To Make Something Come True ... You need to Dream

Why dreaming ... Why hoping
Why be stubborn... 
Why getting eager 

Does it have to be difficult?
No but if it is,   
You know you have 
done something to grow....
If you fail you will find a new way  


  

The path might be new , dont be scared 
as along as it does not hurt ... 

There is always an open door.
A window ... 
To find the way .....

Dreaming just dreaming  

Rambling along Hämeenkatu street

My home town Tampere has been established in 1779 [1], but it became as major city only after Scotsman James Finlayson arrived here [2]. He established the cotton mill and hydro power station in the beginning of 19th century. Rather rapidly the town grew, and the typical "modern" grid plan for the town center became established. And that is also when the Hämeenkatu street was built.

Hämeenkatu was not the main street of Tampere at first [3]. The town grew to the east, the Hämeensilta bridge became built over the Tammerkoski rapids, and the railway reached Tampere in 1870s. At this time the eastern part of Hämeenkatu was built to connect the railway station to the rest of the town on west side of Tammerkoski. Ever since the Hämeenkatu street has been the "heart of the city", the main street where all the major saloons, banks and shops can be found.

During the civil war (1918), the major battles happened in Tampere. There are still some buildings where the bullet holes can been seen on the brick walls. And there are old pictures taken at that time, where dead bodies lie on streets [4].

Then on World War II Russians bombarded Tampere very heavily because this was a major industrial town, manufacturing weapons for war. Also civil buildings took the damage, and many houses were either destroyed completely or badly ruined. For example my mother's family had to leave the town because the staircase of their apartment building got a direct hit, making it impossible to use their flat.

In 1990s, when I arrived to Tampere, Hämeenkatu was filled by cars. At that time shop owners and their customers believed they just have to have the right to park their car right in front of the shops. It took somewhat 20 years before the plans to make the city centre as car free zone finally became somewhat true. Today there are huge underground car parks, and only buses and taxi cars are allowed to drive along Hämeenkatu. So, now the pedestrians can finally ramble along the Hämeenkatu more freely.

References

[1] History of Tampere en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tampere#History
[2] James Finlayson en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Finlayson_(industrialist)
[3] Hämeenkatu www.cs.tut.fi/staff/pk/OldTampere/html/hameenkatu.html

[4] Civil war pictures www.flickr.com/photos/vapriikki/albums/72157668009883972

Just a few sharings

The time is not there but I am
standing by the shore. Taking it all
hiding it away.. in my memory.
Holding the day as it is
no more no less ....Nothing more is
needed

A few moments later a different play
with a palett that only belongs to the sky
no matter how we do it what we choose
The sky knows ...












The sky reflecting the water the movement
those small waves making the difference
and it is soon over. This was a bit of my midsummer dream. A few days late but when
it comes to life what does that matter ....

Blues

"I have broken the blue boundary of color limits, come out into the white; beside me comrade-pilots swim in this infinity."

"I have transformed myself in the zero of form and have fished myself out of the rubbishy slough of academic art.. I have destroyed the ring of the horizon and got out of the circle of objects, the horizon ring that has imprisoned the artist and the forms of nature."

-Kazimir Malevich

Being not sure how Kazimir Malevich himself experienced his life in Soviet Union, I still think he was rather unfortunate. Communist revolution gave, and then took away what could have seen as an ultimate revolution in arts. After all Malevich was the one who dared to push the limits to the pure abstraction, free from all forms except the square form of the canvas he used. 

Later on artists like Jackson Pollock helped us to see triumph of colors, and showed us that a piece of art can be freed from being something else than just representation. But Malevich still was the pioneer, doing somewhat the same, but way earlier (actually somewhat same time when Pollock was born). 

Photography is not much of an art form to create abstract art. Could be, but not by it's nature like other forms of arts can be, I think. But the lesson learned from Malevich (and Pollock) is to see things free from any academic boundaries. Actually, Malevich has also said:

"I recommend that you should work actively... and study the artistic structures of Rubens, Rembrandt, Titian, Watteau, Poussin, and other painters, even Chardin, where he is an artist. Study very closely their dabbing manner of execution and try to copy a small piece of canvas, just one square inch."

