Taiko Chao

Eesti – Horvaatia / Estonia – Croatia

Tauno Ööbik — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 11:36:52 +0000

Estonia’s football team is having a new match today, against Italy. I was out there and shooting Estonia’s last international game against big name Croatia. These are my memories from that game.

Watch it in HD on Vimeo: http://vimeo.com/14665152

Seems I have to upgrade my vimeo account to be able to play back embedded HD content on my site :/

Self Portrait / Autoportree

Tauno Ööbik — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 00:27:50 +0000

I’ve been wondering, if I should pick up acting…

Peaks ehk näitlema hakkama…tunnen kihku juba mõnda aega.

Jakob

Tauno Ööbik — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 15:46:07 +0000

I figured, baby pictures don’t need to be cute. Usually we relate with babies happy atmosphere, some stretch it to constant pressure where they try to entertain these little beings all the time. Forcing to be happy, deceiving the little being with false illusions about life. Later phases in life it could become a stress. I believe these little beings are much smarter when they come to this world than they often get to be later in life. Smiling is a happy state, but there are so much more variations during single day we are in. I would like to call it a normal state. My guess is that picture like this will stand much better against the stand of the time than many smiles altogether can do. We are what we are.

Lately I had a thought that getting kids is a tough since it forces you to come out of your safe cave and constantly start to give out your energy to someone. Of course it is hard and tough job. Thats what life is, though! I totally understand the problems we have in the society that population is ageing almost everywhere. It is a cause that we have distanced from life so much that something what is natural has become a challenge we prefer not to take on often at all. Illusive pleasures of western culture are deceiving in many ways, it presents unnecessary pleasures as necessity. I figured that with every kid you will have in a relationship, with every kid you need to start to build your relationship from ground up again. There is nothing constant. As first kid came and relationship started to settle after a while, new one comes and everything starts again beating you up more. People change, which is best part about it. You will grow together with your wife in a way which is impossible in any other way. But you may grow apart as well, most cowards tends to flee in situations like that than to bend their hearths. This is why I truly respect families which have stood test of the time, and that more I respect those who have decided to get kids as well. My greetings go out all to you, who have decided to step out of the comfort zone!

Valjo / Unguarded Moment

Tauno Ööbik — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 10:11:29 +0000

This I believe, is my strongest picture yet. Sublime in it’s honesty. Where I feel, the words loose their necessity.

He is a 77 years old, been His whole life drivers teacher. Thundered the country with automobiles, now he mostly spends his days sitting, reading and waiting. Reading does not have much point since he immediately forgets the stories. Sitting is safe since if going for a walk, it could end up bad as well since he may forget the way back. He is waiting until someone asks if he would like to have a tea or supper. Waiting when the children are coming to visit. Once that moment arrives, he lights up. He lives for the moments.

Nonetheless, I guess with that picture I came closest to that quote:

… a Newton photograph captures private moments, private lives, a chilling sense that we are glimpsing raw, unprotected souls

Eevi

Tauno Ööbik — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 11:58:58 +0000

As I was walking around in the neighborhood gardens where my mother-in-law lives I noticed this little beautifuly crafted garden house. I asked the owner of that house to the picture after I had lighting set up. I wanted to see how they match up with each other. I had an thought to do couple more portraits with others in that environment as well, but that thought did not stick to me very long. It seemed somehow wrong, this world is Hers. And now it is captured for generations to come.

Eesti Emad / Estonian Mothers

Tauno Ööbik — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 19:49:18 +0000

Vanavanemad / Grandparents

Tauno Ööbik — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 12:41:17 +0000

My grandparents have remained largery a mystery for me. Mostly because I remember them from so young age. All of their lives ended with a tragic and while I was too young to notice anything exceptional about it. I know there were lot of issues and it was not always good spending my summers by them, but still. Some of the best memories from my childhood are realted with them. And all of them with situations where my granfather or grandmother did things unintentionally. It was not like “ooh kiddo come here bluti bluti you want some candy?”. It was more like what they were and how they lived. This kind of country living is gone from our country I believe. But reflections of it can be seen many places still, thank God. I remember them in positive fashion, like memories are often, sweeter than a kiss or candy.

Now, my own little offsprings are discovering the world in their own way. Picking up memories of me and their grandparents as they go. And this is certain, I woud never have thought that my kids would have grandparents what they have for now. It is surprising how God fixes things sometimes. My grandparents left too early for me and yet my kids have the blessing to run into the sea and be thrown into the sea by their grandparents. This is Large life.
Marriage is a good thing, what you may get from your wife’s side might be annoying but for certain you may get something good as well. If you are lucky, it all compensates for you what you lack. Go marry and get kids!

Kraanikeeraja / Tap isssues

Tauno Ööbik — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 10:38:50 +0000

Story goes like this. In the old soviet type buildings there is no way to control the heat what your apartment gets in the winter. Often it happens that with cold days apartments are under heaten by heating system and on warm days it is too hot. The region where this dude lives are 60% of the population russians. Which makes pushing through some needed decisions quite hard. Bright minds would like to modernize the old heating system and add little control boxes to every radiator which would allow apartment owners to regulate the temperature themselves. But the problems is that they cant get majority of needed voices together in community for successful contract. Since many apartment owners are afraid that if they do not install new system to their apartment, they need to pay more compared to the ones which have the system installed. So they stall and prefer to see everyone paying more…

Snowflake / Lumehelbeke

Tauno Ööbik — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 22:06:16 +0000

Neide 30+ kraadi ilmadega tundus värskendav näha arhiivis talvist pilti lumehelbekesest :)

With these 30+ celcius degree killing summer days it felt refreshing to see a snowflake photographed last winter.

Past is blinding / Minevik pimestab

Tauno Ööbik — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 21:51:41 +0000

Some time ago I heard an old Indian saying which goes like this: “Your past is before you and your future is behind you. Thats why you can not see your future clearly, your past obscures your view. First you have to accept your past that it is keeping your future back from you. Your future will catch you anyway, no need to worry about that.”

That way of thinking allowed for me to clear my head. Looking the things other way around helped me to stop worry about my past. It did not tear me down anymore with its hopeless burden but faced me with the truth that if I want to go on I need to put the past beside. Like something I do not need anymore.