My name is Ritva. I am an avid, self-taught photographer from southern Finland, currently living in Kirkkonummi. Interest in life is evident in my diverse subjects, capturing anything that catches my eye. Whether it’s the delicate intricacies of a plant, the breathtaking beauty of a landscape, or the compelling energy of urban life, My lens finds and celebrates beauty in all its forms. Nature serves as an enduring wellspring of inspiration for me, as I seek out and immortalize its enchanting moments. Additionally, in portrait photography I try to capture human emotion and connection , as I aim to encapsulate the very essence of each fleeting moment.
I totally enjoy playing with photos and immersing oneself in the editing process. It’s truly satisfying to have the flexibility that shooting in RAW provides, opening up a world of possibilities for editing. I’m of the same mindset when it comes to photo editing; I prefer to maintain the authenticity of the moment captured, striving to avoid over-editing and keeping the essence of the shot true to life. However, I also appreciate the occasional opportunity to explore artistic expressions through my edits, transforming images into minimalist monochrome representations that beautifully convey the essence and emotion of the scene. Or using colors to enhance the mood of the image. This delicate balance between realism and artistic expression is what makes photo editing such a captivating endeavor for me.
Inspiration and ideas change. My knowledge changes and grows. Each piece I create is simultaneously an extension from the past, where I’ve come from and what I’ve learned, as well as a preview of the future, where I’m going.
I do not classify myself as just a photographer, as some might think from looking at my work. I am a sculptor, a painter, a photographer, an artist.
If a viewer stops for just a moment to view and reflect on a photograph, a photo collage or a painting I have created, then I have succeeded in my work.
We went to see a traditional circus and I tried to take pictures of the acts, but they did not come out so well, here are some. I am amazed of the skills these circus people have. There were lots of kids in the audience obviously, their joy was so delightful.
The show started with the horses, then the MARIONETTE’S DREAM had some great Skipping Rope act,there was also a MYSTERY OF GENTLEMEN, Acrobatics group, so skilled and ended with DIORIOS, five motorbikes riding in the round metal cage, Globe of Death. These performances impressed me the most.
Since I am sharing close-ups , I’ve decided also to participated in Cee’s Flower of the Day challenge. This time the P letter is also is attached to it 🙂 Poppy. The enchanting Blue Poppy blooms late spring and early summer. Such a rich true blue flower is a rare garden treasure.
Since I am sharing close-ups , I’ve decided also to participated in Cee’s Flower of the Day challenge. This time the O letter is also is attached to it 🙂 Orchid
Since I am sharing close-ups , I’ve decided also to participated in Cee’s Flower of the Day challenge. This time the N letter is also is attached to it 🙂 nymphea
This week it’s One Light Source. I’m talking directional light – your subject ought to be lit by light coming from a single source – think speedlight or a shaft of sunlight coming through half drawn curtains. It’s the light source and direction that you need to think of first, before you set up your subject and decide on a composition.
This challenge is all about reminding ourselves of what it takes to paint with light – directional light need not be a harsh burst to produce sharp shadows. You can arrange for soft light to come through for a more pleasing look as well.
Look to place light at angles you’d normally not think of – a full side profile or light streaming down from a bare bulb on the ceiling, maybe a night shot illuminated by a neon sign or the perennial favourite of Silhouette Photography – it’s time to be creative and play with the light.
This was my entry
Well, this is what happens every night. My husband reads the latest news before going to sleep. Once again, I had lots of ideas, but ended up taking the easy way out. I was thinking of what to shoot and there it was laying next to me, mobile phone as a light source, so I took my phone and took a shot of a situation I see daily. How more real can you get, a documentary shot. Thanks babe, once again for being a good sport.
I also took a shot with my grandson holding a candle, and match being scratched
Set-up: Plan your lighting and concept before thinking about the actual composition.
Time Of Day: If you’re planning on shooting using daylight/sunlight as your source, experiment with how the light and shadows will play out at different times.
