Announced by all the trumpets of the sky

Bicycle

Bicycles

Cars

Red

Bus stop

Snow

Walk

Books

We got a snowstorm today, wind speeds up to 30 m/s at sea, wave heights of 10 m, and 30-40 cm of snow on the ground. Traffic didn't get totally jammed, but didn't go all that fine either. In Helsinki I saw maybe six number 4 tram cars one after another when the first one had got stuck.

I didn't commute by bicycle or by car, using bus instead. Even though bus traffic was slow, at least it got you where you were supposed to go.

(Posting title is from the poem The Snow-Storm by Ralph Waldo Emerson.)

All the cities are like you anyway

Birch

So far we have got 8 cm of snow today. I commuted by bicycle, and even though I had 10 m/s headwind in the morning, snow wasn't much a problem, as in most places the wind had cleared the bicycle path. In some places snowdrifts had formed, and then one had to be careful with steering.

When I returned home there were more snowdrifts, but riding the bicycle was still quite all right. The wind direction had shifted and thus I didn't have a proper backwind, but at least I didn't have to go against the wind. It took 57 minutes to get home, only about 7 minutes more than usual, not bad. And with a car it would probably have taken longer, looking at the queues on the road.

I installed today a new wireless ADSL modem router. My old setup was a separate ADSL modem and a wireless base station, and there were a lot of wires and separate power units. There started to be breaks almost each day, requiring restart, and that was tiresome after a while.

The new box was surprisingly easy to set up, and connecting our five devices took only a little time. I remember how it has been sometimes, not getting things to work even after reading the instructions again and again. Well, I guess this technology is rather mainstream these days.

(Posting title is from the poem Drift by Brenda Shaughnessy.)

I see in thy gentle eyes a tear

View 1

View 2

Red 1

Red 2

I went today to Hämeenlinna, a city one hour drive north from here. I did take some photographs, but didn't have much interest in it. However, late in the evening I started to read Michael Freeman's book The Photographer’s Vision, translated into Finnish, and it was good, maybe great. I have read his two earlier books in the "trilogy", and even though the earlier ones were competent, this one inspires.

When looking at the few photographs taken today, I noticed an interesting pair of pairs of photographs, their difference in framing. Do you think the stories differ?

Oh, and yes, we did get snow during the night. I'm pondering whether to commute by bicycle tomorrow. A little bit of snow is promised, but it shouldn't cause too much trouble.

(Posting title is from the poem The Snow-Shower by William Cullen Bryant.)

Sleeping on a nest of bones

Curved

Bones

I commuted by bicycle today, and didn't take any photographs. Here are two photographs taken earlier. For some strange reason the streetside photograph brought to mind a photograph taken on Sunday in Meiko, showing bones lifted up to hang from a twig.

Tomorrow I'll travel a bit, and it may be that there won't be any postings here.

(Posting title is from the poem Gathering the Bones Together by Gregory Orr.)

Letting the landscape speak for them

Drops

Reflect

Harbor

Fence

Blur

Moon

I was feeling tired today, and there was a lot of things to do, one thing after another. But I got things done, that was good. For some reason I was thinking about friendship today, I don't know why, and should it matter?

(Posting title is from the poem Romantics by Lisel Mueller.)

Lengthen night and shorten day

Street

Lamp

Ditch

Yesterday I went for a walk after sunset. Length of day in now 6 h 43 min. One hour still to shorten...

(Posting title is from the poem Fall, leaves, fall by Emily Jane Brontë.)

Immerse yourself though it be but a drop

Kotolampi

Yellow

Mustjärvi

Pier

Ditch

Stump

Pine

Shore

Dark

Today I walked around five lakes in Meiko: Kotolampi, Mustjärvi, Kakarlampi, Immerlampi and Korsolampi. (Well, technically I only walked around four of these lakes, as I passed lake Kotolampi from the wrong side so that it was not inside my circular route.)

