Looking down to the entrance of The Ateneum art museum.
The Ateneum is Finland’s most renowned art museum. Our collection spans from the 18th century to Modernism. In total, our collection includes nearly 30,000 national treasures.
During the dark season the entrance and stairs at our local railway station in Kirkkonummi provides some bright colors and it is a nice contrast to the dark days. I have to say even so I prefer the monochrome images to the color ones. the Leading lines and structure is more defined. Thoughts?
The ramp down and the stair in color in monochrome. Totally different mood
Don’t these candy stripped doors look inviting? Pink chairs and pike as an added bonus.
These are from few years ago from the village of Ruotsinpyhtää in Loviisa, Strömfors Ironworks is one of the best preserved ironworks communities in Finland. Founded in 1695, the iron mill village has retained its unique atmosphere throughout the years.
I took this yesterday though a window, enjoying the moose or elk on the sidewalk in Matinkylä, Espoo. It was late afternoon so the it was already a bit dark. Are you surprised if I say gray? I did not a have camera with me so I took this on my mobile and edited it on Lightroom that I have on my mobile. So this is really a Cellpic 🙂 I did three edits, in the first one I added light and enhanced the gray tones.
The two others are more real to the actual colors of the moment, One I added light and the other There is quite a bit of vignette to bring your focus to the center. That one is the most accurate of the light and tones. It is amazing how editing can change a shot.
Is it an elk? Is it a moose? If you’re in Finland, the answer is “BOTH”! The iconic, majestic forest dweller is known as a moose in North America and an elk in Europe. To make matters even more confusing, elk in North America is used for an entirely different animal – a kind of deer.
I an still in old town Chania, in Crete. This wood door with only varnish on it caught my attention.
I liked how it looked, I really have no other reason for the shot, nor do I have a narrative to add to it. I thought it would make a nice shot. That’s all. That is why I have no many edits o it…
Photos taken in Melbourne in Australia few years back.
Melbourne’s Chinatown has flourished for over 100 years. Established in the 1850s during the Victorian gold rush, it is notable for being the longest continuous ethnic Chinese settlement in the Western World and the oldest Chinatown in the Southern Hemisphere.
Street photography captures candid moments of daily life in public spaces. From bustling city streets to quiet suburban neighborhoods, we try to document the raw and unscripted moments that unfold around us. With an emphasis on capturing the essence of a scene or the emotions of the people within it, street photography offers a glimpse into the beauty and diversity of the world we inhabit. Whether it’s a fleeting expression, a captivating composition, or an unexpected juxtaposition, street photography celebrates the beauty and intrigue found in everyday moments.
I saw this red door at the end of the ally in old town Chania, in Crete. I looked inviting and the colorful walls enhanced it with the turquoise shutters adding interest in the composition of the photo . The stone walls added warmth to the area. What’s not to like so I took few shots.
Then I thought about the meaning of a red door, it can vary depending on cultural, historical, and personal interpretations. In many cultures, a red front door symbolizes a warm welcome and hospitality. It is believed to invite positive energy and good luck into a home. Also red is often associated with strength and protection. Some believe that a red door can ward off evil spirits and bring a sense of security.
Red door in Chania, Crete
Approaching the doorway at the end of the the street
While in Crete I took few photos of doors, and this green door and it’s surrounding really intrigued me. I am not so sure that I would be so taken by it if I lived there, it needs a bit of love and care, but from a photographers point of view, I really appreciate it.
Green door
It is Thursday, and this my second entry to , Thursday Doors!
Green AS doorClose up of the green doorEdited with a more punch ☺
We all have these photos … throwback photos! Don’t we just… so many. It’s described as ‘nostalgia-inducing pictures … from a different era of your life”.
This week (#TB Thursday). Thursday is filled with memories the past, in honor of my mother who passed away too soon, 35 year ago. Obviously these are from a different era and I did not take them.
My mom and her twin and in couple her older sister. I also added one with her and my dad, both passed away too soon. It was more of a custom to have your photo taken in a studio, now we take selfies.
Well on photo from me a throwback rose from my visit to see my sister in Vancouver in 2013. My sister a mom of four unfortunately has also moved to the greener pastures as the saying goes. Memories often hold lots of lost in them.
The last photo is of my mom’s parents and older siblings in 1930’s
We all have these photos … throwback photos! Don’t we just… so many. It’s described as ‘nostalgia-inducing pictures … from a different era of your life”.
This week (#TB Thursday). Thursday is filled with memories from The evergreen glasshouses from Kaisaniemi Botanic Garden in Helsinki.