So, this very advice could be transformed into a new way to observe the reality. Study carefully and try to copy a small piece of reality! And you may find entirely new worlds!

A man's home is his castle

During the vacation I took something like 1500 pictures within ten days. We visited Malta and Venice in Italy. For the first time I felt I was able to take pictures in a strange place the same way I have used to do at home. And yet I think most of the pictures I took during my trip are "tourist pictures".

Which makes me to think the old problem of mine. How to see things without getting distracted?

Or the vice versa... How to see one's natural environment like a tourist?

And now back at home, I wonder what to do with all of those tourist pictures I took...

Time is running fast ..... We are in summer

Enjoy the story Please sit down 

So much time ... so long days 
The green is getting very green 
And I am going back in time 
Words and all the smiles. 

My father and I shared the interest 
for flowers. He with his knowledge 
me with my happiness and camera 
wanting to save all and everything 

Making room for all plants 
in my garden ... When my father 
saw my garden in bloom.. 
He said "Oh dear Eva you have 
got it all wrong" I said "oh gosh 
I cant do anything about it".

He smiled 
"This is all weed ..." I said 
yes it is organized weeds"
The conversation went on for  
a while ...

When the fall came My father 
came for a visit. 
During the time I made coffee 
I could see my father picking 
seeds from my garden. 
When he came back inside. 
I asked him if he got all he 
wanted from the garden. 
The answer was
short and very clear.Yes.

I could not help myself 
I just pushed it for a bit 
"Father this is all weeds " 
He started to laugh. 
"I need a bit of it in my garden"

Tonight taking these pictures 
this conversation came
back to me
Weeds are beautiful ....  
    

Oblivion...

Day 149 missed! Getting old... =(

This is not 'The Black Square' by Kazimir Malevitš. It is an extreme close up of the palm of my hand.

I've been shooting one image per each day for my 366 project at Instagram. Yes, 366 because it is a leap year. And on last Saturday I totally forgot to take the picture! Even that I remembered it few times during that day! In 2010 I was proud for not to miss a single day during the 365 project at now closed My Opera community.

So, to commemorate the "rules" there was at the 365 picture group at My Opera, I took a black picture on Sunday, and uploaded it to Instagram, to acknowledge and admit my shameful mistake.

Bad times, good times...

19mm, f/2.8, 1/200,  iso 100

I feel I have been neglecting my photo buddies, Eva and Sami. And I am sorry for that.

I have been some sort of absent from  our photo blog project and also absent from the other photos sites where I usually upload my photos. In fact, I almost stopped from taking photos, for personal reasons.


The weather has been lousy; it doesn't look like it's Spring.

As my camera and lenses aren't weather proof, I avoid to get them wet, for obvious reasons.

So, I haven't been feeling much in going out and take some shots. Rain, rain and more rain.

But sometimes pictures just come to me.

60mm, f/6.3, 1/640, iso 200, exp +1, A Mode

It seems to be a way that my hobby tells me to keep shooting.

Most likely, in a few days I'll be back to my usual self and start shooting again. The weather is just fine, inviting to go out and take some shots.

I just might do that.

Meanwhile, I'll just go back and leave a few comments of my own  here.


See you!

Orlando N

Tree of Life

      The Placenta is called the tree of life

     There is no better name                                   

     When you look at it . 

     It has got all the perfection

     you can find like a tree. 

     The trunks the branches 

     the Vital paths to life. 

     it is important to me 

     I will not post any picture

     of the placenta. But google it , 

     take a look ... tree of life.

     I took a walk in the forest 

     visited the big trees those that 

     gives me another kind of life.  

    The life of now, 

     listening to the wind, 

     the leaves moving 

     the birds song.

     

     Leaning against the big trees 

     letting everything go 
     looking up. 

     The birds singing and flying 

     from one branch to the other.

    The trees have open the buds 

    protecting the life. 

    Holding the safe nest.

Playing with shadows

Fetch!

Lately I've been playing with shadows. And that's it! There is actually no more to say on this subject. Just do search for shadows, and you may find great things ;-)

Instagram...

I got somewhat inspired by Eva's last post, here on our Shoot & Tell blog.

You know what I think of photography. I try to learn its rules. Knowing them and understanding when to play by the rules or when to bend the rules makes photography fun.

