Flickr Walkabout

The Grotto Series

2011-04-22T16:10:00.001+03:00

Of late I have been more and more in tune with an impressionistic side of self expression. The onset of spring has inspired me in many ways. "The Grotto Series" is an impressionistic approach to the mystical waters of a pool of water inside a grotto.

"Hallowed Black"

2011-04-07T23:21:00.001+03:00

Arch, a photo by svimes on Flickr.

Of late I've surprised myself on a couple of occasions, where I have started to use quite an agressive post-process filter called "Hallowed Black". In Lightroom terms it basically consists of kicking up Recovery and Fill Light, as well Contrast and Saturation quite aggressively. In addition the saturation of red and orange is decreased, whereas yellow and green are kicked up (+ some split toning). The end result is the heightening of any reflected light and exposure of minutest tones in the dark areas. It suits certain subjects as this one quite well, don't you think?

On Impressionism

2010-10-13T11:46:00.001+03:00

Delicate
Originally uploaded by svimes

In terms of wikipedia:

"Characteristics of Impressionist paintings include relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes, open composition, emphasis on the accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage of time), ordinary subject matter, the inclusion of movement as a crucial element of human perception and experience, and unusual visual angles." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impressionism

How to achieve this through photography, where brush strokes need to be post-process and often yield uninteresting gimmicky photographs?

What I've ended up doing is finding visual angles, which yield a sense of movement and accurate depiction of light through refelction on bodies of water, be they poinds, rivers, lakes or the sea. To me the post-process is still not the main thing rather coming up with these shots in a "natural" way.

This approach of course narrows down the subject matter quite somewhat, but I've been thinking about applying this to portraiture as well. :) Anyway, impressionism seems to be an interesting approach to expression and I will continue to investigate it.

Galleria MYSTIC

2010-10-03T13:23:00.001+03:00

Galleria MYSTIC
Originally uploaded by svimes

Bicycling past the gallery
you seem to be unaware
of its existence.

The thought above is a contemplation of the relevance of art in this society...

Does art matter?

What do you think?

Lactarius Rufus

2010-09-20T13:55:00.001+03:00

Lactarius Rufus
Originally uploaded by svimes

Had a nice weekend in the woods and came back with approximately 30 liters of Lactarius Rufus. In terms of the end product, we ended up with approximately eight liters in all. In addition, we bagged some 10 liters of different types of Boletus namely Boletus Edulis, Boletus Pinophilus, Leccinum Scabrum, Suillus Variegatus, Suillus Bovinus, Suillus Luteus, Suillus Granulatus and Xerocomus Subtomentosus.

These Lactaria were preserved in vinegar or ligtly salted and frozen. It took me nearly six hours to cook them last night, since Lactarius Rufus needs to be cooked before it can be preserved or eaten. The net volume of all the lactaria ended up approximately 8 liters, 6 frozen and 2 preserved in vinegar.

Thinking of...

2010-08-29T23:45:00.001+03:00

Thinking of...
Originally uploaded by svimes

Thinking of green pastures
galloping madly in the sun
fresh hay between my teeth
or just savoring the freedom.

Lightroom Presets

2010-08-29T15:36:00.001+03:00

Lively Discussion
Originally uploaded by svimes

I am really fond of the new preset templates I found on the Adobe Website for Photoshop Lightroom. Well, to be honest I'm thrilled because someone had created three Ansel Adams presets, which replicate the "Kodak" tone control created by Ansel Adams. My BW shots just got better tones from now on. ;)

Chateau Gaillard

2010-08-25T22:00:00.001+03:00

Chateau Gaillard
Originally uploaded by svimes

The white rocks of Les Andelys on top of which Richard Lionheart built Chateau Gaillard were unconquerable, were it not for the sewers. :)

Avenues of the Sea

2010-08-22T10:12:00.001+03:00

Avenues of the Sea
Originally uploaded by svimes

It was quite interesting to watch the steady stream of ships making their way to their destination, slowly but surely.