Modifiers: Reflectors, blockers and light modifiers are going to be key here to help shape the light.
Exposure Compensation: Consider using Exposure Compensation to expose the image as you think fit and not as your camera’s AI / sensor does.
I found this nature’s artwork in my backyard, fern and a some other plants made a beautiful contrast. You just have to look for it closely to find it. . Sunday greetings to you all!
Today, I saw this lovely deer ,from the window facing my backyard, posing on the hill. It would have been nice to go outside and take the photosthere, but it would have run away, if I’d gone and opened the door. So, I took these through the window, taking this to consideration they came out ok.
A deer standing on a hill
It stood there on the hill for a while, looked around and finally turning and walked away. Just to lay down and rest on the hill behind a fallen tree, so that only the ears were visible.
It’s been ages since I participated in this challenge Cee’s Flower of the Day So hopefully I did it the correct way. Took these today. No Idea what the plant is 🙂
We had an amazing weekend to capture, clouds and reflections.
These are taken at lake Pikku-Kukkanen (Small flower) I was able to capture beautiful reflections on the lake and there were two swans further away, so I really missed noth having my camera with me. In the first shot the exposure was low so the clouds came out really dark. I like the intensity of the atmosphere.
Reflectiond on Lake Pikku-Kukkanen in Nastola, FinlandLake PIKKU-Kukkanen
We had an amazing weekend to capture, clouds, mist and rainbows as the weather was mostly cloudy, but few moments of light. I happened to be in those to capture some beauty. Most are taken by mobile phone, because, well it was so cloudy when we left, and I thought that there would be nothing to photograph. How wrong I was! I usually have my camera with me, once again a great reminder that, Ritva, keep it with you, you never know what you can see.
These are taken at lake Iso-Kukkanen (Big flower) I was able to capture beautiful reflections on the lake.
Reflectiond on Lake Iso-Kukkanen in Nastola, FinlandLake Iso-Kukkanen
Well, there’s more to it than meets the eye, of course – your location, time of day, and the willingness of a stranger to be kind enough to take some time out of their life to help you (a stranger yourself to them). But there’s magic in a camera – some people just open up when they know they’re the focus of a well-crafted photograph.
There’s creative and technical hurdles here too – one of the more important ones being time – you’ll have far less time to compose and take your photo(s) than you would if you had pre-arranged a shoot. You could grab a candid shot or something more glamorous; go low-key to get a moody and intense look. It’s portraiture after all and the images you can get are as varied as there are humans on the planet.
You’re about to experience a shared moment with someone you’ve never met before.
Please don’t shoot from the hip. Talk to a person. If your palms get sweaty just thinking about it, like me, then go with an easier subject, like your local coffee barista, mailperson, or waiter.
Don’t over think this one, other people are just you in a different rental.
Visiting a nice Italian restaurant in Lahti, I asked our pretty waiter if I could take her photo. She kindly agreed. Haven’t been out much this week as it’sbeen rather rainy, so the chances of taking photos once again happened nearly at the last day. I thought of cropping it to a more portrait, but as it was an at during her work time ,capturing a moment photo, in her busy shift, I wanted it to show the place and to highlight what her job was ,to give context to the shot. Iussed thhe last photo in this post.
warmth of the golden hour
TIPS:
Be Friendly: A warm welcoming smile can work wonders
Be Patient: People might be busy or not trusting a stranger. That’s ok. Respect their space and choice and look for someone else.
Be Prepared: Keep your camera ready with appropriate settings. Scour out cool backgrounds or locations near by.
Be Mindful: Do not shoot someone without appropriate permission especially children. Be respectful of people, places and occasions where it might be considered impolite or discourteous to be shooting – like funerals or religious places.
It feels like the autumn colors appeared in a night, but probably it took few nights. I am very lucky that I can view the change in the nature from my backyard. watching the seasons change is great, many time I don’t need to leave my living room.
Yesterday between the the mostly cloudy day, was a moment of sunshine. I ventured outside and took these first signs of autumn tone photographs.
