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.)