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.

Challenges

Photography, Still life

One of the things I participate in is a monthly FB group photography challenge, the same group has been active for a long time, now we are on going strong in the 6th year.. The amount of participants slightly differ yearly, but there has been small group of photographers, mostly women, from the beginning.

Sometimes it is a challenge, when new arrivals come to figure out what you can say about the photos they post. The idea is to give feedback on the photos other than; Nice, lovely etc. As all photos are not that, they need constructive feedback. I include myself in the group that, we all can benefit from other peoples views on our photos. Well, the ones who have been together, you know that you can give feedback, suggestions without offending them – they know it is one opinion, you might agree or or not, learn from it. Or just ignore it. Some are so opposed to criticism that you either say nothing or give some platitudes, so you have commented on the photo. It takes time to figure out what someone is willing to hear.

As I said, I have been in this group since the beginning. It is run by a friend of mine. This same friend is who got me into blogging in the first place back in 2011, then I posted photos mainly to challenges either photography or art challenges.

One thing that came from it, is my digital art interest and desire to create it and learn more of it, to create my own style. My contemporary art and this blog has kept me on a learning curve. The photos I took way back and was happy about make me slightly gringe and that is certainly the case with my digital art, at the beginning they were just double exposures 🙂

So to sum up this long post, constant learning and opinions have certainly been helpful to me. Thanks Irma for your encouragement and our willingness to keep the challenge going. For me, most of the challenges have been a learning experience, that I would not have tried if not for that challenge.

This month the theme is Lemon, yellow…Here is my take on it. The first image is the one i submitted, other are different takes on it. I always have difficulty when trying to pick one image.

Alert to…

Photography

Tinka was alert to the approaching steps, but it was only me with my camera.

We have a new bedspread in this rich rich burgundy color, I liked how the color reflected to Tinka’s face in these photos.

The hydrangea in snow

Flowers

Symbolism. The hydrangea represents gratitude, grace and beauty. It also radiates abundance because of the lavish number of flowers and the generous round shape. Its colours symbolise love, harmony and peace. Even in the winter when they are brown?

Sad; simplicity and elegance

Flowers

So simplicity and elegance, was my aim as I once again took the task of taking photos of them.

The soft tilting of their heads and elegant lines inspires to try create a mood. Here are my attempt to capture sad, peaceful, or just resting mood. How do you see them, or are they just other pictures of tulips and my trying to capture some mood was in vain 🙂

But I took photos also of the ones that bowed their heads, looking lovely and a little sad.

simplicity and elegance

Flowers

I love the simplicity and elegance of tulips. I usually not able to keep them looking good for many days. This time I am trying a new trick, I’ve been adding ice cubes into the water and other trick is to have them in snow…

So simplicity and elegance, was my aim as I once again took the task of taking photos of them.

I love tulips better than any other spring flower; they are the embodiment of alert cheerfulness and tidy grace. Their faint, delicate scent is refinement itself; and is there anything in the world more charming than the sprightly way they hold up their little faces to the sun, wrote Elizabeth von Arnim and I could not say it any better.

But I took photos also of the ones that bowed their heads, looking lovely and a little sad. I will post them in my next post

Reflections

Captures from Finland, Photography

The sun was warm but the wind was chill.

You know how it is with an April day

When the sun is out and the wind is still,

You’re one month on in the middle of May.

But if you so much as dare to speak,

A cloud comes over the sunlit arch,

A wind comes off a frozen peak,

And you’re two months back in the middle of March.

(Robert Frost)

It’s beginning to look…

Captures from Finland, Landscapes

It’s beginning to look a lot like Spring. A lovely warm day, well warm is so relevant to what you compare it with, but anyways, a lovely day at Kirkkonummi. I went out to see what is happening in the neighbourhood and buy some tulips to brighten the day. As today’s news are not all so uplifting, the opposite to be exact, so why not do something nice.

It lifted my spirits, so I decided to bake some cakes, hopefully they turned out nice. I have not tasted them yet, such self control. The scent they gave to the house was so delicious, if that’s an indicator, they are going to be fab 🙂 Banana chocolate cakes, I mixed together some of the ingredients that I had at home.