Fun, Fun, Fun, in the Sun

2010-08-20T01:47:00.001+03:00

Fun, Fun, Fun, in the Sun
Originally uploaded by svimes

Saint Malo has a very idyllic beach, which was bustling with activity when we visited it.

Low Tide

2010-08-19T00:33:00.001+03:00

Low Tide
Originally uploaded by svimes

I think I enjoy sunsets more in monochrome, since you can get really nice contrasts and tones with that light.

Test of Time

2010-08-17T13:42:00.001+03:00

Test of Time
Originally uploaded by svimes

Test of time: water against wood.

Lycanthropic Vision

2010-08-15T23:01:00.002+03:00

Lycanthropic Vision
Originally uploaded by svimes

The moon is calling to me
and my blood is singing.

Brahehus

2010-08-15T22:29:00.001+03:00

Brahehus
Originally uploaded by svimes

Cold tones have rarely set on my images, in the post process, but somehow the bleak history of Brahehus called for bleak colors. Brahehus sit on top of a hill close to the village of Gränna in Sweden. It is a magnificent place overlooking the lake Vättern. I climbed the footpath up the steep hill to take this picture. On the top I realized that the lazy people could have taken the E4 to it. ;)

Poesy

2010-08-15T13:10:00.001+03:00

Just created a new Flickr group Poesy

Had I Known

2010-08-15T10:11:00.005+03:00

Had I Known
Originally uploaded by svimes

Had I known what those languid summer days brought back to me.

I would have never required you to do anything else except just to be there.

Déjàvu

2010-08-13T23:43:00.001+03:00

Déjàvu
Originally uploaded by svimes

Several times I have been struck by the feeling of promnesia when either capturing an image or being in the process of post-processing one. This feeling that someone has already captured this shot is so strong and prominent that one tends to reminisce whether one has witnessed a marvellous image which has been embedded in the subconscious and upon capturing the new image one is struck by the feeling of precognition. Precognition itself is the alternative, whether in a dream state or something that is foreseen. I personally am in favor of the previous, where I believe our influences stem from what we have seen and popular sights are bound to be recaptured time and again, hence the Déjàvu.

Electra

2010-08-13T00:33:00.001+03:00

Electra
Originally uploaded by svimes

I am fond of old bicycles and motorcycles for that matter. They seem to possess the aesthetics that modern appliances lack. Well I guess utility beats aesthetics, since I would not like to take Electra for a ride in the woods. ;)

My HCB Moment

2010-08-12T00:31:00.001+03:00

Espresso
Originally uploaded by svimes

I like coffee and apparently so does he. To be honest him walking into the shot made it a photograph. Otherwise it would have been a bland shot down the street taken in the old town of Köln. You cannot plan these shots, you just have to be there with your finger on the trigger I guess. :)

Creative Commons

2010-08-11T12:15:00.001+03:00

Streaks
Originally uploaded by svimes

I've started noticing that due to the licensing I have chosen, people have started using my images (with due credits) in various places. For example this photo appeared in http://www.yesmagazine.org/blogs/sarah-van-gelder/the-meaning-of-the-solstice-in-a-finnish-village

Since I'm not trying to make a living out photography I can afford to license my photos in this manner. Even if I were a professional photographer, I think Flickr might be a nice channel to promote once work.

After all, let's face it, if you post something publicly, there is very little control you have on its usage after the fact.

Slowly

2010-08-11T07:55:00.001+03:00

Slowly
Originally uploaded by svimes

One of the big topics for this summer was low light photography and in the coming weeks and days, I will post a number of low light shots taken in Germany, France and Sweden. I think this shot benefited from the movement of the barge across the shot. Rendering it with a high contrast also added a nice mood to the shot, don't you think? I used bulb for the exposure, that's why the exposure time is an odd 1.6s.

