People – Page 2 – Ritva Sillanmäki Photography

essential factors in a joyous life

Black and White photos, People, Photography

Ann-Christine has tasked us with illustrating a favorite quote or poem. I also did this, and in the end decided to enter my other take as an entry to Lens-Artists Challenge, but since I had already done this I decided to post it separately

I selected this quote to convey positivity. We all need a little bit of that in our lives. I added few more smiles than requested, but it is a smile ☺ of joy.

“Laughter and smiles are essential factors in a joyous life”
~Maya Angelou

Happy faces and lovely smiles are like rays of sunshine on a cloudy day, illuminating the world with their warmth and brightness. The simple act of smiling has the power to uplift spirits, spread joy, and create a ripple of positivity. When we encounter a genuine smile, it’s as if a little piece of happiness has been shared with us, making the day feel a little brighter and the heart a little lighter.

Beneath

People

There he stood beneath the stairs 🙂

One Word Sunday: beneath

it’s just me

People, Photography

Trying to keep up with appearances. For a challenge I took a different kind of selfie with my mobile and now chose it for John’s Cellpic Sunday

Street photography – traditional

Cities, People

I have shared this image before, but now edited the tone of the shot and also made a monochrome copy of it. What I like about this is the father’s traditional shoes – his whole style of dressing compared the the children walking with him.

I took this shot several years ago in Paris, but something in it appeals to me. I think the leading lines, depth of field and composition works. Too much analyzing 🙂 ?

Behind

People, Photography

He presses his finger against the glass
And marvels at the colors that swim past
He wonders what they think and feel
And if they know he’s watching them
He wants to join them in their underwater realm
He is happy with joy

Debbies One Word Sunday: Behind

They can’t take that away from me

People

They can’t take that away from me…

The way you wear your hat
The way you sip your tea
The memory of all that
No no they can’t take that away from me

Six words in a the title and photo to match – linked to Six Word Saturday at Debbie’s

Friends

People, Photography

My grandson made a new friend and is so proud that he can walk without adults back and forth between the two houses here at the country house.

Mid-week Monochrome #128

Black and White photos, People

I have a soft spot for black and white photography, it is expressive and minimalist in and very mood enhancing.

For the last six days my son was visiting with the youngest of our grandsons, so I have not been very active here, as there was someone wanting attention. An so much more cooking to do than normally.

I did get a chance to get some photographs taken, as I had a lovelu and cute boy to aim my camera to. After the first time, he said to me: Mummi, if these are not good we can take more tomorrow. (Mummi – grandma in Finnish)

and we did the light in my bedroom was better than the the ones I took in the living room. He is a good sport, and a real pro in front of the camera. After some shot he would say to me, let me see? and came to look at the shots on the camera. I am not going to post all of them the first time I took 90 frames and second time 125 frames. Most of them are OK.

“There is strong shadow where there is much light.” ~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

“There’s something strange and powerful about black-and-white imagery.”

Compare the color version versus the black and white one.

This last one was from the first time, we took in the evening and the light was low

Posted for Bren’s Mid-Week Monochrome

April 1st

Landscapes, People, Photography

It’s April and it still looks like winter, feels like winter even though next to a wall where the wind doesn’t blow you can feel the lovely warmth of the sun.

My grandson said to me, I will never forget the mountain next to your home 😀 ( it is a hill ) he always wants to climb it no matter what season it is. Today he conquered it with his father and grandpa

Mid-week Monochrome #127

Black and White photos, People

I have a soft spot for black and white photography, it is expressive and minimalist in and very mood enhancing.

Not finding the book you want? I had just done my civil duty at the library, voted. I sat waiting for my husband to lend some books.

I liked the line of the windows and the shelves making a leading line. So I set the camera -phone to the floor level and took this photo of three people, they seemed to be nicely situated in also in this lowpoint photo. I also got a shot of the person sitting by the desk reading.

“The eye is always caught by light, but shadows have more to say.” ~ Gregory Maguire

“There is strong shadow where there is much light.” ~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

“There’s something strange and powerful about black-and-white imagery.”

Compare to edit, color versus black and white version. But I also with the shadows.

Posted for Bren’s Mid-Week Monochrome

Mid-week Monochrome #125

Black and White photos, People

I have a soft spot for black and white photography, it is expressive and minimalist in and very mood enhancing.

