I managed to capture this rather idyllic winter scene as one of the last shots during an evening photo walk around my home neighbourhood at Torkkelinmäki, Helsinki two years ago, on 10th January 2010. Light frost crystals formed on tree twigs, as well as just about every other surface, combined with city background lighting made it look almost magical and very cosy.

Camera: Nikon D200
Aperture: f/3.5
Shutter speed: 1/3s
Lens: Tamron SP AF28-75mm F/2.8 XR Di LD Aspherical (IF)
Focal length: 28mm

These frosty blades of lake grass were captured in morning almost exactly a year ago, on 24th November in Urjala, Finland. Grass and the lake were covered by a thin layer of ice after a cold night, and the sun was still struggling to shine through the mist over the lake. I love this time of the year when the non-permanent snow and sleet haven’t yet taken over the streets.

Today the temperature was already below zero all day here in Helsinki, tomorrow morning might see the first snow of this year.

Camera: Nikon D300s
Aperture: f/4.5
Shutter speed: 1/60s
Lens: Tamron SP AF28-75mm F/2.8 XR Di LD Aspherical (IF)
Focal length: 38mm

I took this photo today while visiting Suomenlinna. The sun was partly obscured by the high clouds and it was starting to get darker even though it was only a quarter past three in the afternoon. I decided to take my fisheye lens for the spin and simulate some “low-fi” feeling with strong vignette, intentional out-of-focus and high granularity (ISO 1600). I think I managed to capture the slightly gloomy feeling of the autumn-verging-on-winter on the windy island.

Camera: Nikon D300s
Aperture: f/10
Shutter speed: 1/320s
Lens: Nikon AF DX Fisheye-NIKKOR 10.5mm f/2.8G ED
Focal length: 10.5mm

This photo of foggy autumn scene was taken today on 23rd October 2011 in Taivallahti, Helsinki. The blue structure disappearing to the low cloud is supporting a power transmission line and platform in the front is a summer terrace of the restaurant Meritalli.

Camera: Nikon D300s
Aperture: f/3.5
Shutter speed: 1/320s
Lens: Nikon AF 50mm f/1.8 D
Focal length: 50mm

This misty night scene of Siltasaari seen from Kaisaniemi was captured on 27th September 2006 just before half past 2 in the morning (or at night). The thick nightly mist encouraged me to grab my camera, stand and the backpack of lenses on a quiet, unhurried walk around the Töölönlahti in central Helsinki. I ended up returning over two hours later, and this shot was the last one during that trip.

Camera: Nikon D200
Aperture: f/5.6
Shutter speed: 0.4s
Lens: Nikkor AF-S 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5 G IF ED
Focal length: 38mm

The Pitkäsilta (Long bridge) in Helsinki reflected from the water was captured in the early evening of 21st March 2008. The neighbourhood of this bridge is one of my favourite places in my home city, especially when coloured by the setting sun or later by artificial lighting.

Pitkäsilta has long been considered both a geographic and cultural divider of different parts of urban Helsinki: the smoother, more expensive Downtown and other South Helsinki areas on the other side, and rougher “worker” parts of the city like starting with Kallio and Sörnäinen on the other. Today the distinction between people living on different sides of the bridge is obviously not as strong as it used to be one or two generations ago, “the side” is still part of the identity of many, certainly to me.

Camera: Nikon D200
Aperture: f/4.5
Shutter speed: 1/320s
Lens: Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8 AF-D NIKKOR ED
Focal length: 80mm

Regent’s Park, London on 8th April 2008. Two days before it was snowing there.

Camera: Nikon D200
Aperture: f/2.8
Shutter speed: 1/6000s
Lens: Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8 AF-D NIKKOR ED
Focal length: 200mm

An old-fashioned telephone headset hanging from a wire supporting a tram electric wires in the crossing of Unioninkatu, Liisankatu and Kaisaniemenkatu in Helsinki captured on 4th November 2007. Somebody must have thrown it on the wire. I’ve seen a lot of shoes hanging form wires in many parts of Helsinki, but this was something new.

