photography – Page 46 – Ritva Sillanmäki Photography

52 Frames: Week 15: Extreme Closeup!

this week I have been taking close-up shots. Time to get up close and personal with an Extreme Closeup. If you are thinking this is the MACRO challenge, it is NOT. If you go to the dictionary, you’ll find a closeup is 1. a photograph, movie, or video taken at close range and showing the subject on a large scale. “a closeup of her face” or 2. an intimate and detailed description or study.

I did the winter worn hydrangea again, as the date on the picture has to be same as the weeks challenge. I took shots of the dry flower I had in in bouquet I had couple weeks back. I also have shots of my cat Tinka, but I have to look them thought and edit.

What can you tell your viewer by pushing in close?
What do you want to bring attention to?
Try to find an interesting detail or feature – heck, the most mundane of objects can have something striking if you look closely enough. That’s what this challenge is all about – take a moment to look closer and see those details that are often overlooked.

so simply put, move in and fill your frame with your subject. The idea is to get right into a subject, and have that subject fill the entire frame. You can zoom in with any lens you have, and your feet also make an excellent zoom feature, just walk close to your subject!

PS. This week like last has been hoping and praying that the snow would melt, but it is happening so SLOW!!!! The southern facing slops are free of snow, but our backyard, come on this has 0-40 cm snow. So not much to spot of the spring wonders that delights me every year…

April Saturday

Captures from Finland, Landscapes

I am so waiting for spring and summer that I drove to this small shop in the countryside that this lady keeps in her barn and home to buy linen clothing which is so nice to wear. Natural fabric and bright colors are the items she brings from Italy to her shop. I did not need anything but I did end up buying a green linen dress, a fuchsia linen tunic, necklace, and scarf to match the colors of the tops I brought. I cannot wait to wear them.

That what I wrote above is why I took these photos on our way there, I mean come on, April and the day was as wintery as it could be, it snowed several times during the day. Well, new snow is the death of the old snow as a Finnish saying goes.

snow covered field in April under grey skies

52 Frames, Week 14: Nature! #2

Flowers, Nature

Details from nature is my other option, the ball hydrangea has weathered the winter well, and I love how the structure and texture has begun to show. I know I have taken similar shots before, on many occasions, but honestly near home there is not much that inspires me at the moment. So, any opinions as what to post as my entry for week 14 ?

Nature shots aren’t restricted to wildlife out in the middle of nowhere. Nature Photography is here to make us feel connected with our home, this pale blue dot 🌍 we call earth. Go out and capture the beauty that surrounds us all.

Macro shots of ball hydrangea after winter

52 Frames, Week 14: Nature!

Flowers, Nature

Nature shots aren’t restricted to wildlife out in the middle of nowhere. How about a starry night shot with a long shutter? Or the waves of the ocean with a high shutter speed to freeze motion? Not possible for me, we have snow, rain an slush… still!!!

Nature Photography is here to make us feel connected with our home, this pale blue dot 🌍 we call earth. Go out and capture the beauty that surrounds us all. I took these of the hill that is just behind our backyard. Capturing weather, snow.. and the the trees on the fill.

the wind has slightly let up…but still snowing pretty heavily

Nature in detail was my option, the ball hydrangea has weathered the winter well, and I love how the structure and texture begin to show. I know I have taken similar shots before, but honestly near home is not much that inspires me at the moment. So any opinions as what to post as my entry for week 14 ?

52 Frames, Week 13: Emotion

People

This week, in search for emotion and someone to photograph, I think I have over used my model, so I gave him a week off 🙂 I am full of emotions, I took some selfies as I had no one to else available had a busy week at work and did not getting anything done. No grandkids live near any more, because their expressive faces would have been so easy to capture true emotion.

On to a “creative-led” challenge this week! Really the core of what photography is about, the core of EVERY story – Emotion. Strong photos should tell a clear story and evoke feelings in those who see our shots.

What could emotion look like? Perhaps the happiness reflected in the eyes of a child, the look of love shared between a couple, the joy of a team celebrating their latest win on the football field or even the pride of a baker showcasing their latest creation. Human emotions run deep and are varied – we can be pensive, or be battling our inner demons – introspective portraits can tell compelling stories.

Slightly optimistic, I will come up with something…

Or just happy ….

