Tag: photography

Advent Calendar, Day 8

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statue of jean sibelius
Statue of Jean Sibelius, Järvenpää, Finland

Today one of the Finnish treasures of the century is celebrated, the composer Jean Sibelius. It’s also a day for Finnish music. He’s one of the best known people abroad. Especially for classical music lovers. He composed ‘Finlandia‘ which is usually played on special occasions. You can hear the song in ‘Die Hard 2: Die harder’ and other places as well. This is a flag day to remember the day he was born.

His home is ‘Ainola‘ where he and his wife Aino lived. There’s more about the place and photos in the link. Very interesting reading I must say.

Here’s a few photos I took when I was there in summer 2012. I used to study in the same town but only walked past it. I wanted to show my parents the town so we went to see this a bit closer on the same trip.

ainola_tuusula
Ainola, home of Jean Sibelius
sauna
The sauna
inside a sauna
Inside the sauna

Ainola was a really nice place. It was in the middle of a forest. It had a big garden with flowers. I could imagine how they would had walked there everyday. Maybe entertaining guests. I could definitely live in a place like this. Peaceful and quiet. So if you’re want to see Finland in the summer, visit this place. I wish I could have went inside the house that is now a museum but unfortunately we didn’t have time.

When I realized

Mia3 Comments

snickersbarcoverSometimes things doesn’t go the way you plan it. I’ve had dreams and ideas about what I want to do for a living. But there’s always something else happening. For me thoughts and ideas have changed through the years. What I wanted to do when I was a teen, doesn’t apply anymore. For example, I wanted to move abroad but I never got that far. I realized how much you have to do before you do. It was just too complicated and things are just so much better over here. I’m never been brave enough either. I guess the love for my country has got me to stay here.

There was a long time I wanted to become a pro photographer but after I studied photography in Helsinki Design School last year, I realized that’s probably not for me after all. It’s also a very competitive profession. There’s so many of them and I don’t have that much patience try to become a better photographer. You really have to have a very strong will to succeed in that business. You don’t photograph for yourself, you photograph for the client which is the downside. But don’t get me wrong, I still want to do something with photography but not as a professional. I don’t even think I’m that good. To become good, you need to practise but I’m not that enthusiastic. I’m a so-called “mood photographer” I only photograph when I feel like it. I don’t go around carrying the camera wherever I go. I take it with me if I’m going somewhere special. That’s one of the reasons why photography should only be a part of a job.

I’ve realized I can’t write or blog everyday because there’s always something wrong with the internet connection in the dorm where I live on weekdays. It keeps cutting off which is so annoying. I couldn’t write the blog about my studying in web design and I can’t take part in #everydayinspiration either because of slow or no connection at all. It feels like I’ve been without internet for a week when it’s actually only been one or 2 days. Things moves so fast over there so if you’re out of it for a while, you’ll miss quite a lot what goes on in the world. There’s too much information so you don’t really need to know everything. I only use internet at home. Some people seem to have the urge to be online wherever they go. Luckily I’m not one of those people. It’s no big deal if the internet is off. Sometimes you need a break from it. It’s like meeting a friend. It’s good to have but it’s also good to be a part for a while. That way things doesn’t get boring. That’s something people need to realize. Internet is not the whole world, it’s just a part of one.

 

 

Tallenna

Tallenna

What comes natural to you, comes unnatural to me

Mia2 Comments

summerlovinHave anyone said to you how easy it is to do things? How easy it is to become friends with strangers. Easy to learn a new language, play a new instrument etc. For some its second nature but what comes natural to you, comes unnatural to me.

I don’t know how I had friends when I was a child. When I tried to get a new friend as I got older, it felt unnatural. It only feels weird if I talk to people I’ve just met. I never seem to know what to say. I hate starting conversations because I feel its forced and I don’t do anything I don’t feel like doing. Talking about anything is waste of energy. I need a good reason to start a conversation and not because I need to talk to people. People seem to talk about things I really don’t care about. That’s one of the reasons I don’t have any friends. I haven’t found a single person who has the same interest as me. Not even online. I’m also not at the same level most are at my age. Even if I did have a job or somewhere to study, becoming friends with someone is an impossible task. I prefer being by myself because that’s what feels natural to me. Having other people around is good from time to time but me-time is more important. If people only would understand that being social is not about being talkative. I might be quiet but I’m not mute. Maybe I’m just a boring person so no one bothers to get to know me.

Other thing that feels unnatural to me, is marketing my skills. There are 3 questions I especially don’t know what to reply to. Telling about myself, what can I offer to a company and why should I be hired. I’ve tried to write down what I’m good at but I never get much written down. It’s much easier to write down weaknesses. Bragging is not natural in the Finnish culture. We tend to put our skills down instead of praising them. I’m good at many things but nothing I can do perfectly. I haven’t achieved anything I could put in my CV. Writing applications is a pain since I’m not sure if my skills are good enough. For some people it’s easy to know what they want and can do. For them its natural but not for me.

What does feel natural to me is writing fan fiction or blogging. It’s my way to express myself. I might not be the best but I’m good enough to have it as a hobby. I also know it feels natural to photograph. It’s the best when you don’t need to think about technical things and just click away. As soon as I start to think about shutter speed and aperture, it frustrates me. It’s then it doesn’t feel natural. I just can’t that technical stuff stuck in my brain no matter how much I try to practise.
My computer skills feels natural too but that’s because I’ve used it since the 90’s. I’m no computer nerd and I can’t fix it if it breaks. But when it comes to using programs and the internet, that comes naturally to me.

Tallenna

Tallenna