The glasshouses’ biggest attraction is the Victoria cruziana (Santa Cruz water lily), which has survived the bombings of World War II and now dominates the luminous and tropical Waterlily Room. The lily pad can grow to have a diameter of over two meters, and it can carry the weight of an adult human. The giant water lily is an annual plant that has occasionally been able to survive the dark Finnish winter in the glasshouse. Often, though, the water lily withers as Christmas approaches, and the new seedling is planted around March in the bottom soil of the pond. (So no reason to worry if you can’t see the water lily, it hasn’t gone anywhere!)
These shots I captured back in 2017, maybe it’s time to visit again.
We all have these photos … throwback photos! Don’t we just… so many. It’s described as ‘nostalgia-inducing pictures … from a different era of your life”.
This week (#TB Thursday). Thursday is filled with memories from window shopping in Stockholm, Sweden. I for some reason find these quirky Very Important Clothes windows fun and creative. I have no idea if the shops exists an more, I doubt it. Many times these small business don’t have a very long life span. I generally like windows with creative design.
I am going to be kind and limit the photos to only eight.
We all have these photos … throwback photos! Don’t we just… so many. It’s described as ‘nostalgia-inducing pictures … from a different era of your life”. This week (#TB Thursday).Thursday is filled with memories from the Thriving Fishing Culture from Negombo, Sri Lanka.
Negombo made its start as a fishing community, and fishermen today continue to hawk their wares on the city’s sandy shores. Starting from as early as 4AM, fishing boats begin to make their way to the beach laden with that morning’s catch. Shrimps, crabs and lobsters are hunted at the famous Negombo Lagoon, while fresh fish is hauled in from the waves of the Indian Ocean.
A Unique Concept
Visitors that walk the shores of Negombo beach can witness the day’s catch being laid out on enormous mats made of coconut fibre. Using an age-old method of open-air drying, the fishermen use the heat of the sun to remove all moisture from the fish and extend their shelf life. It will then get salted before being shipped to all over the island and sold in stores; dried fish is a very common inclusion of Sri Lankan cuisine.
Adjacent to the shores of drying fish, the wet market is where fresh seafood can be bought. Ranging from of offers of tuna, mackerel, squid, sardines and shark, the market is said to be closed on Sundays when the city’s predominantly Catholic population heads to church. However, some Muslim fishermen still operate on Sunday (their religious day of the week being Friday), so it is still possible to witness the fishing community in action.
While some of the fish for sale at the market are brought in fresh, others have been brought in from larger wholesalers in the morning to be sold here. The best fish are sold to local hotels and restaurants before being relegated to either the marketplace or to being dried under the sun on the beach.
We all have these photos … throwback photos! Don’t we just… so many. It’s described as ‘nostalgia-inducing pictures … from a different era of your life”. This week (#TB Thursday).Thursday is filled with memories from Kwai River in Thailand in 2008. We had a family vacation in the sun and these beautiful settings. We slept in these floating bungalows over the river Kwai.
The River Kwai, more correctly ‘Khwae Noi’ (Thai: แควน้อย, English small tributary) or Khwae Sai Yok (แควไทรโยค), is a river in western Thailand, near, but not over the border with Myanmar. It begins at the confluence of Ranti, Songkalia and Bikhli Rivers. At Kanchanaburi it merges with the Khwae Yai River to form the Mae Klong river, which empties into the Gulf of Thailand at Samut Songkhram.
Jumping and swimming in the clear fresh water of the river has been a particular favorite of many, us too .There has always been something nice, and calming about swimming, and letting the water take all your worries away.
We worked up the Sofia street to get to our car that was parked by the church to see all these people enjoying the sunny day on the steps of Helsinki Cathedral Church. The have put up these stupid black lights around the chuch, that in my opinion are very annoying, too modern and obstract the view of this lovely church. I always have an uge to take photos of this square, many times I fight it, this time well I did once again.
The Senate Square and its surroundings form a unique and cohesive example of Neoclassical architecture. The square is dominated by four buildings designed by Carl Ludvig Engel (1778-1840): Helsinki Cathedral, the Government Palace, the main building of the University of Helsinki and the National Library of Finland. A statue of Alexander II (1894) stands in the middle of the Senate Square.
Helsinki Cathedral is arguably Finland’s most famous and photographed building. The oldest stone building in Helsinki is the Sederholm House located on the southeast corner of the square. The blue building behind the row of bikes 🙂
Long weekend, we were so hoping to be able to go to spend this weekend at our summer house, but still too much snow, we would not be able to drive to to our house, plus not much to do as everything is under snow. So instead we stayed home, the weather was lovely and it really felt like spring.
