No new photos today (so far)

Meilahti hospital, originally uploaded by jiihaa.

The clouds of yesterday indicated a change in weather, and today we have had cloud cover and slight rain for most of the day. I haven't managed to do photography so far, so here is a photo from yesterday, a view of the Meilahti hospital in Helsinki, taken from the sea shore.

I have been thinking about the meaning of a photograph, from where it arises. I feel that a photo is a way of finding meaning from within ourselves. This claim about the nature of a photo can be formulated also this way: photography is not based on an external source from where wisdom springs forth - instead, the meaning arises from our directed consciousness. (The same has been noted about poetry, for example.)

But are all photographs meaningful? A few days ago the finalists of the "nature photograph of the year competition" were announced here in Finland. (The competition is organized by The Finnish Nature Photographers' Association.)

I was disappointed. (As also was Rane Olsen - posting is in Finnish.)

Perhaps I have been spoiled by the originality and quality of Finnish nature photography, but some of these photos didn't really offer a great deal of meaning for me. (Well, perhaps I'm just empty inside.)

As a contrast, I wrote earlier that Finnish photographers dominate wildlife photography. Those winning photos were great in terms of meaning and artistry.