Pic a Day

2010-08-10T13:29:00.001+03:00

Rhein
Originally uploaded by svimes

I have a backlog of images to upload taken on my vacation, but this year I thought I would upload the public photos one per day. This will not be visible in my photostream per se, since the photos are added into the stream the date they were taken. Time travel is possible after all. ;)

... a hole in the sky

2010-07-26T20:41:00.001+03:00

... a hole in the sky
Originally uploaded by svimes

We spent this summer's holiday journeying to Normandy through Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Belgium and Holland. All in all we were on the road for 28 days. Two adults, three kids and a big dog may sound like a nightmare to most, but thanks to ipods, Harry Potter and good weather we managed to make the most out of it.

In terms of photography I tried to focus on composition, tones and exposure. In addition I tried to leave room for the second and third impressions covering more angles than I normally do. This shot is an example of the fruits of such an endeavor. It is well into and past the "prime light" of this scene, but the mood the tone and the story told by the shot stand out ( I think ). I am not going to divulge what my impression of the story is rather leave it up to you to interpret.

Lots of backlog to cover, photos to edit and impressions to share. Stay tuned whoever you are. :)

Copyrights, Copylefts and so on...

2010-02-23T16:19:00.001+02:00

White
Originally uploaded by svimes

Yay!

As an amateur photographer it warmed my heart when Santiago Alonzo from a South American marketing company http://www.emelatam.com/ contacted me and asked for my permission to use two shots in their publication detailing the history of the automobiles. This warmed my heart for two reasons:

Ego: Of course it is nice to have something deemed worthwhile for a publication.

Copyrights: I'm glad to see that people honor copyrights, since I've used the following license for all of my public photos: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/deed.en I feel that this has not diminished my photos in any way, rather than making it easier to actually view my work.

More details will follow as I learn them... :)

Black and White Contest

2009-10-16T20:00:00.003+03:00

Ferris Wheel
Originally uploaded by svimes

This shot was nominated a shared #1 one in a peer review style photo contest held in this group. You can see the rest of the contest shots in this thread.

Yay! :)

Flickr Super Six

2009-10-01T22:44:00.001+03:00

Splash
Originally uploaded by svimes

Long time no blog. I have been extremely busy, but for the past couple nights I've tried to showcase some of my shots to other Flickerites. One way to make your photos seen is to post them in different groups. One such set of groups is the Flick super six of:

1. Flickr Bronze Award
2. Flickr Silver Award
3. Flickr Gold Award
4. Your Art Has Touched The World
5. Universal Elite
6. Andromeda "50"

It's quite a "pyramid scheme" in a benevolent way, where you post a photo in the Bronze Award group and hope it will get promoted to a higher level. :) The idea is that you post a shot and award 5. If your photo gets 10 awards, you can post it in the next group.

At the moment this shot has been promoted to Flickr Silver Award. Let's see how far it will travel. :)

Second Place :)

2009-08-17T20:06:00.001+03:00

Ride on! Ride on!
Originally uploaded by svimes

One of my photos was selected eligible to enter a photo contest for nature photos. This particular contest involved water shots selected from the group Nature's POT-of-Gold. The particular contest was called #14 Water Den {Round 35}.

The contest works as follows:
1. Eligible photos are entered into the contest.
2. All the participant must vote for three of their favorite shots in the contest (excluding their own).
3. The votes are tallied and three photos are nominated as winners.

My photo "Ride on! Ride on!" was placed second in this contest, yay! :)

Simple joys of life, eh? ;)

Mental Note

2009-07-28T15:25:00.001+03:00

Underground
Originally uploaded by Johanna Blankenstein [+JoJo+]

Stumbled upon Johanna Blankestein's wonderful shot of the underground canals. If I ever have the chance to visit 's-Hertogenbosch "Den Bosch", I'll sure take a peek in the underground canals. Apparantly, you can take a boat ride through those canals. "Bosche Bollen" is a keyword for finding this place on Google Maps for example. :) Apparently it is some kind of local chocolaty delicacy.

http://www.meat.recipes.ubr.com/meat-recipes/bosche-bollen-recipe.aspx

Beats Per Minute

2009-07-26T23:18:00.001+03:00

Beats Per Minute
Originally uploaded by svimes

While rummaging through old film material I stumbled upon this shot, which had been used as a background for a party flyer. Shot originally on Ilford Delta 400 with ASA/ISO 200 and underdeveloped, which yielded a very "tight" grain.