Day trip to Porvoo

Captures from Finland, Cities

Visiting old town Porvoo is always a treat, it is such a picturesque place to visit.

it might be cold but to enjoy coffee outside is very tempting

Same, continues

Flowers, Photography

I have not done much, so only thing I’ve really taken photos of is my flowers. They are beautiful so why not. Tinka enjoyed them too.

weekend bouquet

Flowers

I found this beautiful bouquet when looking for flowers to bring to a friend I was to visit. I ended up buying two bouquets, one for me and the other to take to her. Here are some detail shot of it, it is has so many beautiful details that I just have to share the joy I get from it.

Fluffy hay

Flowers

Details from my weekend flower bouquet.

Sunset

Captures from Finland, Landscapes

“There’s a sunrise and a sunset every single day, and they're absolutely free. Don`t miss so many of them.” – Jo Walton

Sunrise

Captures from Finland, Landscapes

“We need to be reminded sometimes that a sunrise last but a few minutes. But its beauty can burn in our hearts eternally.” – R. A. Salvatore

Shipyard

Captures from Finland, Cities

This shipyard in Helsinki is on standstill due to the Russian war attack going on in Ukraine. We went for lunch to a restaurant in front of it and obviously I took some photos, it is not the prettiest sight but it is a nice photo opportunity even though the window and the plex glass windshield outside.

There were these two boat restaurants waiting for the summer season to open their doors in the foreground.

I’m walking

Captures from Finland, Cities

I’m walking, I’m walking, walking in sunshine.

Helsinki seaside on a sunny day with the mist rising in the back and taking over the sunny sidewalks soon after these photos were taken.

52 Frames, Week 11: An Activity!

People

I have been recovering from an oculoplastic surgery, I look like an owl. I have since Thursday been doing cold treatment, eye drops and antiseptic cream in eyes several times a day. So trying to get a shot of any sort of activity has been a challenge.

But we did go out for lunch yesterday so I took some shot then. I actually sat in the restaurant with my sunglasses on the entire time, felt a bit silly, but no way could ruin other peoples appetite by showing my eyes.

This week, in search for An Activity

At any given point of time, we’re all doing something, so let’s capture that this week and shoot An Activity. This week’s challenge is deliberately open-ended and is there for you to make the most of your creative juices. Basically, think of a verb, something ending in -ing.

Capture a moment in time that depicts someone doing something. Set the tone of the image to add more depth and emotion to your shot. Think about why you want to capture this particular scene and how you can best convey that to your viewer. How ? Make good choices with your lens, composition, lighting and of course, how you edit your image in the end.

me watching hubby dropping snow from the patio roof..

Color or black and white.

52 Frames, Week 10: Low Key!

People

This week, we’re going low, or at least shooting Low Key.

A low key image is going to have shadows, dark tones and, in a lot of cases, the subject of the photo is the only thing shown off with your lighting.

And speaking of light, there is usually only one source of lighting, but be careful because you could shoot with one light source and still not be hitting a true low key photo.

A low key shot draws the viewer’s eye to your subject with no distractions. Think drama, intensity, and moodiness.

If you’re thinking low key is only for studio work, think again! You’ll see in our examples great low key photos of wildlife, architecture, even landscapes.

Low key photography doesn’t mean it has to be a black and white photo. It’s the overall dark you find in the tones, not the absence of color, though that works, too.

Mist morning

Captures from Finland, Landscapes

still posting photos that have a small painterly feel to them.

Winter road

Captures from Finland, Landscapes

This photo turned out a little bit like a painting

I am posting this photo as it looks slightly like a painting, muted tones, not so crisp and I like it for some reason.

A touch of spring

Captures from Finland, Photography

We are having a beautiful day with temperatures on the plus side and you can hear snow melting, but do we still have lots of it to melt.

My husband was doing his best to give the spring help by making creeks so that snow and ice would melt quicker

Texting and conversations

Black and White photos, Interiors, People

Texting is very loose in its structure. No one thinks about capital letters or punctuation when one texts, but then again, do you think about those things when you talk?

“Producing a photographic document involves preparation in excess. There is first the examination of the idea of the project. Then the visits to the scene, the casual conversations, and – talking, and listening, and looking, looking. … And finally, the pictures themselves, each one planned, talked, taken and examined in terms of the whole.”