But sometimes that is just too much.

Sometimes we need our freedom, just to play, regardless of rules, and not caring about should and shouldn't .  At those times the most important is like a big brand advertises: Just Do It.

For those times I have my Instagram account. Uploading only shots taken with my smartphone, it's my who cares moment.  Silly photos get uploaded, I follow a few friends and one or two pro photographers, like the wonderful Steve McCurry (www.instagram.com/stevemccurryofficial).

I have been away from Instagram - at least no so active - lately. I was used to Instagram app on Android, but I had to switch to Windows  Phone. And Instagram app on WP sucked big time.

But recently my phone updated to Windows 10 mobile and, surprise, surprise: a brand new Instagram app was available! Yey!

It seems to me I'll be a more active Instagrammer now! More silly photos on my way! So, if you feel like following my non-sense, feel free to do it:

www.instagram.com/ojsnascimento

See you!

Orlando N

How to do, What to do, when to do, no no just doing...... no thinking

We went for a ride today.

A place called Mrs Green.
You will understand why.

Very nice company with my family.
We had our coffee in a small greenhouse 

The only gear I brought was my self phone. 
A perfect beautiful day, sun shine and all 
you can ask for.  
The sky turned black and the snow fell 
down on us. It didn't matter. I started to 
take some pictures from what was there.

I had some fun in this cold spring day. 
I will not go in technique or what I did 
to get the result.... I had some fun

And I was relaxed, catching small details 

....all for my soul 

From an inspiration to the implementation

An image often starts with a whim. I see something interesting along my way to work, or when having a leisure walk. It can be just as simple as a reflections on the metal plate covered wall. But for enthusiastic photographer that is only the beginning.

On photo editor I then let my imagination and previously learned tricks to complete the idea. Very often the colours are pale and contrasts flat on the original image. Sometimes they can be improved with particular tools to enhance the saturation and increase the contrasts. Sometimes curves tool does to job. But sometimes Photoshop or GIMP layer mode like 'Hard Light' is enough to boost the image.

My goal often is to "manipulate the image but not change it". This means I do not add or remove much, except some accidental small twigs close to the edges of the image, or small dust or dirt particles on the photographed surfaces.

I also may "correct" the perspective, for example to make the vertical lines parallel, or fix the tilted horizon. I have a somewhat "annoyingly absolute eye" for unlevel horizon, thus being able to see even less than 0.5 degree aberration from the absolute level.

Finally, on editor, I often find some surprising details which I did not notice when taking the shot. On the example image it was the clouds, which seemed to complete the original composition. I first planned to crop this into a square, but the original aspect ratio was almost perfect, and I only cropped the image to make the diagonal line of the roof to meet the corner.

All this makes the hobby of amateur photography so interesting. At one stage I thought the ideal is to record the reality as it is, not to change anything of it on post processing. But then I discovered the reality for me is the illusions and dreams I have, and those are what I want to share. So, the scene you see in the image is the reality how I like to see it.

In Finnish there is a word 'mielikuva', which means something like a 'mental image', 'vision', or a 'conception'. But it is also like a 'created image' one sees on advertisements, which try to sell us conceptions like 'family', 'freedom', 'beauty' etc. So, to "sell" something like 'futurism', which I kind of hope you to see on the example image, requires the boosting of such features as deep blue sky, going almost as black as space, and turning the reflections almost blinding bright.

But 'mielikuva' can mean also something like a 'favorite image' (mieli = favorite). In other words I'm sharing my favorite images as well.

Further reading:

• Futurism, Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Futurism
• Mieli (Eng. mind or favorite) at Wiktionary https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/mieli

Street Photography...

42mm, f/11, 1/80, ISO 400

I really like street photography.
And top photographers make it look so easy.
So, if you have the right settings on the camera, it should be easy:

- you see it;
- you focus;
- you shoot.

That's it.

Well, that's hardly it.