100 Views

2009-07-24T10:10:00.001+03:00

Ride on! Ride on!
Originally uploaded by svimes

Statistics. One of the devious tricks Flickr does is provides you statistics on the number of times each photo has been viewed by other flickerites. This photo is my first to reach 100. I know it is not much, but I like the fact that ~100 people have taken time to view this shot amongst the gazillions shots out there. Yay! :)

On Sets

2009-07-23T12:41:00.001+03:00

Furniture
Originally uploaded by svimes

I've always believed that through photography you should be able to tell your story with just one shot. A series of photographs rarely shed more light on the subject. On the other hand, I have secretly admired people who are able to create meaningful sets of photographs, which accomplish this task. I decided to try this out and created a series of five photos, which in my opinion tell a story of everyday life in Kallio, Helsinki. You must view the photos in large size, since they contain more than meets the eye at first. Please let me know what your impression on the series is. How well have I managed to tell a story and what is the story in your opinioin?

Helsinki

2009-07-23T11:54:00.002+03:00

Ympyrätalo
Originally uploaded by svimes

Yesterday, I started a new photo project which I have been meaning to commence for a looong time, namely to document the urban surroundings of my home town Helsinki, Finland. Helsinki will reveal itself to you in two formats, namely B&W and in color. I started out with Kallio, which has transformed itself into a very vibrant part of the city, with a lot of small retaurants, clubs and young people in general.

My attempt is to portray the ordinary every day views of the city and its life in photojournalistic manner. Let's see if I can accomplish this task and if it will bring you new insights into places, which you may have overlooked or not even known existed. :)

R2D2

2009-07-22T23:38:00.001+03:00

R2D2
Originally uploaded by ilmojensankari

Having read one of my friend's travel blog Let's Japan. This must be what their experiences looked like. ;)

800

2009-07-22T01:23:00.002+03:00

Freezing
Originally uploaded by svimes

This photo, abandoned in my photo collection marked my 800th photo uploaded to Flickr. :)

Flesh Eating Zombies

2009-07-21T23:03:00.001+03:00

Go!
Originally uploaded by Johanna Blankenstein [+JoJo+]

For some reason this shot reminds me of zombie movies, where you have your protagonist trying to survive in an otherwise deserted city. If it weren't for the FLESH EATING ZOMBIES! ;)

I guess the posture of the pedestrian triggered the impression, who knows? =)

Akseli Klonk Nukketeatteri

2009-07-21T17:18:00.001+03:00

Pieni tinasotilas
Originally uploaded by svimes

2009-07-06 kävimme porukalla katsomassa Oulun vauhtipuiston junateatterissa Akseli Klonkin Nukketeatterin versiota sadusta "Pieni tinasotilas". Esitys oli oikein mukaansatempaava, vaikkakin aika epäkonventionaalinen. Näytöksestä tallentui mm. tämä otos, jonka yritän tätä kautta välittää esiintyjille. :)

Kiitokset mieleenpainuvasta esityksestä. Harmi vain, ettei "Ruma Ankanpoikanen" päässyt lavalle asti myöhemmin illalla. ;)

Linkki vauhtipuiston sivuille.