Camera: Nikon D200
Aperture: f/2.8
Shutter speed: 1/4000s
Lens: Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8 AF-D NIKKOR ED
Focal length: 200mm

A wooden statue of a log driver, a man guiding floating timber logs along a river to a saw before a safer method of timber rafting was taken in use. The statue is made a neighbour of my parents living in Pielavesi, Finland. The surface of the statue is protected with tar coating, which makes is it’s surface look wet, but the dry snow reveals that it’s wintertime and the temperature is well below zero degrees Celsius. This picture was taken on Christmas Eve, the 24th of December 2006. It’s only about one o’clock in the afternoon, but the warm colors in the background indicate that the short winter day is coming to an end.

Camera: Nikon D200
Aperture: f/1.8
Shutter speed: 1/1600s
Lens: Nikon AF 50mm f/1.8 D
Focal length: 50mm

Early morning view at Machu Picchu, the famous, and now touristy Inca site in Peruvian Andes, captured on 20th May 2007. Yeah, it’s not the most original photo from the location, but it was the end point our 5-day trekking tour on the Salkantay trail (Mollepata- Salkantay – Santa Teresa – Machu Picchu). It sure felt nice to finally be there, and the views really are magnificent.

Camera: Nikon D200
Aperture: f/2.8
Shutter speed: 1/1000s
Lens: Nikon AF DX Fisheye-NIKKOR 10.5mm f/2.8G ED
Focal length: 10.5mm

Seems like there are many pictures from out Florence trip a couple of year back that I want to publish here. There’s just something about the light and colors that looks very nice. I’ll move into more gloomy ones when the winter draws near &emdash; or not. Well see.

Anyways, this loudspeaker in a tree in the Giardino di Boboli, Florence, Italy was captured no 14th May 2009

Camera: Nikon D200
Aperture: f/5
Shutter speed: 1/90s
Lens: Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8 AF-D NIKKOR ED
Focal length: 80mm

This serene early morning view over the river Arno in Florence, Italy was shot from our hotel balcony on 17th May 2009. For some reason I woke up early that morning, and after looking out I had to grab the camera to try and catch the passing moment of the beautiful dawn light over the still water. Too bad I can’t get myself up that early very often.

Camera: Nikon D200
Aperture: f/5
Shutter speed: 1/400s
Lens: Tamron SP AF28-75mm F/2.8 XR Di LD Aspherical (IF)
Focal length: 28mm

This heavily post-processed photo of a play figure in front of a wall of Mahjong tiles is results of a macro test session arranged on a living room table of my apartment on 24th February 2008. Sometimes it’s good to do something totally different and just play with the equipment to get inspiration and new ideas for photos.

Camera: Nikon D200
Aperture: f/5.6
Shutter speed: 1/60s
Lens: Nikon AF DX Fisheye-NIKKOR 10.5mm f/2.8G ED
Focal length: 10.5mm

This photo was taken in Westfjords region of North-West corner of Iceland on 29th June 2006. I was in Iceland for a week’s holiday traveling downwards along the west coast of the island with my friend Robert. The arctic nature can be very beautiful, especially during the intense summertime period. The partly cloudy weather was perfect for taking dramatically lit pictures, and driving with our rented car made it possible to step out and seize just the right moment.

Camera: Nikon D200
Aperture: f/3.2
Shutter speed: 1/5000s
Lens: Nikon AF DX Fisheye-NIKKOR 10.5mm f/2.8G ED
Focal length: 10.5mm

Taken on the last day of July 2009, this photo is from my parents’ house in Pielavesi. I like the diagonal formed by the outboard motor, the silent night-like feeling on the lake shore. And i do like to play with words.

Camera: Nikon D200
Aperture: f/2.8
Shutter speed: 1/750s
Lens: Tamron SP AF28-75mm F/2.8 XR Di LD Aspherical (IF)
Focal length: 35mm