This is my week choice – light from above

“The eye is always caught by light, but shadows have more to say.” ~ Gregory Maguire

“There is strong shadow where there is much light.” ~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

“There’s something strange and powerful about black-and-white imagery.”

Posted for Bren’s Mid-Week Monochrome and Leanne’s Monochrome Madness

Strike a pose

People

We went toenjoy a day at the beach. There we also saw these girls posing on the beach, slightly different kind of photos they were aiming for. They were well aware of lots of people taking photos of them. I even got direct looks and smiles 🙂 I took few and had fun editing them in different styles.

Getting ready for the shoot.

Mid-week Monochrome #124

Black and White photos, People

I have a soft spot for black and white photography, I also have a sweet spot for tmy grandkids. I can sit for hours and I watch them play and fight…no thats not true, I cannot watch them fight 🙂 I end up telling them to stop.

They are lively and to get them to sit down and giving me a chance to get a photograph of them is not that easy. This time I did not give them an opportunity to refuse. I sat them by thhe window so I could use the natural light and get nice contrast and shadows, Then I edited them in this moody way, I know childrens photos are not usually edited this way, but I liked them. What do you think?

“There’s something strange and powerful about black-and-white imagery.”

Posted for Bren’s Mid-Week Monochrome and Leanne’s Monochrome Madness

Beautiful in Black and White 15

Black and White photos, People

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.

There’s so much grey to every story – nothing is so black and white.

Lisa Ling

A man with a white beard

The way that light hits objects, I think, is one of the more important things that sculpture and photography share. – Rashid Johnson

Posted for Bren’s Mid-Week Monochrome and Leanne’s Monochrome Madness

How to Survive November 2022 – 27

how to survive November, People

k.d. lang & Roy Orbison – Crying

This time instead of my photos I added two of my artworks here. If interested seeing more of my art check out myy blog

ART BY RITVA

Roy’s solo rendition of “Crying” that night was flawless. Lang pours even more emotion into that song than he did in her subsequent solo performances of it, and her voice is unbelievably clear and strong. Two spectacular talents.

ArtByRitva – Crying

I was alright for a while
I could smile for a while
But I saw you last night, you held my hand so tight
As you stopped to say, “Hello”
Oh, you wished me well, you couldn’t tell

That I’d been crying over you
Crying over you
Then you said, “So long”
Left me standing all alone
Alone and crying

Roy Orbison was an American singer, songwriter, and musician known for his impassioned singing style, complex song structures, and dark, emotional ballads. His music was described by critics as operatic. Many of Orbison’s songs conveyed vulnerability at a time when most male rock-and-roll performers chose to project machismo. He performed while standing motionless and wearing black clothes to match his dyed black hair and dark sunglasses, which he wore to counter his shyness and stage fright.

k.d. lang, is a Canadian pop and country singer-songwriter A mezzo-soprano,Lang has contributed songs to movie soundtracks and has collaborated with many musicians. I love her voice.

ArtByRitva- alone

Alone and crying…

Thanks PARALLEL LINES |in scale for hosting How to Survive November once again.

At the ‘How to Survive November‘ monthly theme we will combine photo and sound. You can select a piece of music to your taste and find a photo to portray the song or you can make a drawing, painting or collage. The picture can be from your archives or you can get it fresh. Enjoy and have fun!

How to Survive November 2022 – 25

how to survive November, People, Photography

This is a song from a Finnish rock band called Kolmas Nainen (Third Woman)

The Lyric translation of the few lines that I included in this post is certainly not the best translation available, but it brings out the coffee…

I surprised myself by missing

my boyhood friends

especially that equally crazy one

the only one I fought with

who repeatedly told every coffee break

that he saw feline predators in the meadow

From this moment on I have

a few bushels of mammon

coffee and cigarettes to your heart’s content

At this moment on

heart only half-full, but

coffee and cigarettes to your heart’s content

Thanks PARALLEL LINES |in scale for hosting How to Survive November once again.

How to Survive November 2022 – 24

how to survive November, People, Photography, Traveling US

I am getting desperate, but I am crabbing to straws….Melanie or Melanie Safka, is an American singer-songwriter.

With her sweet, captivating voice, quirky yet insightful songwriting and bubbly, upbeat, free-spirited hippie persona, pop and folk singer/songwriter Melanie totally epitomized the whole “flower power” counterculture of the 1960s and 1970s.

