I had these photos and this add came to mind, even though I took these photos because the sky and mood of the day.
The expression “Vattenfall – motherfucking windmills” alludes to a contemporary advertising campaign by the Swedish energy firm Vattenfall, showcasing actor Samuel L. Jackson as he highlights the benefits of offshore wind farms and the restoration of marine ecosystems via integrated seaweed farming.
Clouds. They always fascinate me, I am drawn to the intense and brooding skies that often envelop the horizon combined with the sea, I really love it. The way they shift and change, forming intricate patterns, creates an ever-evolving canvas that captivates my imagination, sparking a sense of wonder about the natural world. The interplay of light and shadow adds depth to these formations, illuminating the rich colors and textures that define them. The mood that they give to a photograph can transform a simple scene into something dramatic and powerful, evoking emotions that resonate deeply within me .
I can almost feel the breeze, a touch of autumn in these photos. These are from Hailuoto, Oulu.
Debbies Six Word Saturday
Join us in welcoming Beth as she takes the lead on her first challenge with the Lens-Artists team! Let’s show her our support! Her chosen topic stormy – is bound to give us beautiful and impressive images.
I live in an area of the world where we do not have any big weather events; there are no hurricanes or earthquakes to disrupt our peace. Our storms, compared to those experienced in many other places, are very mild and often quite gentle. Even our winter storms are mild relative to regions that face extreme and heavy snowfall. This rarity of severe weather is seen in my amount of stormy images and I capture stormy sky I will have fun with it – that is take many shots of it as it does not happen often. My photographs for this challenge predominantly capture stunning, impressive cloudy skies. I have never been able to capture a lightning for example – not skilled enough nor have the patience to wait for the moment in the rain.
Visiting our son in Oulu last year, we took the opportunity to explore the beautiful Narrikari Beach, a spot known for its stunning views and calm atmosphere. As we walked along the sandy shore, we couldn’t help but notice the storm brewing in the distance over the Baltic Sea, the ominous clouds rolling in like a thick blanket. The sky was so impassive, dominated by dark hues that hinted at the impending tempest, creating a dramatic contrast with the beach’s tranquil setting. We stood there, feeling the cool breeze on our faces, captivated by the natural beauty and the raw energy of the approaching storm, which made that day unforgettable.
Dark skies in Key West often signal the approach of a tropical storm, casting an eerie yet captivating shadow over the vibrant landscape. This dramatic backdrop accentuates the brilliant colors of the sea. The scent of saltwater combines with the rain, creating a refreshing aroma that fills the atmosphere, while the distant rumble of thunder adds to the symphony of nature’s awe-inspiring spectacle.
A coastal scene showcasing a stormy sky with beams of sunlight piercing through the clouds, as two figures stroll along the beach in Nice, France. The color of the water against the dark clouds, I just loved watching the changing sky.
Monaco was graced by fierce, moving clouds that, in a magnificent display, chose to twirl gracefully around us. Their presence made the sky into a striking canvas, creating a dramatic backdrop for these images!
Winter, snowing – heavily – maybe even a blizzard is something that does occur in winter.
Thanks for this week’s challenge Beth from Wandering dawgs. Don’t forget to check out and participate in her challenge here. A special thanks goes to Sofia and everyone who participated in last week’s Mellow challenge; it was a joy to end the week with the serene moments you all contributed. Lastly, we invite you to join us next week as Anne takes the lead again on her Slow Shutter Speed site. Until then, keep on smiling.
Interested in joining our challenge? Click here .
This week is a “themed” Monochrome Madness week, and Brian is hosting. He chose clouds for a theme.
I love clouds; there’s something so captivating about their ever-changing forms and colors. Mostly, I take photos of them over water or a field, as the reflections and open spaces amplify their beauty. Ever so many of my favorites come from moments spent on the road, where the sky seems to stretch infinitely above. I can spend hours gazing at the clouds while traveling by car, —sometimes they look like soft animals, at other times like in the last shot – people. I find joy and inspiration in the simple act of observing the sky.
