Ice Crystals in the Window

I saw these tiny ice crystals in our balcony windows. Ice crystals were very small and I had to use macro lens together with extension tubes.

Place: Tornio, Finland
Photos: Ice crystals in the window
Date: 6th of November, 2016

Camera: Canon EOS 60D
Lens: Canon EF100mm f/2.8 USM + Kenko Extension Tubes.

Editing: Cropping, more contrast, sharpening.

Here is another.

Winter has just started here in North Finland, so there will be lot of photos regarding winter and snow in this blog.

Regards,
Mika

Must See Places in Puerto Princesa, Palawan | Philippines

Puerto Princesa, Philippines. This time something totally different. Palawan Island in Philippines has voted the best island in the world few times. I have spent in Palawan about 9 months and most of the time in Puerto Princesa, which is capital city of the Palawan province.

Place: Puerto Princesa in Palawan, Philippines
Video: Must see places in Puerto Princesa area.

Here is a video, where I have chosen Must See places in Puerto Princesa area in Palawan.

Beautiful places in tropical Puerto Princesa City area. Enjoy!

Regards,
Mika

Winter is coming - Frozen Tornio River

Here is Northern Finland days are getting colder and last days have been already subzero days. At the moment temperature is -12C, so it means the river has already frozen. This photo I took two days a go on Sunday.

Place: Tornio, Finland
Photo: Frozen Tornio River
Date: 6th of November, 2016

Camera: Canon EOS 60D
Lens: Canon EOS EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS

Editing: Cropping

One interesting point of the photo. I took this photo at 14:45, but sun was already very low. Today two day later sunrise was 8:44AM and sunset was already at 3:29PM, so sun is above horizon only 6h 45min.

Regards,
Mika

Train Bridge and Windmills

This just a interesting example how focal length effect to background of the photo. Here in the photo train bridge is on the front and windmills on the background are quite far from the bridge. Windmills look colossal.

Place: Tornio, Finland

Photo: Train bridge between Tornio in Finland and Haparanda in Sweden and windmills.

Date: 3rd of November, 2016

Camera: Canon EOS 60D

Lens: EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS 

Editing: Sharpening and cropping.

Any idea how to use this feature and do some funny tricks?

Regards,
Mika

Pier in Penang, Malaysia

This time old photo. I took this photo when I was motorcycling around the Penang Island in Malaysia.

Place: Teluk Bahang in Penang Island, Malaysia
Photo: Pier near Teluk Bahang
Date: 26th of January, 2011

Camera: Canon EOS 450D
Shot: 1/250 sec. f/8 55mm ISO100

Editing: B&W conversion, more contrast, some cropping.

Great memories of the riding day even it was quite cloudy day. More photos from Penang in my travel blog. You can use Search (Haku) on the  up right corner.

Regards,
Mika

Reflection

I took this photo from Tornio riverside. There was some fog on the background and river was like mirror.

Place: Tornio, Finland
Photo: Reflection in Tornio River
Date: 20th of October, 2016

Camera: LG G2 mobile phone (HDR Mode)

Editing: Some cropping, contrast, highlights

It's quite rare, that river is so calm in the day time.

Regards,
Mika

Rajalla Mall in Tornio

I took this photo today from the border of Finland and Sweden. The Rajalla Mall in the photo is in Tornio in Finland side, but I took this photo from Haparanda Sweden side.

Place:  Tornio, Finland
Photo: Rajalla Mall in Tornio
Date:   25th of October, 2016

Camera: Canon EOS 60D
Lens: EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM

Editing: B&W conversion, more contrast, highlights down, more sharpness, cropping.

Tornio is my home town, but this was also new angle to the mall for me too. Always something new.

Regards,
Mika

Found the keys - Where is my Porsche?

Now in autumn every place is full of fallen leaves. I decided to play little bit with the leaves and took few photos.

Place: Tornio, Finland
Photos: Fallen leaves
Date: 19th of October, 2016

Camera: Canon EOS 60D
Lens: Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM
Shot: 1/30 sec. f/5.6 50mm ISO100

Editing: Cropping, sharpening, highlights down, more contrast.

Same photo as a B&W is also effective.

Leaves and mobile phone.

It was also fun to play with depth of field when taking these photos.

Regards,
Mika

Macro: Fly

Now is already October, so it means almost all insects have disappeared here in North Finland. Few days a go I saw a fly in balcony, which hardly could move anymore at all, because it was already so cold. It was perfect target to take same macro shots.