Oh, I wish that I could find a good book to live in
Oh, I wish that I could find a good book
Well, if I could find a real good book
I’d never have to come out and look at
What they’ve done to my song

Thanks PARALLEL LINES |in scale for hosting How to Survive November once again.

How to Survive November 2022 – 23

how to survive November, People, Photography, Traveling US

Today I am taking an easy way out AGAIN , I have spent so much time listening to music I like and find a song to go with it, and it is hard. I like wine, and I Like UB40 Red Red Wine!

I actually thought I’d have tons of pictures of wine, but surprisingly I didn’t. Have to drink some more to get few photos 🙂

The song in my opinion says what we need today – Red Wine

Thanks PARALLEL LINES |in scale for hosting How to Survive November once again.

How to Survive November 2022 – 22

how to survive November, People, Photography, Traveling US

Today I am taking an easy way out, I have spent so much time listening to music I like and find a song to go with it, today well I have photos and will find easily a song to go with them. Viva Las Vegas! Song for my old hometown

So if I assume we all know Elvis Presley 🙂 Iwon’t be wrong

The song in my opinion says what we need today.

Thanks PARALLEL LINES |in scale for hosting How to Survive November once again.

How to Survive November 2022 – 21

how to survive November, People, Photography

HIM (sometimes stylized as H.I.M.) was a Finnish gothic rock band from Helsinki. Music critics have referred to the music of HIM as gothic rock, gothic metal, alternative rock, alternative metal.

Oh girl we are the same
We are young and lost and so afraid
There’s no cure for the pain
No shelter from the rain
All our prayers seem to fail

In world so hollow
It is breaking my heart
In joy and sorrow my home’s in your arms
In world so hollow
It is breaking my heart

The band has referred to its music as “love metal”, the title of the group’s fourth studio album. According to Ville Valo, the term “love metal” was coined as a response to people having difficulties categorizing HIM’s music. Regarding HIM’s reputation as a “goth band”, Valo stated: “We can’t do anything about that [label], but I think we are a special shade of goth, more tender than others. In Finnish tradition, our music is very melancholic.”Valo has also described HIM’s sound as “sentimental, hard-hitting rock music”. The band’s intent has always been to combine more melodic and melancholic elements, with its heavier influences.

Lyrically the songs of HIM largely deal with themes of love. According to Valo: “I feel like there is no subject more important for a song than relationships. It’s the only thing that moves me.”Valo also takes inspiration from literature, but only certain aspects of it, explaining: “As a guy who writes songs, I get excited about an idea, or a book, or a sentence. I don’t necessarily get excited about the whole of Tolkien, I just get excited about Uruk-hai. Just a little detail that just makes my mind work overdrive.” Valo’s lyrics have been described as “oozing with blood-dripping hearts and gothic melodrama”.

The song in my opinion says what we need today.

Thanks PARALLEL LINES |in scale for hosting How to Survive November once again.

How to Survive November 2022 – 20

how to survive November, People, Photography

Thinkin’ about the world as it is
Why must we go on hating?
Why can’t we live in bliss?

Yusuf/Cat Stevens wrote “Peace Train” as a call for unity and understanding on his storied Teaser and the Firecat album of 1971.

Now I’ve been happy lately
Thinking about the good things to come
And I believe it could be
Something good has begun
Oh, I’ve been smiling lately
Dreaming about the world as one
And I believe it could be
Someday it’s going to come

Now I’ve been crying lately
Thinkin’ about the world as it is
Why must we go on hating?
Why can’t we live in bliss?

‘Cause out on the edge of darkness
There rides a peace train
Oh, peace train take this country
Come take me home again

Oh, peace train sounding louder
Glide on the peace train

The song in my opinion says what we need today.

Thanks PARALLEL LINES |in scale for hosting How to Survive November once again.

How to Survive November 2022 – 19

how to survive November, People, Photography

Jukka “J.” Karjalainen is a Finnish singer-songwriter. His first album came out in 1981.”He states that his music is a mix of “Blues, Rock´n´roll, Folk, Country, Soul, Funky, New Orleans stuff.”

Karjalainen is one of Finland’s most popular singers and songwriters of all time. Karjalainen is one of the most significant pioneers and developers of 1980s Finnish rock.