On Digital Photography

2009-07-21T16:15:00.003+03:00

Ride on! Ride on!
Originally uploaded by svimes

I took this shot almost four years ago. It was the first summer with a DSLR and the freedom of digital photography seemed almost magical. Having dabbled in photography since late 1980's, to me digital photography has taught a lot about lighting, composition and most importantly photographic expression. Being bound only by the limits of a memory card, makes you feel free. Free to experiment, free to fail, free to learn from one's mistakes. On the other hand, it may lead to snappish shots, which have no message, which portray very littel feeling, mood or impression. The change has most likely also killed the film industry (and I'm not talking about movies here). Photographs on paper have not dissappeared, but digital forums such as Flickr would not exist without digital photography. OK, enough rambled, I'm foaming at the mouth. ;)

On Panoramas

2009-07-21T15:13:00.001+03:00

Muumipappa ja meri
Originally uploaded by svimes

Panoramas offer an extended view of a scene along one axis, which normally is the horizontal. "True" panoramas consist of shots "stiched together" on that axis. I simply like to perform 1:3 crops of my pictures to offer a panoramic view of the subject. This suit landscapes, cityscapes and waterscapes alike.

On Perspective

2009-07-21T15:00:00.001+03:00

Railway
Originally uploaded by svimes

Perspective makes landscape photographs seem more three-dimensional. The viewer's point of view must lead his/her eye into the picture and the perception of the scene must then lead to something that pauses the viewer's gaze. This all may sound very formulaic and it is, but to deviate from the "norm" requires a very functional counterbalance to actually work as a composition.

In this shot I've attempted to create a natural illusion of a three dimensional space. The perspective is achieved through the usage of the railway as the element, which leads the viewer's gaze. How do you feel about "rules" on creating a perspective?

On Selenium Toning

2009-07-21T14:21:00.002+03:00

Rush
Originally uploaded by svimes

Selenium toning suits certain subject matters very well. One of those subjects, which selenium toning becomes certainly is water. In this shot I've tried to capture the nature of a wave hitting solid rock. Please let me know how well I've succeeded in that goal.

Kesäloma 2009

2009-07-21T14:19:00.003+03:00

2009-07-03 Poroholma
Originally uploaded by svimes

Sain lomakuvat käsiteltyä ja latasin ne Flickriin omaksi setikseen. Suuri osa kuvista on nähtävillä vain kavereille ja perheenjäsenille, mutta osa ei. Kuvat on ryyditetty polveilevalla matkakertomuksella.

Kuvat ovat täällä.

Kartta reitistä.

The Art of B&W

2009-07-20T22:58:00.001+03:00

Originally uploaded by sleachim

Black and white photography is a form of art, in which to succeed you must think about form above colors. Tones of gray, black and white is all you have and thus you must emphasise the form. Michael Schlegel has managed to capture a nice form of the river with very few colors indeed. :)

View from the Pasila TV-tower.

2009-07-20T22:44:00.001+03:00

View from the Pasila TV-tower.
Originally uploaded by ilmojensankari

Night time photography is a very difficult art to master and my friend Ilkka has captured a very nice image from very high above ground zero Helsinki. :)

On Juxtaposition

2009-07-20T22:16:00.001+03:00

Old and New Tallin
Originally uploaded by svimes

Juxtaposition as a technique to contrast visual elements with one another to emphasize their similarities is one of my favorite tricks. It seldom succeeds, but with this shot I feel that actually managed to juxtapose something that actually conveys a message. What it is, remains for you to judge, eh? ;)

... notes champêtres ...!!!

2009-07-20T22:08:00.001+03:00

... notes champêtres ...!!!
Originally uploaded by Denis Collette...!!!

Denis Collette is an inspiring photographer, whose mastery of impressionism as a device to dazzle our optic nerves is truly amazing. I continue to marvel his shots as they flickr by in my daily perusal of the Flickr service.

Eyes

2009-07-20T21:55:00.002+03:00

Monkey
Originally uploaded by Cecilie Uglehus

Eyes are the window to a soul, which if you view this shot as a mirror may reflect something about us as modern day netizens. Our eyes hungrily devour imagery without really pausing to introspect what we behold. In my mind nice, wonderful, fancy or a fave! just don't seem to cut it. If I want to comment on a photo, I want to say something meaningful about the shot. How it has touched me or what exactly has prompted me to use my time to comment on a photo.

This photo inspired me to blurt out this because of the monkey's captivating gaze. :)

Flickr

2009-07-20T21:48:00.001+03:00

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.