52 Frames, Week 9: Reflections!

Captures from Finland, Interiors, People

I did have an idea at to begin with to this challenge, yesterday I was given too many options. If you have read or seen any of my posts you will know, well, I have a dilemma . Drove to Helsinki to check out the beautiful city library, the whole square where it is located is full of reflection opportunities.

Light. That’s the medium photographers create their art with. We usually play with light and shadows but this week we’re going to try something often overlooked – Reflections. Boost your photo’s aesthetic by using reflections – add more depth and complexity with this aspect of photography and see the world in a whole new way.

The first shot is not from there but from my office window as I thought it came out rather nicely.

Office view from my office to a traffic circle in Kirkkonummi.

Be creative and think of using symmetry with mirrors or tangentially, go beyond the literal. Visualize your composition, be patient and don’t hesitate to try new stuff out to get a great shot.

Take time to observe your surroundings for cool opportunities out there or feel free to make your own indoors. Just ask yourself: “What is the light doing here ?”

Support for the current situation in the world can seen in reflection

Music hall and Helsinki sign reflected from the opposite building

Reflections on entrance to the Oodi library

Oodi is a striking building with its glass and steel structures and wooden façade, its design a combination of traditional and contemporary flavours. The energy-efficient library is an impressive calling card for Finnish architecture.

Below are reflections on the Music Hall in Helsinki

Cable Factory

Captures from Finland, Cities

It has been a busy week at work, spring is arriving with speed as light time is about 40 min longer every week. It was such a joy to wake up today and the sun was already lighting the woods at the back of our house.

The situation in the world is unfortunately causing anxiety, as we share a long border with Russia. So much information, so many variables and really how much can you take in. I tend to work my daily thoughts in dreams and at the moment, it feels like I am combining what I watch on tv, even as light television shows about home fix shows, to war, and my daily life. So I can say lots of things are happening in my head.

So not to be too messed up, here are very structural photos 🙂 of buildings and interiors from Kaapelitehdas (cable factory) in Helsinki.

Lights and costumes

Captures from Finland, Interiors

Yesterday, when visiting the Theater Museum in Helsinki. There was lights and actions as small visitors had fun with the props they had at display.

52 Frames, Week 8: Rule Of Thirds !

Captures from Finland, Interiors, People

I had no idea to begin with to this challenge, but as we yesterday went to a museum tours, it kind a came to me. The new locations and the lights there and few moments captured my attention. I have 20 hours to choose what I am going to submit. Want to help me?

The first one I liked that the girl in the phot and the subject where both looking down. same but with to different compositions. These are from Pictorialism – the Dawn of Photographic Art

The Rule Of Thirds – one of the earliest photo composition techniques that an aspiring photographer comes across in their photo journey.

It’s simple, versatile, and effective in many situations.

It’s a classic for a reason – it works well and improves photographic composition immensely.

Simply put, place two vertical lines to divide the image into 3 equal columns and two horizontal lines so you also have 3 equally-sized horizontal rows so the entire scene is divided into 9 segments. (Think, tic-tac-toe grid.) Place points of interest in the scene where the lines meet to improve the overall look and feel of the image.

These are from the Theatre Museum.

Flower Fun

Flowers

First two thanks, to Leya and Lisa for inspiration. And yes you can become addicted to this.

Nice weather

Captures from Finland, Landscapes

it snowed yesterday, a lot! We got so much snow in our backyard, well in the front too 🙂 I took these first three this morning during the blue moment. The others a little bit later, you can see how it effected the colors.

52 Frames, Week 7: Unexplored!

Captures from Finland, Interiors

I had to struggle with this, as the weather did not in anyway give any reason to want to go and explore. It was a really wet week, there was slush everywhere, angle deep in places. It has been raining or snowing most of the time, not my kind of weather.

The great unknown – it’s often a good idea to visit new places and experience new things. That’s why this week, we’re encouraging you to take shots of places hitherto Unexplored.

You can find new places and experiences wherever you are – in a bustling city or an idyllic rural setting and everything in between. Take a moment to think about what you want your image to portray – excitement, beauty, nostalgia or even something poignant. Since you’re likely going to be in a new place, do be patient with yourself and the surroundings.

Well, one place near by saved me, it was not totally unexplored as I have been there once before. It is only a little white lie..