Karjalainen has written and composed all the songs he has recorded, with a few exceptions. Karjalainen started his recording career with blues, folk and country-influenced music, which was colored by the brass instruments of the Mustat Lasit group with their soul tones. In the 1990s, he moved into a more pop- and rock-influenced direction

We are walking together

to the brightness of the day

on a road that is surrounded by wild lupines

and the air is fresh full of scents

on a road that is surrounded by wild lupines

Big red roses

someone has brought into the room

I am yet a very tired man

falling asleep again

And you are coming to meet

me grabbing my hand

on a road that is surrounded by wild lupines

Wild Lupines

Thanks PARALLEL LINES |in scale for hosting How to Survive November once again.

How to Survive November 2022 – 18

how to survive November, People, Photography

Baker Street, I have no photos of that street, but I went to Helsinki during the weekend and these are from there. Also a dream of countryside This was very popular back when I lived in Australia, so it always brings back memories from that period of time.

Scottish singer-songwriter Gerry Rafferty wrote it for his second solo album City to City, released in 1978.

Named after Baker Street in London, Rafferty wrote it during a period when he was trying to get out of his Stealers Wheel contracts. He was regularly travelling between his family home in Paisley and London, where he often stayed at a friend’s flat on Baker Street. Everybody was suing each other, so I spent a lot of time on the overnight train from Glasgow to London for meetings with lawyers. I knew a guy who lived in a little flat off Baker Street. We’d sit and chat or play guitar there through the night.

This city desert makes you feel so cold
It’s got so many people, but it’s got no soul
And it’s taken you so long
To find out you were wrong
When you thought it held everything

He’s got this dream about buying some land
He’s gonna give up the booze and the one-night stands
And then he’ll settle down
In some quiet little town
And forget about ev’rything

Thanks PARALLEL LINES |in scale for hosting How to Survive November once again.

How to Survive November 2022 – 17

how to survive November, People, Photography

The Killers are an American rock band formed in Las Vegas in 2001. The Killers have been grouped with various genres, including alternative rock,indie rock.

Don’t want your picture on my cell phone
I want you here with me
Don’t want your memories in my head, no
I want you here with me

Spent the summer just layin’ out in the sun
Time seems to move so slowly, when you’re taking it as it comes
Maybe we were just too young

Your body was tan and your hair was long
You shot me a smile and my cares were gone

Thanks PARALLEL LINES |in scale for hosting How to Survive November once again.

How to Survive November 2022 – 16

how to survive November, People, Photography

Postmodern Jukebox, also widely known by the initialism PMJ, is a rotating musical collective founded by arranger and pianist Scott Bradlee in 2011. PMJ is known for reworking popular modern music into different vintage genres, especially early 20th century forms such as swing and jazz.

I went to see them when they were in Helsinki last time, I might have to go and see them when they come back in March. A real talented group of entertainers and great show.

This time I am posting All About That Bass, originally by Meghan Trainor. Body positivity.

I’m all about that bass, ’bout that bass, no treble
I’m all about that bass, ’bout that bass, no treble
I’m all about that bass,

Yeah, it’s pretty clear, I ain’t no size two
But I can shake it, shake it, like I’m supposed to do
‘Cause I got that boom boom that all the boys chase
And all the right junk in all the right places
I see the magazines (ah-ha) workin’ that Photoshop (ah-ha)
We know that shit ain’t real
Come on now, make it stop
If you got beauty beauty (ah-ha), just raise ’em up
‘Cause every inch of you is perfect
From the bottom to the top

Yeah, my mama she told me don’t worry about your size
She says, boys like a little more booty to hold at night
And no I won’t be no stick-figure, silicone Barbie doll
So, if that’s what’s you’re into
Then go ahead and move along

Thanks PARALLEL LINES |in scale for hosting How to Survive November once again.

How to Survive November 2022 – 15

how to survive November, People, Photography

I had a real bad day yesterday, I had no energy at all. I chose this song due to its title, I am not suffering from love sorrows. Just pain. But I do like soul.

This month I have listened to more music that I have for a long time, over the years it has gradually become less, which is unfortunate. This has been a trip to memories in new discoveries, this band is one of them. This song Pain and Misery is heartbreaking song that pays homage to the soul music of the early 60’s.

I must keep this up after this month, listening to more music that is.