Fontaine de Médicis with autumn leaves

Fontaine de Médicis

This week's theme in 'Two 4 Tuesday' is 'Clean - Dirty'. I feel that Fontaine de Médicis in Paris (Jardin du Luxembourg garden) nicely symbolizes the eternal struggle that it takes to keep things clean and tidy and at the same time you have to use common sense on how much time, money and other resources, you are willing to spend on getting rid of autumn leaves on a ground, etc.

Related material:
Paris, France

Harmaahaikara (Ardea cinerea)

Tansanian matkalla otettuja lintukuvia läpikäydessä ja lintuja tunnistaessa törmäsi yllättävän usein tilanteisiin, joissa huomasi, että tämä lintu on sukua Suomessa asuville kottaraisille, tuo lintu on sukua Suomessa asuville lepinkäisille. Silti yksi niitä harvoja lintuja, joiden kohdalla onnistuimme näkemään lajin, joka todellakin esiintyy Suomessa ja Tansaniassa oli Harmaahaikara. Harmaahaikarahan on Suomessa pitkälti muuttolintu, mutta nykyään on joitain rohkeita yksilöitä, jotka jäävät Etelä-Suomeen talvehtimaan.
Ylävasemmalla oleva kuva on otettu Espoon Otaniemessä sijaitsevasta Maarintornista ja yläoikealla oleva kuva puolestaan on Tarangiren kansallispuistosta Tansaniassa.

Lisämateriaalia:
Harmaahaikara matka.kuvat.fi:ssä.

Snowshoe tracks form a line

Snowshoe tracks

This week's theme in 'See It Sunday' is 'Line'. Even though all photographs probably have some kind of lines going here and there, it took a while to come up photograph that I was willing to pick up as my entry for line.
Photograph was taken in Kätkätunturi, which is one of the big fells near Levitunturi ski resort in Lapland. They have nice crosscountry skiing routes around Kätkätunturi, but if you want to get to the top of fell in wintertime, you probably want to leave skis into cabin and pick snowshoes, because there are good snowshoe tracks through the woods to top of fell.

Jalanjäljet Sansibarilla ja Sotkamossa

Lauantaipäivän lumipyryn seurauksena ajattelin, että olisi hauska julkaista kuvapari, jossa on rinnan Sansibarin rantahiekkaan painuneet sandaalin jäljet ja Sotkamossa joulunpyhien aikaan otetut jalanjäljet lumessa.
Nämä jalanjäljet saattelevat meitä hyvin tuleviin valokuvahaasteisiin. Blogin tähänastisen "historian" aikana torstaipäivät ovat olleet ehdottomasti suosituimpia. Tästä menee kiitos Valokuvatorstain viikkoteemoille, joiden kautta tulee enemmän lukijoita kuin mistä muusta lähteestä.

Lisämateriaalia:
Sansibar, Tansania
Sotkamo

MediHeli landing in rainy day

"It was dark and rainy day..." is one of the most typical words for starting really bad detective story, but this photograph of MediHeli (medical helicopter in Helsinki, Finland) making landing to Meilahti hospital was taken on rainy night.
I was waiting for bus to arrive, when I heard its sound. At first I was wondering if its Frontier guards or some other helicopter, which would flyover, but when I saw that it was MediHeli and it was going to land, I quickly grab my camera and took this photograph. You can see rain drops flying across helicopters headlights.

Related things:
Photographs from Helsinki

Extreme closeup on Leopard

Extreme closeup on Leopard

This week's topic in 'Photo Friday' is Extreme Closeup. I guess original goal of this challenge has been to gather macro photographs, but since I "just" came back from safari, I decided to use closeup photograph about color pattern in Leopards skin.
No animals were harmed, when this photograph was taken in Serengeti.

Porontimajoki, wilderness cabin in Kuusamo

This week's topic in Photo theme for Thursday is "BUILDING" (House, Hut, Tent, Skyscraper, Green House,...). I was originally fascinated about the idea of posting photograph about tent, but after little bit more thinking, I decided that this photograph about Porontimajoki wilderness cabin in midnight is more interesting for audience.