This is me:

"- Hey, a cool scene. This will look great..."
"- Wait, wait, he's/she's/they are looking my way..."
"- I'm gonna get in trouble. I'll wait until they look away..."
"-Wait..."
"-Wait..."
"-Move away, you little §£@ €/#?$!%&!, you're ruining the shot!"
"- Wait a little longer..."
"- Waiiiiit... "
"- Damn! They're going away! Damn! "

A missed oportunity.
Simply, for now I just don't have the guts to stick a lens right in the face of other people. I know I could use a longer lens and shoot from far away, but that's not what I like to see. Just love a wide angle lens effect!

So I feel like I'm the King of Lost Oportunities, but I'm sure I'm noth the only one.

See you!

Orlando N

I use to greet every flower in the morning

About Flowers



It became a ritual , from early spring till late autumn I wanted to keep them all in my memory.

To compare from one year to the next.
I started to take pictures, I became more and
more picky.

I found a book it became a kind
of bible for me I use it when I forget or cant
find out how whenever I need a word on the road "Digital Photography" written by Scott Kelby.

After some good advise, easy thoughts, I started all over
again. Some of the advise was not my cup of tea, but
it made me understand the way. To bring  patience
tripod or something to stabilize the camera,
it is enough with a small shaking flower....

The tripod was fast forgotten ......too much
no sport .... The advise I took to my heart is.

Make sure you take the photo with a small
angel and from the side.  Think about the light
and that you can see the bottom of the flower
giving a deep feeling.The last thing but ever so important
The setting F 3.5 -- 8.0 the rest is a matter of taste ...

When I think about this the process of learning
is for the rest of my life ....
Just a small word with thousands of ways how to do ...


Just a little something .....

Nik Collection

Anyone using Photoshop, Lightroom or Aperture software surely appreciate getting this great Nik Collection "additional editor" for free. There are plenty of tools to add nice effects, for black and white editing, sharpen and much more.

To download and install Nik Collection, just go to: https://www.google.com/nikcollection/

For my surprise it works even with Gimp for Windows. Bernhard Huber has kindly written instructions how to make it work: http://bernhardhuber.blogspot.fi/2013/05/using-niksoftware-in-gimp.html

On Bernhards file editing instructions there are no lines included for all tools you get on Nik Collection. So, you have to add those as well. Here's an example for 'HDR Efex Pro 2':

["HDR Efex Pro2", "\"C:\\Program Files\\Google\\Nik Collection\\HDR Efex Pro 2\\HDR Efex Pro 2 (64-Bit)\\HDR Efex Pro 2.exe\"", "tif"],

So, that is an example what you need to add on ShellOut.py -file, to access that particular tool from Gimp menu.

Exclusion

Great deal of photography is about exclusion. It is a magic of leaving things out of the picture, things the person who views the image does not necessary know about.

If you haven't ever visited Tampere Finland, and seen this building, you can not know what is around this view. You can't know how tall the building is, if it continues far to the left or right, or what is below. But you can use your imagination!

So, the picture is like a fictional book. With everything you have experienced before, you can complete the story. Fill in the empty spaces not told. Build the rest with your dreams and nightmares. See the chimneys that reach the sky. Smell the smoke and hear the sounds of machines.

The Crow...

A few months ago, on a Sunday morning, I was having my coffee on a small coffee shop,
inside the shopping mall.
As usual, I had my camera hanging on my shoulder, as I never leave my camera in the car.
I was enjoying my coffee, when I feel a sudden tap on my shoulder:
"You can't take photos here!" a security guard told me.
"I'm having a coffee, not taking photos." I answered.
"You have been warned..." growled the security while moving away.
"Have a nice day." I replied.
I was trying not to get bothered with the situation, but eventually I started to feel upset. Why
was I the only one to be harassed, when quite a few people were taking selfies and photos
to each other with smartphones and compact cameras, just around me ?
It's not the first time I've been asked to avoid to take photos on the premises. What upsets me
is the criteria, that seems to be the looks of the camera.
Does it look like a pro or semi-pro gear like a dslr (!)? You can't take photos here.
A tiny compact or a smartphone ? Go ahead, feel free to shoot.

I really didn't had the intention to take any photos inside the mall. I went shopping with my
wife, visited a few shops, but a couple of hours later I still felt upset with the situation, for I felt
it was unfair...

19mm - f/2.8 - 1/320 - iso 400 - Aperture Priority

On my way out to the parking lot I decided to make it right: got my camera and took a quick shot of the damned crow.
Vengeance ? No, I call it justice...
See you!