We spent time on our patio, had this year’s first barbecue, basically we watched the sun melt and loved the feeling of sunrays on our faces. We did get out of our house, went to Helsinki to see loads of people come out of their homes to welcome a warmish day in the city.
First we went to Kaivopuisto is situated right at the tip of the Helsinki peninsula. It is one of the oldest and most popular parks in the city. There from the dock I took this shot of Suomenlinna. The coast quard was on the lookout
Café Ursula is popular livingroom on the shore of beautiful Kaivopuisto Park. The seaside café Ursula was founded in 1952, the same year as the Olympic Games took place in Helsinki. The cafe has since the beginning steered it´s profits to charities, nowadays as well. I took these photos next to it.
Lots of people walking by the shore, sitting on the rocks. I was surpised about the amount of tourist we had at this time of the year. Lines to buy ice cream were long… spring.
The Canada goose was very much visible in the park
We all have these photos … throwback photos! Don’t we just… so many. It’s described as ‘nostalgia-inducing pictures … from a different era of your life”. I am posting my fsecond (#TB Thursday).Thursday
This time I am posting photos from the Baltics, the rooftops from Latvia. This is what the rooftops looked like in Riga at 2012 when I visited it with my sister. I love old towns, and the architecture in them, many time the decay in the buildings brings the little something extra in the photos.
I have come across so many doors while looking at my fellow bloggers posts. So I thought I would post few too. Here are some colorful doors 🙂 from Savannah, Georgia.
I have a soft spot for black and white photography, I was once again reminded about the importance of exposure, light. It is the key element in these photos.
This house in the corner of the street in Savannah appealed to me, with its tall arched windows and ornate ironwork balconies and fences. The peeling paint gives it a artitic feel that looks great in photos, well that’s my opinion anyway:-) With this first edit I tried to capture a old time feel to it. The two others are more clear and crisp with slightly different composition.
A house in Savanah – Black and white photography erases time from the equation.
“There’s something strange and powerful about black-and-white imagery.”
Talking about Belles, in the afternoon we rode the free Savannah Belles ferry on the Savannah River. The ferries sail a triangle between the Waving Girl Statue, the City Hall and Convention Center. The view wasn’t that great but at least we can say we were on the Savannah River. Also, we met a very nice Polish American couple from New Jersey on the ferry. I guessed their origins from his accent. However, it was the lady who did most of the talking and boy could she talk. After we parted, she walked back to us and gave us their email address in case we ever need a place to stay in New Jersey. Nice!
After the ferry we walked along the River Street enjoying its old warehouses with their shop, restaurants and bars. We had drinks at the Warehouse Bar & Grillissä and then we had to hurry back to the hotel for the complimentary cocktail hour. The evening was spent on the River Street again having dinner at the Vic’s By The River, where we had the pleasure of tasting Shrimp and Grits.
Couple extra facts: If you paint the front door of your home or business red in Savannah, Georgia, it means you have paid it off and are the 100% owner.
Comgrats, paid it off and are the 100% owner.
Savannah has the McDonalds with walk-through window. There is a restaurant where you can get deep-fired peanut butter and chocolate chicken wings,
The lovely Shem Rock in town of Mt. Pleasant. Had a late lunch at Tavern & Table by the creek and prepared ourselves for the sunset. We walked along the Shem Creek Boardwalk, the boardwalk is a total of 2,200 feet long, it offers panoramic views of the marsh and Charleston Harbor to catch the glorious sunset.
The sunset was lovely changing colors depending were you looked, from warm tones to cooler ones the later it got from the sunset.
Later in the afternoon we drove over another spectacular bridge, Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge, to Shem Rock in town of Mt. Pleasant. Had a late lunch at Tavern & Table by the creek and prepared ourselves for the sunset. We walked along the Shem Creek Boardwalk to catch the glorious sunset. I will post these photos in the nexrt post as this is already an overload of images.
The Arthur Ravenel Jnr Bridge was opened in 2005. The bridge, which stretches gracefully across the Cooper River. The bridge is the tallest structure in South Carolina and the longest stayed bridge in the area. It, connects the Mount Pleasant Towns to Charleston and was designed to withstand natural disasters like earthquakes, and hurricane winds, as well as incorporating two diamond-like concrete towers. With the sunset as a background the bridge looked great as did the sunset.
Ritva Sillanmäki Photography 