That’s my day so far, hope you have had a good one 🙂

A conversation

People, Photography

As we don’t get to see our friends, acquaintances during this odd time, some people have been actively on the phone or making video calls. I’m not one of those, as nothing really happens, there isn’t much to say, repeat what we spoke about the last time as the days seem to repeat themselves day after day.

You know; breakfast, shower ( maybe) time at the computer, looking at the same news, lunch, tv, sleep. Repeat, repeat with ever so slight variables to the routine.

Today, I spoke to friend that has stayed with me from one of my jobs, from several years back. It is funny how we pick, get friends, who stay with us. I think I have kept about one friend from each one of my many jobs. They may not be someone I communicate with daily or even monthly, but when you speak you are at the same wavelength that you where when you saw daily at work. Remember, when we went to our workplace daily? They are part of your history from that part of your life.

Yes, back to the topic, I spoke to a friend who has been living in another country for past three years and now has returned home. We exchanged messages on messenger or whatsapp or both occasionally during this time, so I was slightly aware of her life situation. We spoke for over a hour of topics ranging from big to small, life, health, work, family, home interiors, cultural differences, age, growing old you name it. Say what you want about aging, it’s still the only way to have old friends said Robert Brault, I have to agree.

It was fun. Thanks so much for the call, it made my day slightly different from yesterday. One of these days, when the days warm up, we will meet and chat face to face, nothing beats the human contact.

A hug

Photography

Here I still am, sitting at my computer even though I am thinking that I should go out. So to be very quick I am giving you a virtual feel good hug.

Over the roof tops

Cities, Photography

We went and visited Helsinki this afternoon, it was a bright, warm, very spring like day with temperature of +9C , but even with that taken to consideration, there were not many people walking about. We just had to get out of the house. We even had the restaurant all to ourselves, we spent lots of time looking at the cityscape opening to us behind the window. I do feel for the businesses. it is not easy to survive wit all the restrictions in place.

Just because…

Flowers

Today feels like spring when you look out of the window, blue skies, melting snow showing grass on shovelled paths. You can feel it. Spring in will be here moths to come. It is wonderful to wake up in the morning and it is bright outside, it makes is so much easier. All these changes are welcome as we are brasing to more tighter restrictions as the british variant is taking hold and spreading fast.

The Government proposes closing food and beverage service businesses during the emergency conditions from 8 to 28 March 2021, except for in areas where the epidemic is at a stable level. However, meals may be sold to customers for takeaway.

In addition, with effect from 8 March 2021, the upper grades of comprehensive school will be instructed to switch to temporary distance learning in areas where the epidemic is in the community transmission or acceleration phase. Group hobbies for young people over 12 years of age may be suspended.

Apathy is slowly taking hold, as I am sure everyone is feeling the tiredness to this situation. I’m so bored. I have actively trying to do my art projects so I have something going on in my life other than watching TV. The ice will melt, flowers and nature will bloom… this too will pass.

Portrait

People

Life is funny, I posted couple days ago old photos, for some reason I added a photo of my uncle in the post, even if the post mainly was about my mum and her sisters.

The next day my uncle passed away at the age of 94. He went to be with his wife of over 55 years, he missed her so much after her passing few years back. I took these portraits of them four years ago.

My Artwork

About

I got a request from a woman whose husband had once when they started dating, long time ago, said to her that his ideal woman in the beauty sense was Sophia Loren. Now she wanted to surprise him with an artwork that had Sophia in it.

So I went to work, I did several sketches and used different photos trying to capture a look that worked for me, as I need to be happy with it before I can show it to anyone. Then I asked for the main color that they wanted for the piece. It was orange. I also needed to know what size they would like it to be. Wow, they wanted it to be 100 x 140cm. That’s big I had never had one of my art been printed to that size.

I sent her this as an example of what I thought was nice and suitable for the space. She came over to look at all the options and we decided that this was the one, she saw the others too, liked this one best.

Now I had to finalize the work by going through the picture with big zoom to see that the pixels would not be too obvious, as this was BIG. I got all the the issues that I found fixed, so that it could be printed.

I think this turned out rather nice 🙂 It looked really big when we took the wraps off it, but on the wall not so much so.

