When the sun is setting, between dusk and darkness, there is a moment when the light turns blue. And the world stops for a heartbeat.
There are moments when everything lines up – the building facade, the old green Beetle, the surfboard… The gods of photography have given you their blessing.
There is also truth to the idea that the more you practice, the luckier you get. In photography, it can be changed to: the more you walk around frustrated, the less lucky you feel. But you do learn to appreciate the rare lucky shot.
Train travel in Finland is incredibly comfortable and, in many instances, very convenient. But as it feels awkward to start taking photos in a train carriage, you’ll just have to take my word for it.
Instead, I took a few shots at the Helsinki railway station. At a first glance, it is a quite a modest building. In fact, as I never eat at the station, I passed through the building a hundred times before properly looking around. Especially the restaurants in the old section are gorgeous Art Nouveau. Not something you expect from such a small railway station.
The metro tunnel underneath, less so.
I travelled to Kokkola for work today. It’s a small town on the shores of the Gulf of Bothnia. In spring, before the nature awakens, there isn’t all that much to see. In summer, it can be nice (so I hear).
The old town of Kokkola has some beautiful wooden houses from the 18th and 19th centuries, with a few dating back to the 17th. They were definitely worth a walk.
I love being a tourist and, when travelling, I tend to cram my days full to avoid missing anything (the term FOMO was coined gor me). But as so many others, I pass the local sights with a vague decision to “see it one day”.
Bicycles have helped a lot. Stuart and I have explored most of the nearby sights in search of the next cycling destination. However, it has left a circle of approx 10km around the house, as that is really too short a distance even on a lazy day.
This watertower nearby is one such negletted destination. There is a restaurant on top and we keep postponing a visit. For the photo I got closer to the tower than I have ever been, which only strengthened my resolve: we will definitely come to eat here… Soon.
Helsinki city centre has a number of cool jugend style houses, several really nice statues, and some that are just a bit weird.
Most often, when I go to the office, I take the metro. I live almost at the end of the line, so even on the busiest of mornings, I can get a window seat, close my eyes, and listen to my audiobook.
Almost without exception, I come home after rush hour has passed. Rarely more than a handfull of people get off at my stop. I get the long escalator all to myself.
One of these days I will get off one station before, as that apparently has the longest escalator in Finland. So far, I have never prioritized the experience over getting home faster.
I love bright colors. It’s one of the reasons traditional Afrikan fabrics appeal to me. Why would you ever wear beige if you could wear orange, turquoise and purple? Simultaneously. But I am also pretty self-concious, so I (too) often settle for safer choices.
This contradiction is what started my love affair with large earrings. You can be bold, but in a sort-of-safe way – like jumping off a cliff only halfway.
In photography, there is no need for safe choices. That’s why there are few better places to wonder around that the vibrant, bold Malay neighborhood of Bo-Kaap.
Blue Moment 