Midsummer tonight + Supermoon

This is one of the Ruissalo beaches, a truly lovely place. Hopefully tonight there won't be many people so we can get some Midnight sun and Supermoon photos. 

Here are two posts from last year's Midsummer:

one | two

Video Sunday: A look inside an Ink factory

via PetaPixel

Winter sunset at Ruissalo

 

One of the very few sunny days we've had in months. 

Finally, the brightness lasted longer than 10 minutes, so we could take photos.

Location is Ruissalo island, part of the Turku archipelago.

  behind the scenes shot by Kalle

Violeta

Top 12 images of 2012

I went through all of my internet accounts and picked the Top 12 images. 

They have most votes, faves, +1s and are generally most liked. 

12

Infinity

Taken in October, during a walk at a hill nearby. 

That day was one of the very few for several months, when one could go out and take photos, without pouring rain from above and swamps beneath.

 

If you're interested in technical details, you can see the settings on 500px .

for prints, check on deviantart

11

Stockholm under heavy skies

Taken in February, during our first visit to Stockholm. 

I absolutely love the architecture of this city, it's gorgeous and very memorable. 

For camera settings, check on 500px.

For prints, on deviantart.

Here's a before/after of this shot:

 

 

10

Sail away

Taken in September, while the White nights were at their end. The location is a pier at the end of Ruissalo island, a very favourite place to me, especially for taking photos.

You can find camera settings and location info on 500px

9

A panoramic shot from July, taken very close to Turku.

It's made by combining 4 vertical shots, then tone-mapping in Photomatix pro.

For camera settings - 500px.

8

Illuminated 

This is Topi, one of our two gerbils. He's looking towards a paper lamp.

The shot is from April.

 

 

7

Before the storm

Taken in September, during a period of very intensive storms. The shot was done from the top of a watch tower at Ruissalo island.

The panorama is made out of 2 vertical shots, combined in Photoshop CS6, edited in Lightroom 4.

For camera settings and location info - 500px

6

Taken in July, during the White nights. 

Location is the main beach of Ruissalo island, and the time was close to midnight.

The incredible White nights are a period when sun doesn't set for whole summer, or goes just below the horizon for a few hours. This year was my first experience, and I'm definitely looking forward to next summer.

5

A very simple shot from August, during one of the regular cycling trips I did to Ruissalo. 

Sunrises are very early - around 4 a.m. At this hour all the wildlife is still out - wild rabbits and deers running in the fields, even on golf courses. 

4

Sunset ferry

One of my most favourite shots from this year, and the first time I really appreciated the White nights. 

It was taken in April, close to midnight, from a moving ferry touring the Turku archipelago. 

For camera info and location - 500px

For prints - deviantart.

3

Carnival of Light

Taken in October, during Linnanmäki's annual Carnival of Light in Helsinki. It is celebrated as a mark for end of the season.

Taking the long exposure shots was tricky, because almost right after the skies went dark, it started to rain. However, the droplets caused more interesting bokeh, which gave more lights to the skies, and light is all what this carnival is about.

For camera settings and location - 500px.

2

Spin

Another one from Linnanmäki's annual Carnival of Light, and probably my favourite shot from the series.

For camera settings - 500px.

1

The shot that got it all for this year.

Biggest achievement was to get featured on 500px's popular page and it meant a lot to me, as I greatly admire 500px as a source for very high-quality images and inspiration. 

Location is exactly the same as the previous shot. 

For camera settings - 500px.

For prints - deviantart.

 

Here's a colourful version of the same image, due to common request:

Alright, well, this is it.

 I'm wrapping this year as being the most successful to me, when it comes to photography. I learned a lot, discovered a lot more, became much more engaged in communities such as Google+, and I'm thankful for all the new contacts I made. 

 I'm also thankful to you, who keep reading and sharing this blog, liking my images all over the internet. This post is to a big extend a tribute to you, because after all, this is your selection of choice.

Thank you once again.

Violeta