Skaters on sea ice in Helsinki, 5th of January
Woman waiting for the bus, Helsinki, 10th of JanuaryHere we go with two new pictures. The first is about 5 days ago when it was really cold. The second is a couple of days ago. I like this one a great deal, the mood of it: an ordinary scene, woman waiting for the bus, but the reflections and the water on the glass change the atmosphere and bring it more tones.
Nothing much going on really. Work-wise it's going pretty well as I've been working on an article at a good, steady rate. In photography I must say I'm suffering from a lack of inspiration a bit. Just a few successful pictures here and there but nothing particularly inspired. Must be the grey, cloudy January weather. Well, tonight I experimented with light and the set of glass marbles that I happened to buy in London. I've not gone through the pictures yet so I don't know how they turned out. I guess the marbles should provide hours of entertainment if I can't think of anything outdoors, since there are so many of them.
I did go the other day to the wild east, viz. some eastern suburbs which have a bad reputation, to see what they look like. I think they've come a long way from a couple of decades ago, but they're still the least well-off regions in Helsinki: the average monthly income is a bit over a third of the monthly income in the wealthiest region, in southern Helsinki. Also, the problems that exist in the city with unemployment, alcoholism, drugs etc. tend to be more serious in the regions like these eastern suburbs. I can't say I spent a long time there, but I can say that what I saw looked damned depressing to me. Concrete upon concrete, as they were mainly built in the 60's and 70's. Concrete in grey, cloudy January weather is one of the most depressing sights you can encounter on this planet.
Nothing much going on really. Work-wise it's going pretty well as I've been working on an article at a good, steady rate. In photography I must say I'm suffering from a lack of inspiration a bit. Just a few successful pictures here and there but nothing particularly inspired. Must be the grey, cloudy January weather. Well, tonight I experimented with light and the set of glass marbles that I happened to buy in London. I've not gone through the pictures yet so I don't know how they turned out. I guess the marbles should provide hours of entertainment if I can't think of anything outdoors, since there are so many of them.
I did go the other day to the wild east, viz. some eastern suburbs which have a bad reputation, to see what they look like. I think they've come a long way from a couple of decades ago, but they're still the least well-off regions in Helsinki: the average monthly income is a bit over a third of the monthly income in the wealthiest region, in southern Helsinki. Also, the problems that exist in the city with unemployment, alcoholism, drugs etc. tend to be more serious in the regions like these eastern suburbs. I can't say I spent a long time there, but I can say that what I saw looked damned depressing to me. Concrete upon concrete, as they were mainly built in the 60's and 70's. Concrete in grey, cloudy January weather is one of the most depressing sights you can encounter on this planet.
6 comments:
Firstly, I really like both these photos. The skaters look like toys on such a huge expanse of ice...lovely, smooth ice it is too. And about the second one, I agree with you totally. `lovely mood, lovely colours and the special effect of seeing the figure through the glass screen. Great!
Reading the rest of your article, I was reminded too about the wretched estates in the London of my youth, especially in the north east. Concrete upon concrete it was too. I even lived in one for nearly three years. Tough stuff that was. And very depressing on grey cold days, such as those in January, but could be any time of year in London.
Maria,
Your woman at bus stop photo is FANTASTIC!!
(more later.... my wrist is suddenly aching... ow...)
I love the contrast of the two photos in terms of weather- very typical of winter here too. We are about to enter a very cold snap this week and I shudder already.
Suburbs of concrete are possibly the worst thing to be stuck in on a winter's day. Blah.
xx
AM
"Bus stop, wet day, she's there I say
Please share my umbrella..."
You got me thinking about this old song that I love.
The bus stop woman is very good Maria, it's brilliant - I love it.
soo cooold, these photos!
Thanks for the well wishes, I feel fairly alright today, but was a sleeping 3 days. Good photos as always Maria
Hi Maria,
I'm finally back!
Here's why I love the bus stop woman photo so much:
At first glance I thought it was MIXED MEDIA. The scratchiness of the plexiglass gives the picture a look of having been etched or scribbled with some sharp object or pencil or something. Great texture and lighting! The lacy border strip that runs horizontal across the plexiglass gives it almost a 3-D mixed media feel -- as if it had a real piece of lace or something taped to the artwork. And THEN, I also love the snow reflection. It's brilliant, because while it is a reflection, it looks MUCH more like clouds in a double-exposed photograph. Which is what I thought at first: that this photo was a deliberately double-exposed photograph with mixed media layered on top.
VERY cool. I would submit it to some contest or something.
:-)
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