Stairs in Museum

Stairs in museum of contemporary art

Digital Photography School had article about Getting Up High and how change on your perspective can create interesting photographs.
In April, I already presented one such photograph about Kamppi shopping mall, but I decided to dig up little bit deeper into archives and found this one photograph about stairs in Kiasma, which is museum of contemporary art in Helsinki, Finland.

More photographs:
Kiasma and rest of Helsinki

Fell Highlands

Back to Guivi wilderness hut

This week's theme in Photo theme for Thursday is "EARTH" (Sky, Clouds, Mountains, Rivers, Trees, Plants, Flowers, Rocks, Soil,...).
As soon as I saw the topic, I started to go through my photographs from Kevo Strict Nature Reserve. Most of the hikers go there to get glimpse of Kevo Canyon, which is 40km long 80m deep (at max) canyon-like valley. Since you've already get there, people also like to go and climb to top of Guivi, which is one of the fells near Kevo Canyon. The journey between fell and canyon is something that is called fell highlands in outdoors.fi and fell upland in Wikipedia. Either way, photograph on top of this article has been taken, when we started our return trip from Guivi to wilderness cabin (4km away). There was lot of wide open space around it without any signs about humans presence (except for the path that we were following).

More photographs:
Kevo trail with sidetrip to Guivi fell

Olo n:o 22

Olo n:o 22

It is 2nd week on 5th round of ABC Wednesday, so this week's letter is B.
My choice for the letter is ball. Metal balls in photograph are part of outdoor sculpture called "Olo n:o 22". With that kind of name, you would expect that it consists 22 metal balls, but it has 50 of them around piers in Hietalahti, Helsinki.
"Sculpture" has been there since July 2000, but it still intrigues photographers in such a level that their is flick group dedicated for this outdoor sculpture.

More photographs:
Ruoholahti, Hietaniemi and other close by areas

Mother and cub

Mother and cub leopard

This week's topic in Two 4 Tuesday is 'Dog - Cat'.
Usually, when I've participated Two 4 Tuesdays themes, I've tried to come up with solution that has both words in it. This week, they came up with two words that I can't put into one photograph, so I decided to take just one word, but to make it up in size.
This photograph was taken on a grasslands. First we saw mother in one direction and then we noticed cub on other direction. Finally they came close enough to fit into one frame. Cub was slightly nervous about all safari jeeps, but mother didn't seem to be bothered about them. Instead of wandering away, it actually decided to take cover in jeep's shadow.
Those of you, who have been reading this blog in past, might recognize that you've seen photograph about these two cats three months ago chilling out. That photograph was posted three months ago, when I was participating Photo Friday with Extreme closeup on Leopard.

Related photographs:
Safari in Africa

Raate

Raate

Raatteen tien taistelu on monille suomalaisille varmaan tuttu ainakin nimenä. Raatteen tien taistelu tapahtui tammikuun ensimmäisellä viikolla 1940 osana Suomussalmen taistelua. Neuvostoliiton tavoitteena oli saada vallattua kapea kiila Suomen poikki Ouluun ja sitä kautta jakaa Suomi kahteen osaan, jotka olisi voinut yksi kerralaan valloittaa puna-armeijan tieltä. Suomalaisten joukot onnistuivat kuitenkin katkaisemaan hyökkääjien huoltoreitit, estämään heidän perääntymisen ja muutenkin tekemään tilanteesta legendaarisen tappion puna-armeijalle.
Vähemmän tunnettu asia on kuitenkin, että on myös olemassa raate niminen kasvi, joka kasvaa soilla ja soistuvilla rannoilla. Kasvi on käytetty lääkkeenä vatsa- ja ihovaivoihin.