Orlando N

A less successful story

             



Greeting Spring



I tend to go and greet the  Spring.
This is by going to a lake
just outside our city.
Where the Swans lands to eat and rest,
A true sign of spring.

Some years ago.
Some boys had shot a serie of fireworks in this place.
4000 Swans flew into a panic. That year the greeting was not as we thought.
When I arrived many swans had returned but
far from all.

I was  starting to shoot and suddenly
something happend. Everyone was looking at me
then complete mess, birds screaming
running, flying at each other and in a matter of
seconds  the birds were gone. There I stood
alone with the angry bird watchers, who
everyone wanted to give  me a hard lesson  ....

My camera gave away
a sound of ratatatata ..... and the  flash went off
I had forgotten to set the approximate
values, and I forgot to turn off
the automatic flash. The photos I took  became
 a yellow disaster. I have turned them into
B/W to see if it is something to keep.

be something to keep. So tell me what you think ....

These days I never forget my own misstakes, (Just  about every day)
 I set the camera on approximate values  before I enter the ground
so I dont have to be killed by birdwatchers
The birds can fly I am stuck on the ground.
All alone with the birdwatchers .

We make misstakes and by the time they also might give us a great laughter and we learn I hope you will enjoy ...

Learning from masters

I saw someone writing how important it should be to try create something own and original. However, on photography it is darn difficult to be truly original! And in developing an unique style I also see a danger of repetition.

Therefore I rather try multitude ideas, techniques, genres, topics, and point of views. By learning all kinds of things is actually more important in amateur photography than almost a foolish attempt to become a famous artist some day...

And one nice way to experience new tricks is to study the ideas and techniques used by masters of photography. Like Picasso, I have gone through several periods. I have tried to imitate the style of Duane Michals, Bill Brandt, and also internationally less known Finnish photographers like Matti Saanio.

But one of my great personal challenges has been to follow at least some of the six "rules" defined by Philippe Halsman (1961):

"the rule of the direct approach,"

"the rule of the unusual technique,"

"the rule of the added unusual feature,"

"the rule of the missing feature,"

"the rule of compounded features,"

"the rule of the literal or ideographic method."

One option is to build a setting where more than one of those ideas become implemented. Another approach is to keep eyes open and find subjects that goes along with any of those rules suggested by Halsman. It can be an unusual light, a low camera point of view, but also something exceptional seen around. And what is good to keep in mind, is that even the most simple thing can turn into something exceptional with something as simple technique as "direct approach".

So, do step close enough to the subject, try wide angle, seek for golden hours, and look up or down! You don't only get an exceptional picture, but you also enrich your personal life by finding new ways to see things in general.

A "Terrible" Thing...

Photography is a "terrible" thing, indeed. Once we are hooked up, it's an almost impossible thing to run away from.

I still remember one special day, some 20 years ago (23 years, to be exact) when I saw one photo I had shot with a small compact film camera. It was a photo of a small fisherman's boat, in the middle of a silvery river, with reflections of sun light all over the place. 

I got hooked up. Addicted. I still am. 

Like most of us, I am a self taught amateur photographer.  The little I know I have learned reading photography magazines, back in the 90's. So, I am missing a lot of knowledge in what photography is concerned. But I'm still learning. Hey, I'm here for the fun!

Wherever I go, I see photos. It is a passion that I share with Sami and Eva.  And this passion will make me write here in this blog, from the point of view of a common guy that loves his hobby.

We'll see how it turns out.

See you!

Orlando N

This is me, Eva.

I have liked making pictures all my life; 

Textile has been my way for many years to express

ideas and feelings with textile material.

Some years ago I bought my first digital camera.

I found out it was no longer a problem to take many pictures,

to test what I liked and what came out of all the hundreds 

and hundreds of pictures. It was the beginning, 

one day I found out that the camera was by my side everywhere. More and more serious the feeling of getting somewhere. It will never end, I will always have the feeling of getting somewhere, 

to learn and find out.

At a time I made a big mistake: I started to delete pictures I 

didn´t like. I became critical and started to put more effort in what I was doing, shooting the picture. I could not see my mistakes as a subject of learning. 

Today I do save every picture because I can learn from them. 

