BARE BONES

Last week I found myself

in an old, dilapidated paper mill,

with dark, secret passages

and colossal halls,

where dust-covered windows

sifted the rays of the sun outside 

into softest, milkiest light.

We delved into the world of architecture photography

using a wide-angle, tilt-shift lens,

(or fish and chips lens as we'd call it :)),

checking that every beam and cable

was perfectly aligned right down to millimetre exactness.

Fortunately there was also plenty of time

to get lost in the space

and fill one's own memory card with souvenirs. 

Viime viikolla löysin itseni

vanhasta, tyhjillään seisovasta tehdasrakennuksesta,

jossa oli mitä ihmeellisimpiä tummia käytäviä

ja suuria saleja,

joiden pölyttyneistä ikkunoista

valo taittuu läpi maitomaisen pehmeästi. 

Luvassa oli millintarkkaa arkkitehtuurikuvausta

tilt shift -objektiivilla,

mutta onneksi aikaa jäi myös sopukoiden tutkiskeluun

ja oman muistikortin täyttämiseen. 

YOUR PATH IS BEAUTIFUL AND CROOKED

The journey continues.

Today, I sent off my product folio to the school,

documentary photography project in full swing,

slowly making friends with studio lighting,

people and architecture just around the corner. 

Mind and soul still wide open to all that's new,

despite the bouts of insecurity in the back of my head -

time seems to be occupied by a thousand other little things,

although this is by far what matters the most.

And a child of natural light is quite good 

at devising all sorts of other juicy little arguments inside her head,

when people around are eagerly discussing

triggers and drones,

clipping and softboxes... 

Or as I'm about to upgrade my camera 

to the latest fine and dandy model,

but find myself repeatedly typing "film cameras"

in the ebay search field... 

Or when thinking about the future -

what one really wants

and could even get,

by working hard enough, believing in oneself,

networking and not giving up... 

But at the same time feeling so conscious

that life is fragile,

the mind and situations are prone to change,

you never know.

And so you trace back your steps

to here and now,

and the safe haven of knowing that today

the path under one's feet is the right one,
even if it's shrouded in fog.

And that's enough.

Matka jatkuu.

Tänään lähetin tuotekuvakansioni koululle,

dokumenttikuvausprojekti täydessä vauhdissa,

studiovalojen kanssa ystävystyn pikkuhiljaa,

ihmiset ja arkkitehtuuri nurkan takana.

Edelleen sielu ja mieli avoinna kaikelle uudelle,

vaikka pään sisällä välillä epävarmuuden ailahduksia -

aika kun meinaa karata tuhanteen muuhun asiaan,

vaikka juuri tämä on nyt tärkeintä ja mielekkäintä.

Ja luonnonvalon lapsihan kehittelee päänsä sisälle

vaikka minkälaisia meheviä ristiriitoja,

kun ympärillä puhutaan triggereistä ja koptereista,

syväyksestä ja softboxeista…

Tai kun tarkoituksena on päivittää kamera uuteen ja uljaaseen,

mutta löytääkin itsensä jälleen kerran näpyttelemästä

ebayn hakusanoiksi ‘film cameras’…

Tai kun miettii tulevaisuutta -

sitä mitä oikeasti haluaa

ja minkä voi saadakin,

jos vain tekee tarpeeksi töitä ja uskoo itseensä,

verkostoituu eikä luovuta…

Mutta samalla sitä muistaa, että elämä on hauras,

 tilanteet ja mieli muuttuvaisia,

koskaan ei voi tietää.

Ja niin sitä palaa takaisin,

tähän hetkeen,

siihen turvasatamaan, että juuri nyt sitä kuitenkin

kävelee oikealla, vaikkakin sumuisella tiellä.

Ja se riittää. 

Texture in last image courtesy of Alice Popkorn

whisked away

Wedding photography seems to be reaching 

dizzying heights.

oncewed is the place to go 

for a dose of wedding inspiration

- anything from whimsical, coastal, city sleek,

French rustic, under the Italian sun, 

English cottage... 

- it's there.

Or, if like me, there's no wedding on the horizon,

but you get a kick out of lovely photography,

landscapes and moods,

it's there, too. 

Happy weekend lovelies!!

★

All photos: oncewed

Today's ♡

"and all at once,

summer collapsed into fall."

Mentally I always try to hold on to the notion

of August still denoting summer even in these Northern climes,

but admit to that distinct feeling of suddenly 

one's morning coffee tasting extra good

with a crisper tinge in the air... 

Autumns do feel like a blank new page,

almost like New Year's.

This time for me that blank canvas feels more like a mental one

rather than a practical outworking, 

apart from one thing perhaps...

increasingly getting to concentrate on studio work,

- a sweet prospect

with the thought of a long, dark season ahead.

Will the autumn be bringing in something new for you?

A few links:

This home

This decor shoot

This Annie Leibowitz interview





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Craig McDean

Some favourites from the striking portfolio

 of photographer Craig McDean.

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a thousand dreams

Thought I'd quickly drop by and wish you a sweet mid-week.

"A thousand dreams within me softly burn"...,

well the word "dreams" could be swapped for "images",

burning in the back of my head,

a yearning in my core.

But the battle is on with too many other

preoccupations right now. 

Need to carve that space.

Back very soon to your comments below

and  something new as well.

x

ERIKA CAVALLINI

Here's something that just raised the aesthetics levels 

of my Sunday right to the roof,

as I stumbled upon the most exquisite instafeed...

Erika Cavallini is the talent behind 

her Erika Cavallini Semi-Couture label,

a stunning marriage of Italian craftsmanship 

and wonderful photography.

You can check out the website here

and find her on Instagram here. 

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Cahier D'artistes LIBRO + MUSICA-HD 720p from Semi-Couture on Vimeo.

LIGHT SEEKERS

I was browsing through a tutorial on something or another,

when two words describing photographers

bounced off the page –

’light seekers’, ’seekers of light’...

just love all the meanings and double meanings

disguised in those words.

This Easter time the light has appeared,

in every sense of the word.

Not just having to desperately seek,

but a chance to delicately tread in that light.

Momentary light finders.

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