Related material:
Porontimajoki (large version)
Porontimajoki at Hiking in Finland blog

Keittiö kaupunkiyksiössä

Valokuvatorstain 125. haasteen aiheena on 'Keittiö'. Aihetta ensin miettiessä tuli mieleen, että pitäisikö arkistoista penkoa esille kuva keittiössä leivotuista pullista, piirakoista, tms., mutta päädyin lopulta kuvaan ensimmäisen asuntoni keittiössä. Kyseessä oli vanhassa ennen sotia rakennetusta talossa olleesta kaupunkiyksiöstä, josta remontin yhteydessä purettiin tarpeettomat seinät ja koottiin paremmin omia tarpeita vastaava tila, jossa oli kylpyhuone ja tupakeittiö. Tupakeittiössä kaksi seinää varattiin keittiön tarpeisiin ja muu tila oli työpöydälle, parvelle, yms.

Lisämateriaalia:
Keittiö (suuri versio)
Sammatintie 6-8

Jungfraujoch in Switzerland

I took short break from ABC Wednesday, but now I am back in business with new blog, which is completely focused on photo memes and such. This week's letter in 4th round of ABC Wednesday is J. After little bit thinking, I decided that J is for Jungfraujoch in Swiss Alps.

The Jungfrau is the third highest mountain of the Bernese Alps. One would imagine that such place is hard to reach, but you can nowdays do it with your dancing shoes, if you step into Jungfraubahn railway, which runs inside the mountain, to the Jungfraujoch railway station at 3,454 m, the highest in Europe.
Once you reach your final stop,
A large complex of tunnels and buildings has been constructed at the Jungfraujoch. There is a hotel, two restaurants, an observatory, a research station, a small cinema, a ski school, and the "Ice Palace". You can also take walk outside and look down to the Konkordiaplatz and the Aletsch Glacier, as well as the surrounding mountains.

Related stuff:
Jungfraujoch (large version)
Week in Wengen, Switzerland

Hot water in cold country

This week's topic in 'Two 4 Tuesday' is 'Hot - Cold'. I was originally planning to use snowshoe tracks from Lapland and hot spring in Azores, but after seeing Lavonardo's photograph about Chili in ice, I decided that I have to find something that combines this week's topics. Once that was decided, I was able to limit search to my photographs from Iceland, land of ice and fire.

Related material:
Hot water in cold country (large version)
Week in Iceland

Etelän Kruunukurki (Balearica regulorum), Tansania

Päätin laajentaa Poissa Toimistolta blogin konseptia siltä osin, että meemien lisäksi lähetän tänne viimeisimpiä lisäyksiäni matka.kuvat.fi sivustoni kuvista, mikäli en ole kyseisenä päivänä osallistunut mihinkään muuhun kuvameemin tms.

Kurkilintuihin kuuluva Etelän Kruunukurki (Balearica regulorum) oli osa minun viimeisintä kuvaerää, jonka lisäksin Tansanian Suursafarin yhteydessä otetuista valokuvista koostettuun Safari albumiin.

Scope on this blog has been widened so that if I don't participate any photo memes on given day, I will send some of my latest work in matka.kuvat.fi photo site to here as well. Today's picture is about Grey Crowned Crane, which I photographed in Serengeti National Park during my vacation trip to Tanzania.

Lisätietoja:
Etelän Kruunukurki (Baleatrica regulorum) (suuri versio)
Tansanian suursafari
Kaikki kuvani Etelän Kruunukurjesta

So much is lost in time (about history in Peru)

This week's topic in photo theme for Thursday is "TIME" (Hourglass, Clock, Calendar, Wristwatch, Hurrying,...). I decided to take slightly different angle to the topic and came up with following kind of interpretation.
Incas' had rich culture in South America before Spanish conquistadors came, conquered and completely ignored local customs, history, etc. When historians arrived years later, it was already too late to get everything properly documented and as a result we can still debate on what role Machu Picchu, Sacsayhuaman in Cusco, etc. played among Incas.
Similar kind of events have happened throughout history with different players, but it is always sad, when information gets lost due to peoples ignorance towards other cultures.
Blade Runner movie has nice quote about how things get lost in time:

I've seen things you people wouldn't believe.
Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion.
I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser gate.
All those moments will be lost in time...
like tears in rain...
Time to die.

- Batty in Blade Runner movie

Related material:
Central Square in Machu Picchu (large version)
Photographs from Peru and Inca Trail

Guard Tower in Great Wall of China

This week's theme in Two 4 Tuesday is 'Organized - Clutter'. I think old guard tower in Great Wall of China (between Jinshanling and Simatai villages) covers both bases pretty well, because the construction has required lot of designing, implementation has required organizational skills and wall itself has well defined structure.
Unfortunately time, vegetation, weather and peoples' need for construction material can be quite deadly combination and as a result these walls are not in same share as they used to be on its early days.