Some building and barns seen I’ve seen this summer
Farm house on a hill with dark clouds
Hailuoto is the largest island in the Bothnian Bay. The island started to rise from the sea approximately 2,000 years ago and continues to do so. Eventually the island will adjoin mainland. The island has been inhabited for at least 1,000 years. Fishing was naturally essential for the islanders as was agriculture. By the end of the 19th century, population on the island had reached 2,000 inhabitants but by the 60’s and 70’s started to fall. In 1980, the number of inhabitants had dropped below 900, but since then has increased again steadily and is now around 1,000 residents.
Hailuoto natural environment is an asset and we do our best to preserve it for future generations by different conservation programmes. Protection covers birds, shoreline and unique esker formations. The rising shoreline is constantly changing and thus forms a living conservation area. The built environment in Hailuoto is characterised by well-preserved traditional buildings and therefore, together with its unique nature, Hailuoto was designated one of the national landscapes in Finland and actually the only one with national landscape covering the entire municipality. (https://www.hailuoto.fi/en/info-2/information-about-hailuoto/ )
Warmth, Tranquility, Contentment… just a few things I tend to feel when I’m watching a low Sun 🌅. I hope you do too, this week during Golden Hour – soft, golden light that happens twice each day. Golden Hour, or “Magic Hour”, is usually considered to be the first “hour” after sunrise and the last “hour” before sunset.
Golden Hour is when light is diffused and soft and the shadows are long and less harsh than during the day.. Golden Hour offers pretty directional light, so your composition needs to account for the angle and direction of the sun. You could use light flares as a creative choice and shoot into the light or use the shadows to add more depth and dimension to your scene.
Remember, the length of golden hour will vary with where you are on the planet and the time of year.
I seem to leave this always to the last moment. Golden hour, Saturday evening I had an epiphany, I have not taken this shot. Sunset. where I live , was at 8PM, I left the house at 7:30 seaching for a place where I could capture the golden hour. I did not head west, as I was not trying to capture sunset. East that is the direction I drove to. I had half an hour to get the shot. These are some that I considered for the challenge.
warmth of the golden hour
TIPS:
Stability: Use a tripod for longer exposures – you would need a stable platform for the camera to avoid shake
Get creative: Consider using the lighting in a variety of ways – as fill light or as rim lighting to highlight a subject. (the sun BEHIND the subject)
Plan ahead: Be mindful of the time – good light can disappear just as quickly as it can reveal a new facet of the scene.
Color Tone: White balance is quite important – whether you’re shooting RAW and then post-processing or editing JPGs straight from your camera.
Something I noticed is back, odd shots of ranbom things.
Apple that has seen better days, I had in my office for the longest time and forgot about it. It looked like it would make a nice photo, even if in this state of decay, or because of it. I took it to the patio and took some shots
Marjaniemi is the westernmost point in the island at the end of the road in Hailuoto, these are from the beach at Marjaniemi. Sea, sand, waves and clouds, is what this post is about.
A cloudy day allows you to have moody and visually interesting images. I love looking at clouds, listening to the wind and watching how the waves flow,trying to count when the big wave comes. I have heard when younger that every 7th wave is bigger… don’t know if it is true 🙂
clouds over the sea
On the beach
Hailuoto is the largest island in the Bothnian Bay. The island started to rise from the sea approximately 2,000 years ago and continues to do so. Eventually the island will adjoin mainland. The island has been inhabited for at least 1,000 years. Fishing was naturally essential for the islanders as was agriculture. By the end of the 19th century, population on the island had reached 2,000 inhabitants but by the 60’s and 70’s started to fall. In 1980, the number of inhabitants had dropped below 900, but since then has increased again steadily and is now around 1,000 residents.