If you wish to see more of my artwork you can see them at https://artbyritva.com/ and https://www.instagram.com/artbyritva/

Keeping it simple

Flowers, Photography

Frosty flowers shimmering beautifully in the February morning light

Tree Silhouettes

Landscapes

Still life

Interiors, Still life

One of those days

Still life

yep, it’s one of those days when you just want to do nothing, nothing interests you, you, life everything is boring.

I am contemplating what to do for lunch, nothing grabs me. Yesterday was the same , so we ordered pizza. Today I have to fix something…oh, no! I don’t want to. I assume we all have these days. Here are the some of the ingredients for tuna salad (red pepper, celery, eggs). Add tuna, dill and mayonnaise and you are ready and well the pasta should be included too :-).

Faces from the past

People

As in previous post about faces – well people. I started today to look at some old photographs, the first set is my mum and her twin sister. Next my parents and the last two are of my aunt and uncle( my mother’s other sister and her husband) Well this a memories of people passed.

Faces *

People, Photography

Frank, from Beach walk reflections approached me if I wanted to collaborate with him and provide photos for one of his posts. He asked what kind photos I have, he had a list of topics to choose from. I could have provided photos to many of the topics, in the end and he chose to write about Faces* and after few discussions later he suggested photo collages, which worked out well for me.

Have a look at his post to see what he wrote about faces and the collages he chose to go with it. This was fun, maybe will do this again 🙂 You can visit his blog also from here* and see the rest of the images.

Cold day finds

Flowers, Photography

Frosty flowers shimmering beautifully in the February morning light

Taking a close look

Flowers, Photography

Frosty flowers shimmering beautifully in the February morning light

Dreams

About

I wonder where dreams come from… from where from the subconscious the images, come from

This morning I woke from a dream, a color one, where I was with people, lots of subtle conversation around the place all trying to make a bid on a painting. It was a man in the field with a scythe cutting crops of wheat, In my mind I saw the long curved blade at the end of a long pole. Blue sky in the background…autumn landscape from the countryside. In my dream the the words scythe and crop came up often, but the conversation in the back was vague. We could not find a resolution who was going to own this piece of art.

I woke, and called out to my hubby in the next room, he had already started in work day in his office (not a long distance to go to work, as it is located next to our bedroom)

-Do you remember… telling him about the picture in my mind – have we had a poster a LP or something like this…in my mind I had a name – Tom Petty – I did not voice it.

He remembered that we had the Southern Accents LP in our vinyls , it is the sixth studio album by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, kid you not, the image I had in my dream was , the cover art for the album Southern Accents.

I love the way he is able to pick up my idea, what I am searching for subtle hints that i randomly tell him and give me my answers to the music questions I have…well this time cover art ..

The thing is, I have not looked at this LP or listened to Tom Petty lately, thought I have often done so in the past, but recently not so much, not at all really.

Where did this memory come from, why, it was so vivid..

So that is my question for today… where to dreams come from, is there a meaning reason for them. Why am I thinking of harvest, art, scythe in the middle of winter.

Brown tones

Flowers, Landscapes

Brown the color that has grown on me over the years, from boring to cosy and warm. Homey( is this a word? )

Frosty rose hips

Flowers, Photography

Touch of red on the few remaining rose hips that the birds have left for our enjoyment in the autumn.

Close up look at winter

Captures from Finland, Flowers, Landscapes

For the first time this winter, I was about to write year, which is also true when I went out to take close ups the day was not a sunny day, cloudy I would say. The color tone of the shots from that day is totally different than the ones I took yesterday, when it was rather nippy (-18C). Yesterday the macro shots of frost, snow and the few pops of color I found more blue toned.

After this long introduction, these photos are from the cloudy day, not macros, but close ups, the last one just showing the tone of the day.

Frosty morning

Captures from Finland, Photography

We have had several cold days this week, but the weather should be warming up a bit. This cold certainly brings us nice and sunshiny days and the clear starry nights. The amount of clothing you have to wear to keep warm. Layered clothing is the thing or just stay inside, which is the option i use the most.

We have been seeing news about Texas and other areas that are not used to winter conditions and the problems they are having…so sad.