The walk took me two hours, and I took 372 photographs. The children stayed home this time, as the sickness with fever hasn't passed yet.

I took the opporturnity to make a longer walk than usual, using an orienteering map I got from a friend. I also took my old compass with me just in case, and I did use it on the return leg of the route, between lakes Mustjärvi and Kakarlampi. However, there was a convenient path there (although not on the map) and I didn't really need the compass.

There is quite a lot to explore at Meiko, although some parts are becoming already quite familiar. I tend to remember places where I have walked and got lost...

I met four people and six dogs during the walk, and I was the only one without a dog. Maybe this was due to weather. Maybe I got lucky, as it rained when I drove to Meiko, and also when I returned by car, but during my walk there wasn't much rain. Or I didn't notice it...

There was an interesting (and somewhat provocative) posting about artists and photographers at TOP yesterday. This definition was rather interesting: "I think an art photographer is a photographer with an opinion."

I don't think I would call myself a photographer if the term would be defined like this. I don't have an opinion. Or maybe it is more so that I do know that what I want to do with my photography is to get surprised, to see glimpses of the world I didn't realize before. But I don't have an opinion about my photographs.

Also, I'm not keen on showing only those photographs which are good. Most of my photographs suck. I delete 90-95 percent of my photographs right away, and of the remaining most still suck. But still I post them here. And the reason? To learn, to get a bit of feedback, to feel committed to taking photographs almost every day, and to be part of the community of photographers who show their work to others without claiming it is supreme. By failing we learn.

PS. Onion had some fun with people like me who take and post an excessive amount of photographs.

(Posting title is from the poem Paracelsus by Diane Di Prima.)

I swear she cast a shadow white as stone

Flowers

Look

Curves

Up

Museum

Jars

Today I went with my youngest daughter to the Finnish Museum of Natural History, as she was keen on having a look at animals and "rocks" there. The museum was quite busy at the entrance foyer, but in the exhibitions there was no rush as the building is quite large.

The museum is a nice place to visit, and especially good was to see signs encouraging people to take photographs and touch things.

(Posting title is from the poem I Knew a Woman by Theodore Roethke.)

And let her songs be loudly heard

Sea

Blue

Bus

Finally, weekend. It has been a heavy week, and I hope to be able to relax by going for a walk in the woods. But who knows... the sickness is still going on in the family, one child recovered, next one has fever...

(Posting title is from the poem George Moses Horton, Myself by George Moses Horton.)

The one whose daily work is close to prophecy

Street

City

I commuted by bicycle, which felt good, but I'm rather tired, because of all the recent busyness. A little bit of sickness - fever and sore throat are symptoms - is going around in the family, but luckily it hasn't hit me yet. Maybe the physical shock of the bicycle commute keeps up resistance to bugs ... at least one can hope it is so.

(Posting title is from the poem Unravelling / Shock by Nathaniel Tarn.)

You’ll always end up in this city

Morning

Helsinki

Gray

House

Bus

Yesterday I listened to a discussion about the city of Helsinki, how it is changing. It used to be so that from each part of Helsinki there were places where you had a view to other parts, so that in a way the different parts of the city communicated with each other. But now these avenues of vision are being closed with buildings, so that the city is becoming less open and closed within.

While standing on the steps of the parliament building today I saw that this is indeed the case. Sad to see the essential character of a city to be destroyed in such a manner.

(Posting title is from the poem The City by C. P. Cavafy, translated by Edmund Keeley And Philip Sherrard.)

Watch him probe his way out

Blur

Night

Oh yes! Commuting by bicycle felt good today, and even though the studded winter tires are heavier than normal ones, the new gear hub was great, as I didn't need to be so careful about switching between gears 4, 5 and 6. All in all, the commute was about as heavy as usual, and it was great to be out riding the bicycle.

After dinner we went shopping, and that was that, not much energy left afterwards.

(Posting title is from the poem Introduction to Poetry by Billy Collins.)