In Finland many could associate this cloud to a band …Leningrad Cowboys have listen and look at the hairdos 🙂
for some reason I could not find my “best” on the road cloud shots so I went with these..
The weather has been rather unpredictable over the past week, with a mix of rain, clouds, and sunshine. It’s one of the hallmarks of summer, especially in July, when the weather can fluctuate dramatically from one day to the next. This kind of variability keeps everyone on their toes, as you never quite know what to expect when you step outside.
For Leanne’s Monochrome Madness.
Clouds are a timeless muse, offering a canvas of ever-changing patterns and colors to capture. Whether they serve as a stunning backdrop to a landscape or take center stage as the main subject, clouds bring a sense of dynamism and depth. There’s something truly captivating about the interplay of light and shadow within the billowing forms of clouds, particularly when the gentle rays of sunlight peek through, creating a mesmerizing contrast of brightness and darkness.
– Mehmet Murat ildan
“There’s a bright spot in every dark cloud.”
– Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Leanne’s Monochrome Madness
On the road again. Lines and lanes leading us towards a beautiful sunset on the warm and wet Saturday here in Southern Finland.
For OneWordSunday and Cellpic Sunday
I don’t know why I am having such a hard time getting back to the groove of posting. I have not taken many photos, well of flowers I have, as I got several bouquets for my birthday and I needed to use them to get some nice flower shots.
Yesterday was a typical Finnish August day, sunshine and rain in sequence. I went to the seaside with the idea of sitting there and enjoy the scenery and relax, and take few photos. I did take some photos, but sitting there and relaxing, no. Did not happen it started to drizzle and rain. I did get some nice shots of clouds.
August is coming to an end, this morning I woke up to a thunderstorm – a good one. Lots of rain, and flashes and the pressure of thunder made windows resonate. It was so close. I should have gotten up to take photos, but I rather continued sleeping.
We have had what we a typical Finnish summer lately, that’s to say, constantly changing weather, rain, clouds, sunshine and anything between.
Lahti harbour is where you will meet us Lahti residents, and summer residents especially in the summer. The harbour is full of restaurants and cafés. We had coffee at cafe Kariranta Located in the old Vesijärvi train station building, Kariranta is the true gem of the harbour. Pastries baked in the café will make your mouth water.
We went there after having chosen the paint to our kitchen floor. We have always thought that it was old traditional gray paint used in old houses, and apparently it is, but actually it was green with gray tones. So weird 😊
Would you like to come cloud watching with me?
We can while away the afternoon
Just to step out of time is all we need
Looking out for the other rule
Cos there’s no place
I’d rather be
There’s no one
I’d rather see
Would you like to come cloud watching with me?
We can watch the world roll on by
Dreaming up all the endless possibilities
Staring into the open sky
Song by Abigail Dobson
This week, Amy challenges us to post some beautiful sky or cloudscapes.
what can I say, great topic. I have so SO many cloud and sky shots. When in a car I live watching the clouds, more often than not we have clouds in the sky here in Finland, it is m feeling, not an actual fact, but let’s go with that anyways. I did dig up some information about clouds, if not interested skip that and just view the photos. That is my thing anyways… enjoy. And Thanks Amy this was just up my kind of topic.
