Forest Spirits in Seitseminen Natural Park

I must say the forest is a magical place beyond imagination. Protected, ancient forests such as this 400-year-old forest in Seitseminen National Park are extra special places that ought to be respected. Fortunately we do have forests, such as this one, still standing and keenly visited by people from all walks of life.   There is definitely a difference between a natural, old and diverse forest and a commercial forest. I just wish we would have more protected forests like this one.

Me and my family visited the forest this week and there was so many people there admiring the beauty of the forest and just generally spending their day in nature. This to me confirms that the Finnish nature is still in the hearts of the people.

I took some pictures in the forest, but I was being attacked by the mosquitoes so it was a bit hard to concentrate! (by the way, I have been using fresh lemon as a natural repellent for mosquitos and it does work! I just had not taken enough care when applying it prior to entering the forest...)

What I was especially drawn to in the forest was the quirky natural formations, that to me look like forest spirits.I do have a vivid imagination, but I am sure others will see them too!

Have a great Sunday evening!

Snow in June

When I am abroad, people always ask me "Does it snow in Finland in the summer?". I always laugh and say no. This time, however, I was wrong!

 I could not believe my eyes when it started snowing last Tuesday morning 17th June. So after my initial shock I of course ran upstairs and grabbed my camera. I don't think I have ever seen snow in June before. I am almost certain of it. So I have not had much practice on focusing the camera on snow flakes like this, it was suprisingly hard! But like I have said before, I do like blurry Photograps, so lucky me! :)

I am hoping the weather starts to warm up again, since this summer solstice was nothing short of freezing cold! Apparently it was the most coldest midsummer in 30 years...!

Summer solstice Magic from Rautavaara

It is a magical time of the year, the midsummer solstice. In Finland we have many traditions regarding this special time, usually involving wild flowers and such... So in the spirit of some Finnish midsummer magic I am posting a few pictures I took last weekend in Rautavaara, Finland.

In these pictures there are some exquisite (a word my art teachers loved to use!) lingonberry flowers, arctic star flower and 'northern Labrador tea' or wild rosemary.

Finland is so incredibly beautiful!

Magical weekend to you all!

My parents Garden in June

 

 

   

Last night I was exploring my parents garden and the beautiful flowers blooming there some of which would be considered 'weeds', but I find them beautiful anyway.  

Perhaps next time I will introduce the beautiful Kale, too! 

Moon light & the Nightingale

What I love about photography is that the picture is made of light. I am from Finland, where light is very limited during winter (which always feels like forever), so it can be very tricky to take good pictures in limited light conditions without a tripod. In the summertime, however, even the night is light. I spent last summer in Morocco, so I missed the Finnish summer nights quite a bit and now that I am in my hometown again for the summer I am planning on taking some pictures.

The night before last the moon was out and I heard the thrush nightingale singing beautifully from my balcony. It was a magical night. What caught my attention was the Moon light that appeared in the shape of a Celtic Cross trough my window. I wonder if that is a normal light phenomenon when the moon light shines trough a multi layered window? I will see next time the moon is out again.

I have always loved long exposure photography, but then again I do not have the expensive gear (or that much patience) to take that to the professional standard level....But still, I enjoy it. So I will continue experimenting with my photography and I do quite like the photographs that are a bit blurred and out of focus.

These pictures were taken on 9th of June around 1 am in Valkeakoski, Finland.