Seven weeks without a bathroom

Sauna

This weekend we had reason to celebrate, as we finally - after seven weeks - have a bathroom at home. It took a long time to get the renovations done, and all this time we had to find ways to cope without a bathroom. As an example, we went one weekend to a hotel in Hämeenlinna, and you can guess what was the first thing on the agenda when we arrived at the hotel.

But now we have a bathroom, and a sauna, once again. There were big and small problems all the way, and some still remain, but at least we can finally get a shower and use the sauna. It is surprising how easy it is for things to go wrong when doing renovations, mostly due to miscommunication: things are not clear between the plumber, the electrician, the tile-installer, the painter, etc.

Coming back to photography, I have read and re-read the posting by David duChemin, who didn't like it when someone claimed that "The x100 is just a $1200 point and shoot camera."

I think I mostly agree with what duChemin writes, especially this part: "But as far as I know, beautiful photography has been created with pinhole cameras, antique rangefinders, and iPhones, as surely as a Ltd. Edition gold-plated Leicas and $10,000 pro-bodies have produced an astonishing quantity of crap." The camera does not make a photographer, that is for sure.

But here I have to disagree: "Leave the pointing and shooting for others. Your photographs are judged on their own merits, not the tool you used to create them."

Namely, my approach to photography can be summarized as point-and-shoot. I guess I have to explain. There are two types on automation here: one is the one where the camera decides what will happen when the shutter is pressed, using all kinds of "intelligent" automatics. This is something I hate, really, deeply, profoundly. Don't give control to the camera!

I use aperture priority and turn of all the unnecessary automatics, so that the camera is easy to handle, and I'll know what will happen when the shutter is pressed.

But at the same time, I'm trying to avoid too much thinking when taking photographs, preferring to take photographs intuitively, so that the conscious mind doesn't manage to get in between the intent and the act. So, I "point and shoot", trying to make decisions below conscious level.

This is not easy, and most often I need first to take 50 or 100 photographs when I'm getting "into the flow", and only then things start to happen. Well, there are exceptions, and sometimes it may be the first photograph taken after stepping out of the door which is the best of the day, but this is seldom indeed.

In summary, I would say this: Don't rely on the intelligence of the camera, and not on the intelligence in your head either. Embrace the flow.

Complications

Rain

Curled

Machine

Spring

I mentioned some time ago that we are doing renovations at home - and we are still doing, and will be doing for some time, thanks to some complications.

I may sound like Eeyore here, but that is not all. It seems that everything that can go wrong, will. Things ordered don't arrive on time. Or they arrive late, and broken. And then companies argue who is to blame.

Also, our car - which I had repaired in a garage three or four times some weeks ago - acted up: one of the headlights went off. Well, after a while I realized a wire had got loose, but this was another hassle.

And so it goes. But I guess it could be even worse. Maybe.

Commuting by bicycle

Roads

Signs

Ditch

Flood

Renovations

Night

This time of the year is not the best for commuting by bicycle, and it is not only the wetness and the gravel, but also the environment. The roadside scenery is not so great even usually, and now there is a great deal of construction going on. But later when spring advances it will be better.

We are doing renovations at home, making some things rather awkward, and causing all kinds of extra hassle most days. But I guess one learns to adapt to even these circumstances.