Snowflakes

Today was yet another magnificent winter day! The conditions were perfect for beautiful snowflakes. I had my camera along and managed to capture a few of the flakes.

Rest of the flakes are here: http://kansala.kuvat.fi/kuvat/Antti/2014-01-19+Snow+flakes/

 For tech geeks:

I used my Nikkor 85/1.8 with extension rings. This has become my trusted choice of weapon when I need to take some macros and don’t have too much time to think about the setup. Worked perfectly again.

Misty sun rise

My oldest daugter Oona wanted to have an early morning nature trip during our summer holiday. I kept on looking at the weather forecast to find a suitable morning.  Finally a beautiful misty morning was on it’s way. The previous evening we packed along some breakfast and set the alarm at 5:00 AM.

We headed out to the nearby fields in search of deer. Oona wanted to go and see them. She had binoculars along and I had my camera. I was hoping to get some nature shots.

It turned out to be even better than I had anticipated. We spotted two deer families:

And the nature was showing us some magic with sun rising on misty fields. The below is a shot of a crane (I think) in the mist. I really like this shot as it shows what the morning was like. Just magic! I encourage all of you to do these early morning nature trips! A few more photographs from the trip: http://kansala.kuvat.fi/kuvat/Antti/2013-08-03+Misty+sun+rise/

Nature turning green

Within the past few days the nature has really changed color from dull grey to light green. Trees are waking up, grass is turning green and the nature is getting ready for another summer. The above shot is from Villa Elfvik, here in Espoo Finland. The leaves of a rowan tree had just exposed themselves.

A few more nature related photos from today: http://kansala.kuvat.fi/kuvat/Antti/2013-05-12+Nature+turning+green/

Early morning mist

There is one positive thing about the kids waking up early – you get to witness how beautiful the nature can be in the morning. This photo is taken after a cold night that apparently created a magnificent mist in the air and frost on all the trees and bushes. The most beautiful thing about it was that the light and the composition of the mist was changing constantly. I stood outside without gloves taking photos until I suddenly realized that I could barely feel my fingers. It really was a special morning! Another one of my favorites:

This photo has a totally different mood, even though it was taken at the same time.

Rest of the photos are available at: http://kansala.kuvat.fi/kuvat/Antti/2013-03-31+Easter+sceneries/

Close-up spiders

I like the amazing world that opens up when you stop in the forest and start observing really closely what is happening around you. There are many creatures that you would otherwise pass by without noticing. The above spider was moving along a single line of spider web. This little fellow went almost unnoticed with the protective coloring: Continue reading