I like taking photos, and I like the night; a winning combination this month. Or so I thought. At 11 pm the other day, I was looking out the window, trying in vain to find some darkness, any darkness. Anything that would even remotely resemble night. When you live this close to the arctic circle, darkness is not a luxury afforded to you during the summer months.
I turned to M, and asked:
“When does it get dark?”
M briefly looked out the window, and gave me the answer I’d been dreading.
“October.”
So yeah, May wasn’t the best month for this theme. That said, I did go out in the wee hours right before dawn, and I did take some photos. First up, the moon. I think every single person on the planet took a photo of the full moon this month, so of course, I also had to take one.
Next, we’re keeping with the sky theme. I wanted to take a photo of the sun setting behind a beautiful horizon, but the clouds and my own laziness made me miss the sunset. Thankfully, I was able to catch the last warm rays of sunlight in the clouds before the blue hour took over.
Now, this next photo is a great example of a summer night in Turku. Scantily clad people flock to these restaurant boats in the river Aura. They spend the night drinking beer and marveling at the fact that summer came this year, too, against all odds. The boats are wonderful gathering places, and if you, my dear reader in a faraway land, ever come to Finland, I’ll take you out for a beer on one of these.
My fourth photo is a deserted nighttime view of the area around Åbo Akademi University. I’ve walked these streets many, many time. Sometimes in the middle of the day, hurrying to make it to the lecture on time, sometimes in the early morning hours after a 12-hour shift at the speakeasy in the basement of the international law department. Those were the days…
The last photo is a friend of mine. He often sits on top of the lamppost outside my living room window. I’ve named him Edgar Allan Poe, and I think he loves the night just as much as I do. He’s certainly awake ridiculously late on weekdays.
That's it for me, but if you want to see more photos of the night, drag your ass over the PJ's blog and there you'll find a list of everyone participating this month. *
Gorgeous photos, babe!
ReplyDeleteLemmikki, how is it possible for one person to be so talented, so brilliant and so incredibly gorgeous all at once? I am going to get my ass to Finland one day so we can drink beer on a boat and so I can meet Edgar who may or may not peck my eyes out but I don't even care 'cause I'd be in Finland with you drinking beer on boats.
ReplyDeleteI had never thought about night being full of light when it comes to our location on this planet. Very interesting and informative for me. Great post.
ReplyDeleteFabulous! All great subject matter, but I especially like the last two. You managed to really minimize the starbusts coming from the streetlights along the street. And the Edgar Allen Poe photograph is beautifully rendered in B&W.
ReplyDeletePS - I thought that when it finally got dark in Jasper National Park around 11 pm that it was late. Guess I wasn't quite far enough north to relate to your long wait for true darkness.
I'm a sucker for moon shots. And I love the bird. I thought Poe when I saw it then read the post. Nevermore.
ReplyDeleteA great group of photos Ziva. I really like that shot down the street with the well lit buildings on either side. And I'm with Nicky. If I ever get to Finland I want to drink beer on boats with scantily clad babes and black and white birds.
ReplyDeleteBeer? Boat? I'm coming to Finland.
ReplyDeleteI like your photos -- especially the moon and the empty street night shot. Awesome as always!
Very nice. I'll come visit for the beer, too, and I'll bring a worm for the bird.
ReplyDeleteGorgeous photos Ziva. I can't find the right words to write about that photo of Edgar. His posture, the lighting, the DOF ~ you nailed a moment and it's stunning.
ReplyDelete(In case you care, a storm system stalled over our little corner of the world for about half the month of May so not a soul in these parts even saw the full moon. My 2nd favorite full moon of the year & I missed seeing it. I'm still in mourning.)
Wonderful photos! Love the moon and the fourth pic. Then Edgar? Lovely photo!
ReplyDeleteLovely photos, Ziva! I especially like the second one... a wonderful mixture of colors. As for Edgar... he rocks!
ReplyDeleteI love your photos. They're always exquisite. Your writing ain't bad either. : )
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Jenn! :)
ReplyDeleteI'm so used to the light nights that I don't think about it much, except when someone orders me to take photos of the night when there is no darkness. ;)
ReplyDeleteThank you, I'm glad you liked them! :) The no darkness thing is quite nice, actually. Later in June it never really gets dark at all. The sun sets, but it's close enough to the horizon that we'll have some ambient light during the four hours between sunset and sunrise.
ReplyDeleteI thought Poe as soon as I saw him standing there. I'm glad I'm not the only one. ;)
ReplyDeleteIf you ever come to Finland, we'll spend all day on a boat drinking beer, looking at black and white birds and watching your face get redder and redder with every pint.
ReplyDeleteThanks, PJ! Let me know when you're coming to Finland, I'll meet you down by the river.
ReplyDeleteYou are so thoughtful, Reffie! Edgar likes you already.
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry you didn't see the moon! It was brighter than it has been in a very long time over here. Truly magnificent.
ReplyDeleteAnd thank you, the photo of Edgar is my favorite. I took a few of him, but that one really stands out.
The moon is a fickle and shy thing, always carry your camera. ;) Thank you, I'm glad you like Edgar. He's a gorgeous little crow, with all the troubles of the world on his wings. Or something.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Babs!
ReplyDeleteThanks Paula! Edgar totally rocks. :)
ReplyDeleteWhy, thank you, Lauren. :)
ReplyDeleteOh, Ziva! You are so very talented! I love the Moon & the Bird the best!
ReplyDeleteI don't want to ruin my reputation for hating birds, but I can't deny the power of the shot of Poe. I see thousands of nature shots in my job, most of them quite ordinary or repetitive, but this one stands out for its composition and mood, if that makes sense. It's unusual, and I mean that in a very good way.
ReplyDeleteThe street scape and the river shot are also really good, the former for its loneliness, the latter because it looks idyllic and inviting.
Nice work on the theme, Ziva, especially considering your lack of dark.
You are way too kind, Meleah, thank you! :)
ReplyDeleteYeah, your reputation for hating birds is definitely ruined now. :D
ReplyDeleteThank you, Michael, you say the nicest things.
xoxox
ReplyDeleteOh, I am ever so jealous of your moon shot. I took a photo of the moon for this theme and rejected, as usual. I have yet to get a satisfactory shot of the moon, but I will continue to work on that.
ReplyDeleteYou're going to get your eyes pecked out. I'm just warning you.
ReplyDeleteThe shot of Edgar is awesome! Living so close to the Arctic Circle might open up all sorts of "night" shots! ;-)
ReplyDeleteThank you, Lisa. :) And I wouldn't want to live anywhere else. ;)
ReplyDeleteThe moon was amazingly bright this month, otherwise I would've never even attempted to get a photo of it. :)
ReplyDelete