These are cloud types in Northern Hemisphere
 | Cirro-form The Latin word “cirro” means curl of hair. Composed of ice crystals, cirro-form clouds are whitish and hair-like. There are the high, wispy clouds to first appear in advance of a low-pressure area such as a mid-latitude storm system or a tropical system such as a hurricane. |
 | Cumulo-form Generally detached clouds, they look like white fluffy cotton balls. They show vertical motion or thermal uplift of air taking place in the atmosphere. They are usually dense in appearance with sharp outlines. The base of cumulus clouds are generally flat and occurs at the altitude where the moisture in rising air condenses. |
 | Strato-form From the Latin word for “layer”, these clouds are usually broad and fairly wide spread, appearing like a blanket. They result from non-convective rising air and tend to occur along and to the north of warm fronts. The edges of strato-form clouds are diffuse. |
 | Nimbo-form Howard also designated a special rain cloud category which combined the three forms cumulo + cirro + stratus. He called this cloud “nimbus”, the Latin word for rain. The vast majority of precipitation occurs from nimbo-form clouds and therefore these clouds are generally the thickest. |
Clouds in the Northern Hemisphere can vary depending on the latitude, season, and weather patterns. For example, in the mid-latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere, clouds tend to form ice more often and contain less liquid water than in the Southern Hemisphere. This is because the air in the Southern Hemisphere is cleaner and has fewer aerosol particles for cloud droplets to freeze around.
One of the most interesting types of clouds that can be seen in the Northern Hemisphere are noctilucent clouds, which are the highest clouds on Earth and can only be observed at night during summer months. They are made of tiny ice crystals and reflect sunlight from below the horizon, creating a blue or silver glow.
Noctilucent clouds are only visible at night during summer months because they are very high up in the atmosphere, around 76 to 85 km (249,000 to 279,000 ft), and they need very cold temperatures and low pressure to form. They also need sunlight to illuminate them from below the horizon, which only happens during astronomical twilight in summer at high latitudes.
Above are clouds and skies from finland, below sunsets from all Sri Lanka (man gliding) next to it sunset in India, the red moon. Unser it a sunset and clouds in Key West, Florida. The very blue and red sunset is from Cape Verde. The last three are from Australia.
These first three are from are skies from Florida. Next two from France – Nice. Last row is Italy, USA – California and last Australia- NSW
I invite you to join us this week to, challenge hosted by Amy to post some beautiful sky or cloudscapes.
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.
The photographer is a manipulator of light; photography is a manipulation of light. – Laszlo Moholy-Nagy
Trees I’ve also linked this to CBWC, I had to do this again as I somehow deleted it and totally made a mess.
Beautiful seaside views from Inkoo. I’ve also linked this to CBWC
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.
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.
Some building and barns seen I’ve seen this summer
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/ )
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 🙂
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/ )
The summer weather can be unpredictable, we are now under low pressure and have had sunshine and rain showers. We have spent this week at the country side. So my photos are this time naturally from here.
Sunny day clouds or dark clouds in the sky this sight makes me want stop and take a photo.
Clouds, something I noticed that appealed to me, dark clouds over the road and fields. I love watching clouds, often I take photos of them too as you may have noticed.
Nothing unusual, still so fascinating to watch. While driving the smaller countryside roads during the end of July and early August clouds have been a companion of our trips. Rain not so much, but clouds or many times even light gray. Those are not so inspiring to take photos of, but these intense ones, that is a totally different story.
The morning held a promise of a nice sunny day…then the clouds gathered giving me a nice photo opportunty.
Weather, something I notice everyday and at this moment listened to, and it appealed to me. Listen, listen to the falling rain…
Very mundane, still so pleasing. This song often comes to mind when listening to rain.
Listen to it pour,
And with every drop of rain
You know I love you more
Let it rain all night long
Let my love for you grow strong,
As long as we’re together
Who cares about the weather?
Listen to the falling rain
Listen to it pour
And with every drop of rain,
I can hear you call,
Call my name right out loud,
I can hear above the clouds
And I’m here among the puddles
You and I together huddle.
Listen to the falling rain,
Listen to it rain.
.
Nature, something I noticed that appealed to me, the contrast of dark clouds and golden fields.
Very mundane, still so pleasing. You can see its raining further in the back as the clouds are hanging low..
I annually visit Mustio castle. I love the beautiful park and the dock that is surrounded by water lilies. I have yet to unload my camera disk, these I took with with my mobile.
Ritva Sillanmäki Photography 