Hailuoto natural environment is an asset and we do our best to preserve it for future generations by different conservation programmes. Protection covers birds, shoreline and unique esker formations. The rising shoreline is constantly changing and thus forms a living conservation area. The built environment in Hailuoto is characterised by well-preserved traditional buildings and therefore, together with its unique nature, Hailuoto was designated one of the national landscapes in Finland and actually the only one with national landscape covering the entire municipality. (https://www.hailuoto.fi/en/info-2/information-about-hailuoto/ )
I often go to this lake as it near my summer house, this year the water level is very low. That is what I went to see, but I did also find beautiful reflection on the lake. The weather was cold, this year the autumn turned on like somebody had turned a switch on. From high twenties to temperatures near ten celsius is huge drop. Despite the that, it’s still a pretty place.
Usually the water level is where the dock starts, at this time you certainly should not dive in the water at the end of the dock.
Sparganium gramineum, in finnish it is called Siimapalpakko, is a floating-leaved aquatic plant , which is found in Northern Europe. The species is a very relaxed, genuine aquatic plant, with a meter-long stem and coiled leaves and floating leaves. In deep and clear waters, the species’ growth forms a sheltered spawning ground for fish, and its seeds are food for at least some ducks. In the Nordic countries, the plant has been used as livestock feed.
Marjaniemi is the westernmost point in the island at the end of the road in Hailuoto.
Marjaniemi has been a harbour and a fishing location for hundreds of years. It is still an important harbour in the Bothnian Bay. The importance of fishing in the old days for the fishing village and villagers is still present today. Even today, considerable amounts of herring, whitefish and salmon are unloaded from ships in the harbour.
Pilotage started in Marjaniemi in the 18th century and still continues. One of the most popular attractions in Hailuoto is the Marjaniemi lighthouse, built in 1871 and opened on 3rd September 1872, guiding the sailors for a long time now.
Clouds and Marjaniemi Lighthouse
Lighthouse in Hailuoto
in this image I edited the ugly radar spar built next to it.
Hailuoto is the largest island in the Bothnian Bay. The island started to rise from the sea approximately 2,000 years ago and continues to do so. Eventually the island will adjoin mainland. The island has been inhabited for at least 1,000 years. Fishing was naturally essential for the islanders as was agriculture. By the end of the 19th century, population on the island had reached 2,000 inhabitants but by the 60’s and 70’s started to fall. In 1980, the number of inhabitants had dropped below 900, but since then has increased again steadily and is now around 1,000 residents.
Hailuoto natural environment is an asset and we do our best to preserve it for future generations by different conservation programmes. Protection covers birds, shoreline and unique esker formations. The rising shoreline is constantly changing and thus forms a living conservation area. The built environment in Hailuoto is characterised by well-preserved traditional buildings and therefore, together with its unique nature, Hailuoto was designated one of the national landscapes in Finland and actually the only one with national landscape covering the entire municipality. (https://www.hailuoto.fi/en/info-2/information-about-hailuoto/ )
These red cabins in Hailuoto are my next topic, the built environment in Hailuoto is characterised by well-preserved traditional buildings, I took many shots of them here is tthe ones I have edited into black and white.
Red cabins in black and white
Hailuoto fishers cabins
Hailuoto is the largest island in the Bothnian Bay. The island started to rise from the sea approximately 2,000 years ago and continues to do so. Eventually the island will adjoin mainland. The island has been inhabited for at least 1,000 years. Fishing was naturally essential for the islanders as was agriculture. By the end of the 19th century, population on the island had reached 2,000 inhabitants but by the 60’s and 70’s started to fall. In 1980, the number of inhabitants had dropped below 900, but since then has increased again steadily and is now around 1,000 residents.
Hailuoto natural environment is an asset and we do our best to preserve it for future generations by different conservation programmes. Protection covers birds, shoreline and unique esker formations. The rising shoreline is constantly changing and thus forms a living conservation area. The built environment in Hailuoto is characterised by well-preserved traditional buildings and therefore, together with its unique nature, Hailuoto was designated one of the national landscapes in Finland and actually the only one with national landscape covering the entire municipality. (https://www.hailuoto.fi/en/info-2/information-about-hailuoto/ )
Ritva Sillanmäki Photography 