Related material:
Guard Tower in Great Wall of China (large version)
Photo album about my trip to China

Keveyden ääntä

Valokuvatorstain 123. haaste pohjautui seuraavanlaiseen tekstiin:

"Mieli kuvittaa - mielen tekee mieli ottaa kokonainen kuva elämästä. Mieli koittaa tallentaa viimeiseen asti, mutta me olemme riisuneet muistomme välineen ympärille: kuvalla lähtemisestämme emme voi viestiä muuta kuin keveyden ääntä:"

Juhani Ahvenjärvi: Kahvin hyvyydestä (SanaSato 1997, s. 44)

Kuva on otettu Helsingin Vallilassa sijaitsevan talonyhtiö Sammatintie 6-8:n pihasta. Pihan ympärillä on 40 vaahteraa ja se on muutenkin kaikinpuolin hieno ympäristö. Siitä voisi koittaa monenlaisia kuvia, mutta silti se säilyy kuvia paremmin omissa muistoissa. Jos siitä kuitenkin pitää ottaa kuva, niin parhaat tulokset tulee, kun koittaa etsiä sieltä jotain kaunista ja kevyttä ja ikuistaa sen kuvaksi.

Lisämateriaalia:
Ensilumi kaupungissa (suuri versio)
Kuvia Sammatintieltä

Broken in South America

This week's topic in 'Photo Theme for Thursday' is "BROKEN" (Smashed, Worn Out, In Need of Repair, Ripped, Torn,...). When I saw the topic, I immediately remembered this old car from streets of Lima, Peru. It looks like it could fall apart at any given moment and I remember that I kept on wondering, how they've been able to get it parked so nicely by the street.

Related stuff:
Spare parts (large version)
Photographs from my trip to Peru and IncaTrail

Old - New in Scotland

Original version of Eilean Donan Castle was built in year 1220. Along the years, it served couple clans, but its luck ran out in April 1719. At the time, it was occupied by Spanish troops as part of Jacobite rising. These troops were unable to defend castle against Royal Navy and as a result, it was captured and demolished by British troops.
Things stayed this way for quite while, but in year 1919 Lt. Col. John MacRae-Gilstrap started to rebuild this old castle and it was completed in 1932.

Related stuff:
Eilean Donan Castle (large version)
Week in Scotland

Piposta vedetty

Valokuvatorstain 122. haasteen aiheena oli 'Piposta vedetty'. Minulle tuli tästä mieleen taikuri, joka silinterihatusta nostaa valkoisen kanin. Koska nyt joudumme silinterihatun sijasta tyytymään pipoon, niin samassa yhteydessä valkoinen kani pitää vaihtaa urbaanimpaan vaihtoehtoon eli citykaniin, jonka tulin viime kesänä kuvanneeksi Lapinlahden sairaalan lähellä.

Lisää aiheesta:
Citykani artikkeli ylitalot.net:ssä
Citykani (suuri versio)

Window or Door in China

This week's theme in Photo Theme for Thursday is 'Window or Door'. My choice falls to door, because I selected scene that I saw couple years ago in Chengde, China. Chengde was one of many locations, where Chinas emperor had summer places. Summer palace in Chengde was used as a place for hunting and other similar activities.
To get back into gate, I am really more fascinated about what is on the other side of the gate, but unfortunately we didn't have time to look into it ...

Related information:
Round Gate in China (large version)
More photographs about China

Big - Small in Nepal

Prayer flag

2nd challenge in Two 4 Tuesday is 'Big - Small'. I ended up with two photographs from Nepal. While the small payer flag is something like 20x30cm (10x15 inches) (?), I was mildly disappointed about their small size, when I saw them for the first time in Nepal. However, when you have hundreds of them lined up next to each other, it comes quite big and impressive installation as you can see from below.

Prayer flags in Katmandu

Related information:
More photographs from Nepal

Murtumia

Geysir

Valokuvatorstain 121. haasteen aiheena oli murtumia. Valitsin aiheeksi valokuvan Islannissa sijaitsevasta Strokkur-nimisestä geysiristä, jossa vedenpinta on pumpannut ylös alas, kunnes se on saavuttanut pisteen, jossa veden pintajännistys ei vain enään kertakaikkiaan saa pidettyä vesimassaa koossa, vaan pinta murtuu ja vesisuihku ampaisee taivaaseen.


Lisää tietoa aiheesta:
Islanti (18-23.6.2004)