I have also learnt the way I see pictures is changing. 

What was very important from start might change during 

the process that is going on within yourself.

In other words my advise save every picture 

even if it is as you say nothing…. it might be something.

When it comes to what I like in photograhy:  

it is the light, to be aware of the light,

to find the colours and how they change in different kind of light.  

Reflections, to search for good reflections. 
In the lake or puddle after a rainy day. 

Backlight to use it for the fragile grass or shadowplay.   

I have been advised to never go on to high aperture values.

These affect the depth of the picture.  Very often I use f4.5 - 7.0 .But this is also a matter of taste.

These days I have a small tripod in my pocket . 

I love it . I use it when the light is low.

I have through the years also found out the effect a small story makes, some words, descriptions of what is important for the picture . To give a feeling, thoughts, how it can give the picture some kind of platform. Therefore I like to show the pictures this way here at S&T. Sometimes only one word .

Or like other times something more   

The cameras today have so many settings we shall not be scared to use them.

You can find me also here  

Ipernity    http://www.ipernity.com/home/eva-wiren

Wordpress https://evawiren.wordpress.com/

Youpic https://youpic.com/photographer/EvaWiren

                                            

Social media nomadism

My name is Sami, and I'm photoholic…

Photography has been my passion since I bought my first camera somewhere around age of 16. I even tried to become a professional photographer. But tossed by Fortuna, I end up studying and teaching information and library science at the university level.

During the past years there were times when I almost completely gave up on shooting with a camera, and planned to do what I playfully call as "air photography" (similar as playing air guitar). That is because I no longer could find any use for photographs as prints in family albums or hanging on walls of my home.

Then I found digital photography and social media! During last few years on different social media photography services I have learned more than ever before the era of digital photography. So, photography is my obsession. I become inspired by pictures taken by others, and I enjoy taking and editing pictures of my own.

What I now call as a nomadic social media amateur photography is a phenomena totally different than was an amateur photography few decades earlier. In the late 1970s for example Susan Sontag saw photography merely as a way to live in the past, an intention to record and preserve everyday life into collections of “jarred” memories.

Today digital photography, and amateur photography on social media is more like a way of living, to experience and share the presence. Barely no one is interested on what someone else did last summer, unless it is presented today, as new to them, right now, and right on front of their faces. Only pictures posted today are interesting.

And as long as you are not a professional, you are on the mercy of ever changing social media. The place you may have used to see as your “home” may suddenly become closed down, and you are forced to seek a new place, new online albums, new people, and new ways to get inspired and share your own pictures. You have to let old friends to go, as much as you need to welcome potential new friends with whom to share yours and their stories.

So, see you online folks!

References:

• Susan Sontag (1977). On Photography. Penguin Books, London.
• Definition of a photoholic at Urban Dictionary: http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Photoholic 

More me at:

• Ipernity http://www.ipernity.com/home/serola
• Instagram https://www.instagram.com/samiserola
• Facebook https://www.facebook.com/sami.serola

A new beginning

Hi and welcome to Shoot and Tell - The Blog. Why a blog? Well, it's just another way to give a purpose for our photos. We can share our images and our opinion, our point of view. Write a bit more.

Shoot and Tell once was an amateur photography group at now closed My Opera virtual community. There we had approximately ten active photographers posting their pictures and telling nice stories about them. We even had a blog articles there as well.

After closing of My Opera, the group moved to Ipernity photography service. There the sharing of photographs and stories continued, but a well started project to write all kinds of articles on photography was put on halt.

Now we will recreate the blog. We will write about photography. We publish short articles on how to become better at shooting and editing pictures. But what is most important, we tell stories behind the pictures, just because it is fun to share them. We should never lose the fun in our lives!

We sincerely hope you enjoy reading our blog as much as we do writing it. Please consider sharing also your story on comments.

It is not important what kind of camera you carry, DSLR or not, mobile- or compact camera. What is important is the pictures comes from you and your camera. If you have just started to take pictures, or if you have been taking photos for a long time, you may want to tell and share your experiences. And there is room also for you! If you don't know how to explain fancy techniques behind your shots, then maybe you just like to share why you took the picture. 

This is Shoot and Tell!

The Team.