Rest point

Golden hour over the fields of Ruissalo island

Summer fields

Taken very late in the night, at Ruissalo island. 

Naantali sunset

Taken from Naantali, overlooking the archipelago. It could be a great place if it wasn't for the mutated mosquitoes that happened to be immuned to the repellent spray.

Cherries and warmth

Weather has been really nice recently! 

We finally got some of my beloved black cherries from the local marketplace. They've been a true summer delight!

 

I also got a very warm, soft and fluffy birthday present - a nice big pillow and an amazing blanket from the Swedish design house 8mood.

Oak in the mist

Midsummer 2013

Midsummer eve brought us gorgeous skies and lovely weather. We went to Naantali island to watch both President's and the city bonfires. 

It's a bit of shame that the night was stormy, so there was no chance of getting any sunrise photos.

 Naantali's bonfire

 

 President's bonfire

Not so Supermoon, but still quite big and bright for the region

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

Stormscapes

Taken at Ruissalo

Timeless

Taken at a pier on Ruissalo island. The thick fog made the pier look like it's high in the nothingness, while it's just above water. While the photo was taken, a ship was passing by the pier, but it wasn't even a bit visible. One could hear only the engines and the waves.
A very eerie feeling.

Prints at Deviantart and 500px

The golden hour

Taken some time ago at the beach of Ruissalo

Monday business and rain

Monday is on, bringing rain and fogs. 

Apart from the Finnish language course, I'm preparing for a university entry exam, I applied for International Business Bachelor program . Fingers crossed I won't get screwed by math this time [even though the chance of failing is much higher than getting in].

There's also an environmental project on the horizon, and if there's a green light for financing, I'm in. Let's hope on that.

Here's a shot to match the weather, and in a way the Monday mood:

DICE central in Stockholm

The big glass building is the home of gaming industry milestones such as Minecraft and the Battlefield series. The DICE central in Stockholm is quite a magnificent spot in the downtown area.

PS: Little birdie in the foreground is a tiny duck "sailing" on a piece of ice in mid-February

The Warp series

 

Taken at random time and places around Finland.

Sunshine forest

As summer is approaching, the sun starts to set right "in our living room", giving quite nice photo opportunities.

 

April spring report: snowfalls

After few weeks of sunny, though cold weather, most of the ice covering the cycling paths managed to melt. Just when we thought that spring might be finally coming, we woke up today to see the landscape covered in white. I guess we won't be having green for another month or so. 

Frozen seas and fallen stars

Taken at Ruissalo, while the sea was still quite frozen. The wave-like shapes form when ships pass and push water to the sides, making new layers of ice.

Edit: The photo was featured into the Tumblr Landscape tag

 

Snow blizzard and back pain

We had some really bad weather here, in Western Finland this weekend. For now, the snow blizzard is gone and sun is shining again. Sadly I couldn't enjoy it much, due to horrible back pain that pinned me to the couch. It appeared for no reason, I'm only hoping it will go away soon.

Gorgeous sunny Sunday afternoon, captured from our balcony

as amazing sunset

Cold nights, frozen sea and ships passing

We took a walk around Ruissalo, since the sea is frozen and there are shortcut paths going on the ice. While we were taking photos, that happened about 50 meters away from the ship - a Finnlines cargo ship passed really close, so we had to take some steps back to the shore, just in case.

Sadly, there hasn't been a clear night since this one.

Violeta

Sunny winter squares

Few winter shots, new and old ones. 

We've been going out these days a lot, so lots of new pictures are cooking. Stay tuned!

 

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