Author: Ritva Sillanmäki Photography

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.

The wonders of waterlilies

Captures from Finland, Flowers, Photography

I annually visit Mustio castle, a stunning historical landmark that captures my imagination every time I step onto its grounds. I love the beautiful park that surrounds the castle, where vibrant flowers bloom in a riot of colors throughout the seasons and the air is filled with the sweet scent of nature’s bounty. The serene dock, bordered by enchanting water lilies, offers a peaceful escape where I often find myself lost in thought or simply enjoying the sounds of nature. I have yet to unload my camera disk, which holds precious memories captured during my visits; these stunning images were all taken with my mobile, allowing me to share the beauty of Mustio castle and its surroundings with friends and family who have yet to experience this magical place.

New fence

Captures from Finland, Photography

We had a fence here before and if you have been following my posts for some time you have seen several shots showing it.

We had to take it down as the foundation was not the best and it started to lean towards and backwards. We did not have anything there for couple summers, but now it is there again with a slightly different twist in the design that I came up with as we were building it. Well, mainly my husband, I won’t be able to take credit for that 😁

Hay time

Landscapes, People, Photography

Watching others work. It is that time of the year when hay is being gathered from the fields, this summer earlier than usual

I was not expecting to have a summer holiday this year, but suddenly I found out that I could have two weeks. So hip hurray, I am on vacation 😊

Veggie time

Cities, Nature

Diversity shop

Cities

This store, Kasvihuoneilmiö (greenhouse effect) is as you can see a store and sight to visit, the stuff they have is so Kitsch or tacky or just plain odd, that somehow it is appealing, and they are not cheap. to end the visit we had coffee and a sugar coated doughnut, it was so good, still warm and fresh and huge 🙂

I was complating on purchasing this golden chair and the statue behind it , not …

And the river flows

Captures from Finland, Nature

Featured artist in Curatorial Volume.3

Photography

Hey, I am featured 🙂

ART BY RITVA

Curatorial Volume.3is a captivating documentation of today’s leading contemporary artists showcasing current artwork of the highest calibre.

This book takes a rare and insightful behind-the-scenes look at the lives and creative practices of artists working in multiple disciplines from around the globe.Curatorial Volume.3highlights the varied and dynamic use of media and techniques, as well as trends shaping today’s visual culture.

Curatorial Volume.3 is an essential guide for marketing and design teams, interior decorators, art buyers and creative practitioners who want to connect and collaborate with influential contemporary artists.

Check out my online portfolio for the book at https://capsulesbook.com/ritva-sillanmki-1

You can find my work in this book to buy it press **here**

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Heartleaf oxeye

Flowers

Telekia speciosa , attracts day butterflies (nettle butterfly), honeybees and beetles as you can see and as we have to keep them safe so we will have flowers etc in the future too, this is a great flowers addition to the garden.

Green reflections

Captures from Finland, Cities

Pickings from my road trip. I love capturing reflections, these are from the Fiskarsinjoki river.

The Fiskarsinjoki river runs through a park-like cultural landscape as you could see few photos in a previous post. Along a fairly evenly flowing river there is some rocky, rapids section. The water is quite clear. The Fiskarsinjoki is relatively flat, although it has a few bottlenecks.

These are taken at park-like section 🙂 before and after a the Fiskars’ mill. The Original was already in active use in the 1620s, the new mill was built of slag brick in 1898 on the site of the old mill. the Photos of the mill windows were in the previous post.

Pickings from a road trip

Captures from Finland, Photography

These are the only images I took that had something that connects them to this Fiskars Village, others are just things that caught my eye in the surroundings. You know, this and that.

This is a town we nearly every summer visit, so I have all the tourist shots from previous years. Then again I always seem to notice the same things that interest me. The the old buildings with the green windows and brickwalls. Reflections – that is the next post 🙂

this and that

Captures from Finland, People

Time flies it is already mid July, the grass has burned due to sun and is just brown, yellow, beige…as we have had hardly any sun in past month. We have had a lovely weather, even a little bit too hot weather. I will not complain, I like this better than cold.

I have not taken that many photos this summer for the reason that I have been working with no holidays. Hopefully we will do some short trips during weekends.