Lisää informaatiota:
Raatteen tien taistelu Wikipediassa
Mykerökukkaismaiset kasvit (mm. Raate)

Serengeti Balloon Safari

Flying above Serengeti

This week's theme in photo theme for Thursday is "HOT" (Day, Sun, Desert, Fire, Oven, Stove, Food, Peppers, Hot-Air Balloon,...)
My contribution to this challenge is balloon ride from Serengeti. Company called Serengeti Balloon Safaris offers one hour balloon rides in Serengeti. Flights start around sunrise (assuming there are no rain or strong winds present), flight itself takes about one hour and is followed by sparkling wine (with excellent story about why sparkling wine always seem to go along with hot air balloons) and english breakfest under the tree.

More photographs:
Photos with Serengeti Balloon Safari tag

Ailigas in Kevo Trail

Ailigas fell in a background

ABC Wednesday is starting yet another round, which will hopefully be first complete round of ABC Wednesday for me (meaning, that I would participate in timely fashion to everyone of them). This theme is already starting its 5th round and 3rd year, which more or less makes it institution on internet's lifespan. To get into actual topic of the week ... since alphabets start from A, that is also the letter for this week.

Ailigas fell is one of the scenes that hikers will see on their first or second day, when they are starting their hike along Kevo trail. Highest peak in Ailigas fell is 620 meters above sea level. I've never been there, but based on cellular network coverage in Kevo Strict Nature Reserve, I would say that at least one of the mobile phone operators has put up their antennas on top of that fell.
Kevo Trail is 63 kilometers long hiking trail, which allows hikers to get lot of interesting views into Kevon kanjoni canyon (40km long, 80m high in deepest places) and Fiellu waterfall, which has 26 meters vertical drop. There is also another trail, called Guivi trail. Guivi and Kevo hiking trails go along same foothpath for something like 30km, but then Guivi trail turns north-west to visit Guivi fell and returns back to starting place, while Kevo hiking trail continues along the canyon to north-east.

More photographs:
Kevo trail (and visit to Guivi)

Taijiquan in Lapland

White Crane Spreads Its Wings

This week's topic in Two 4 Tuesday is Lazy - Diligent.
Taiji might not look as real sport, but still it is one way of keeping yourself healthy and it takes lot of diligent practise, if one wishes to become master on it.

Every June group of 30-50 people gather to Salla for one week to practise taiji under their chinese teacher Tung Kay Ying guidance. Half or two thirds of the group are usually from southern parts of Finland, while rest of the people are from Sweden, Norway, Denmark, France, Italy and/or USA. During this one week (generally called as Lapland Camp), they will participate lessons, where they will learn more details from traditional Yang-style taijiquan. Depending on masters will, it can mean slow set, fast set, family set, one or two of the knife sets, sword, push hands, duilian, etc.
In addition to forman lessons, there usually is one night in camp, when group of students will climb to top of Sallatunturi fell and in a midnight they will perform first part of slow set. Occasionally some people continue with duilian, push hands and/or weapons, but the main focus is to go up, admire midnight sun and do little bit taiji, before going into cabins to get some sleep before morning.

More about topic:
My finnish blog about taiji
Sallatunturi

Soak Zone in Sea World

Soak Zone

This week's letter in ABC Wednesday is Z, so 4th round of ABC Wednesday comes to end. Let's see, if I will manage to participate all letters in 5th round.
Sea World amusement parks (at least '86 in Florida and 2000 in California) had separate zones for three kinds of people:
- those, who wanted to stay dry,
- those, who don't mind some water and
- those, who really wanted to get soaked by it.

As you can see from photograph, it is not like the soak zone would mean that some of the waves might go over the pool by accident, instead those beatiful Ocras had been trained to use their big tail to throw nice load of water into audience.
Since the climate is pretty hot in Southern California as well as in Florida, no harm gets done even if you get wet, because you will be dry out in warm climate. Just make sure that electronics are hidden into plastic bags (or dry bag, if you want really want to play safe). Girls and women should either have water resistant cosmetics or just leave them home for this one day.

