounding us - how I wish we could do that every single weekend!
autumn at the mökki III:
Nikon FM - Fuji Pro 400H
Hasselblad 500 C/M - Fuji Pro 400H
I love the way the forest becomes even more beautiful in autumn time: the evergreens do no not change colour but the birches turn yellow and orange - which makes everything look so special. I also love it when the sea or a lake is so calm that reflects perfectly the trees on its shores.
I wish you all a lovely weekend and a very happy 1st of November! ♥