This weekend was an exception as I took a short road trip with a friend of mine. We drove to few small towns, had lunch and ended the day in a divercity shop as it said outside the building. I will post some more photos of it in a separate post as it was so over the top, the whole store… 🙂

I was also able to capture lovely shots of my grandkids, the youngest is a pro, he is three, but made all the moves of a professional as he posed to me. The six year old was not so keen, I got 10 photos of him versus the 68 one that I got from him younger brother.

To end the weekend went to a restaurant in Helsinki, there was Spike Lee and Jasper Pääkkönen(a finnish actor) straight from Cannes, were enjoying the summers day lunch on this huge patio by the sea with us.

A drink

Cities, Photography

Having a drink at a restaurant enjoying my own company, actually I am waiting for a drive home. We are still experiencing unusually warm weather, so what I seem to be doing is taking photos of drinks in nice glasses. Happy Joy cider with lots of ice will keep me occupied for at least hour and half.

Friends

Captures from Finland, Landscapes, Photography

Friends, the essential part of my life, extended family. Someone to share thoughts and laughs with. Yesterday evening I did just that on a warm evening by the sea

Morning

Photography

Good morning 😃, I woke early to start my work so I can finish up early too. Sitting on my patio working at same time watching this light play on the lawn.

What magic light can do is amazing, you just have to catch the moment

Night sky

Captures from Finland, Landscapes, Photography

The night sky was so colorful

Summer evening

Captures from Finland, Photography

This is a great way to spend the summer evening, wine and cherries 🍒 .it has been a hot and humid day. We survived it

Daisy

Flowers

“The splendor of the rose and the whiteness of the lily do not rob the little violet of it’s scent nor the daisy of its simple charm. If every tiny flower wanted to be a rose, spring would lose its loveliness.” – Therese of Lisieux

In our case, summer would lost its charm as daisies bloom in the summer 🙂 here in Finland

Dark clouds

Captures from Finland, Landscapes, Photography

Sky is such a wonder to watch, the colors, clouds in constant change. In Finland we sure don’t have blue skies for ever. when we drive I spend most of the time watching clouds, anyone else who does that?

Ray of light

Flowers

I caught the last rays of light in two backlit shot. as they made a lovely background for some weed shots 🙂 and what a difference it makes when I took it from the side…a bokeh

Pink sunset

Captures from Finland

No other words , explanations needed, we had a lovely pink sunset last night.

spreading bellflower

Flowers

wild berries

Flowers

We are now enjoying the wild strawberries – Fragaria vesca. So many names 🙂Fragaria vesca, commonly called wild strawberry, woodland strawberry, Alpine strawberry, Carpathian strawberry, European strawberry, or fraisier des bois, is a perennial herbaceous plant in the rose family that grows naturally throughout much of the Northern Hemisphere, and that produces edible fruits.

Vaccinium myrtillus or European blueberry is a species of shrub with edible fruit of blue color, commonly called “bilberry“, “blaeberry”, “wimberry”, “whortleberry”. It has much in common with the American blueberry. It is more precisely called common bilberry or blue whortleberry, to distinguish it from other . Regional names include blaeberry (Scotland), urts or hurts (Cornwall & Devon), hurtleberry,huckleberry, myrtleberry, wimberry, whinberry, winberry, blueberry, and fraughan.

Once again so many names 🙂

Tiny flowers

Flowers

I found these tiny, tiny flowers as I looked closely to the ground during my stay at the summer house. Always a joy to capture the nature’s tiny wonders

Buttercups

Flowers

as you can guess, we spent the weekend in the countryside 🙂 This summer has been so odd, all the flowers bloomed so early, at the same time and seemed that the lasted such a short while. Here are shots of buttercups.

Midsummer

Captures from Finland, Landscapes, Photography

The light is lovely, air soft and warm with humidity high, that’s what midsummer has been this year. We usually don’t get long hot spells, this time yes. Last night I went out after midnight and captured mist over the fields with the setting sun giving a beautiful pastel glow to the sky.

snails and / or slugs

Nature

we had some thunderstorms and rain yesterday, and what did I find in our backyard afterwoods, snails. These not so attractive things got to be my choice of topic.