More photographs:
Memories from two weeks in San Diego, CA

Carousel in November Rain

Carousel in November Rain

This week's theme in Two 4 Tuesday is 'Bright - Dull'.
In November 2005, I started my photo-a-day project that went on for 365+ days, before I returned back to my photo-of-a-week rhytm. After typical workday, I thought that I make quick stop in Kamppi Shopping Mall to see, if there is anything interesting to see. Visit within the mall didn't provide anything interesting, but as I was heading out from the mall, I noticed this lovely carousel standing in middle of rain with its bright lights on. As soon as I saw it, I knew that if there is anyway to get it captured with my 35mm prime lens, that would be photo of a day.
Even now when I look this old photograph of mine, I still feel how it made my otherwise dull day whole lot brighter.

Related photographs:
Kamppi Shopping Mall in Helsinki

Competition on Fireworks

Finnish Championships Competition on Pyrotechnics 2008

This week's theme in hoto theme for Thursday is "CELEBRATION" (National Holiday, Independence Day, Commemoration, Party, Fireworks,...).
I was originally planning to take one wedding party photograph, but due to some technical problems that I experienced yesterday, I forgot to upload it online. As a replacement, I had to think something else and decided that in the spirit of Independence day in USA, I will post photograph about Pyrotechnics.
Nelonen, which is one of the two (?) commercial television broadcasting companies in Finland, is annual sponsor for Finnish Championships Competition on Pyrotechnics. These competitions are invitation-only for competitors. Usually Nelonen invites five biggest fireworks companies to come and show what they can do.
Competitions are usually held in early September, when it already gets dark in the evening, but it is still reasonably warm so that people are willing to stand around in darkness.

More photographs:
Ville's Celebration photograph from same event
Finnish Championship Competition on Pyrotechnics 2008

Yummy!

Strawberries and ice-cream

This week's letter in ABC Wednesday is Y.
For while it looked like my choices would be limited to yes, young and yellow, but then I came up with Yummy as a word. While it might still be week or two before best strawberry season, you can already find some strawberries from markets and there is nothing better than mixing strawberries and ice-cream in a summer day (doesn't matter if it is raining:).

Great Wall of China, two perspectives

Great Wall of China

This week's theme in Two 4 Tuesday is 'Success - Failure'.
At first, I thought about taking photograph about hiking trip, which might turn either way at the end, but at the end I decided to study this topic with photograph about Great Wall of China. As a construction project with design, logistics, etc. it has been huge project and it would seem that they were able to pull it off. However, it was not able to perform its primary duty, to project China from all enemies, who might try to attack from north.

Related photographs:
Visiting Great Wall of China

Freedom to cross borders

Border between Finland and Norway

This week's topic in WDYL is Freedom due to upcoming Independence day in USA.
My take on this topic is cairn that symbolises border between Norway and Finland. It is taken in Lapland, where many hikers cross the border as they travel from Loassuhytta (in Norway) to Lossujärvi (in Finland) or the other way around. You can't find Homeland Security or anyother officials that would be keen to see your passport and/or visa. This is due to fact in 1954 Finland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Iceland made agreement, that you are allowed to travel between these countries without passport formalities. It has many similarities to Schengen agreement with minor exceptions like that fact that Schengen agreement was signed on 1996 (and taken into use in 2001) and it has been signed by 26 countries and implemented by 24 countries.

Even though you don't have to go through passport control, when you cross borders in here, you still have to have passport with you in case officials would want to see it for some reason. So the main benefit is that you can cross the border wherever it is convenient for you instead of making detours to some checkpoint, which would verify your papers.

Related material:
Hiking from Norway and Finland

Maasai men

Maasai men

This week's challenge on Photo theme for Thursday is '"MALE" (Father, Husband, Brother, Uncle, Men, Boys,...)'.
Maasai tribe performed welcoming dance and someother dances, when we visited their village in Ngorongoro region in Tanzania. Women performed their more melodic songs and dances on their own group, while men had more monotonic rhytm, but wilder dance, in their own group. Men had positioned themself to half circle and someone always stepped inside the ring to show how high he can jump while keeping in a rhytm. Something on it reminded me about the typical setup for breakdance and other dances, where individuals have chance to show off on how well they can dance.

Related photographs:
Two weeks in Tanzania