I don't have external flash, so I used internal flash and also flashlight to have some extra light.

Place: Tornio, Finland
Photo: Fly
Date:   15th of October, 2016

Camera: Canon EOS 60D
Lens: Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM + Kenko Extension Tubes (3)

Editing: Cropping, sharpening and highlights down

I tried many different manual setting. Here I used: 1/125 sec. f/18 100mm ISO320

Closer. 1/60 sec. f/11 100mm ISO100

Front close-up. 1/125 sec. f/14 100mm ISO320

Normally it's very difficult or almost impossible to go so near a fly like I did in these shots.

Regards,
Mika

Tornvallen - World War I Fortification in Haparanda

Tornvallen fortification was built in the end of World War I in 1918 to defend the railway bridge, which was under construction. Fortification include two bastions. The bridge was completed in October 1919. Tornvallen means Tower Hill in English.

Place:   Haparanda, Sweden
Photos: Tornvallen fortification
Date:    4-6th of October, 2016

South bastion.

Fact sheet of Tornvallen.

South bastion inside.

Bastions have connected with the tunnel. Stairs go down to the tunnel.

South bastion inside from another direction.

South bastion on the left and north bastion on the background.

Railway bridge between Haparanda in Sweden and Tornio in Finland. Connection tunnel between the bastions is just under railway, where I took this photo.

North bastion.

North bastion inside and stairs to the tunnel.

Only two years and this place will be already 100 years old. Piece of local history here in Haparanda-Tornio area.

Regards,
Mika

Swans Flying

I was yesterday biking and taking photos, when I saw a flock of swans flying toward south.

Place:   Tornio, Finland
Photos: Flying Swans
Date:    1st of October, 2016

Camera: Canon EOS 60D
Lens: Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS

Editing: Cropping, sharpening, highlights down

Here is another flock.

Winter is coming and all swans will fly to south warmer place.

Regards,
Mika

Wall and Trees

I took this photo just outside of Tornio old church. Already lot of leaves on the ground.

Place: Tornio, Finland
Photo: Wall and trees next to Tornio old church
Date: 23rd of September, 2016

Camera: Canon EOS 60D
Lens: Canon EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM
Shot: 1/125 sec. f/5.6 85mm ISO800

Editing: More contrast, highlights down, sharpening

Here is another photo from the same place. I just converted the photo to B&W and I added intentionaly too much contrast and sharpness, so it looks very dramatic.

This is the best time of the year to take autumn photos here in North Finland.

Regards,
Mika

Macro: Crane Fly

Days are getting colder here in North Finland. Insects also disappear. Anyway few days ago I still saw these long legs - Crane flies.

Place: Haparanda, Sweden
Photos: Crane Fly (Tipulidae)
Date: 16th and 17th of September, 2016

Camera: Canon EOS 60D
Lens: Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS (first 2 photos) and Kenko Extension Tubes + EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM (last three photos)

I took next day photos using Kenko extension tubes + 100mm macro lens.

On the front.

I used internal flash, but should have better external flash to get better macro photos. Sun was also already low, so it didn't help much anymore. 

Macro photography is very interesting and I really like it. I have already some ideas how to improve magnification in the future.

Regards.
Mika

Moon, do you read me?

Full moon was just few days a go on 16th of September 2016. I took this photo yesterday evening. Aerial is just on the front of the moon and gives cool effect for the photo.

Today I tried to take better photo of the moon. I took many photos using different Manual settings and this was finally the best shot after heavy editing.

Place:  Tornio, Finland
Photo: Moon
Date:   18th of September, 2016

Camera: Canon EOS 60D
Lens: Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4.0-5.6 IS
Shot: 1/40 sec. f/7.1 250mm ISO100

When I wrote heavy editing I want to show first the original shot without any editing.

Moon is very small and details are hardly visible. So what did I do?

Original photo is 5184 x 3456 pixels. Edited photo is only 576 x 576 pixels, because I had to crop it so much. Then I added Contrast. After that Highlights down even more. Finally photo is Sharpened heavily.

I'm quite happy for the edited photo.  What do you think?

Sigma and Tamron have both 150-600mm SuperZoom. That kind of lens would be so much better for moon and animal shots. Maybe some day.

Regards,
Mika

Dragonflies

I took these dragonfly photos on the same trip and same place like the previous photos about small frogs.

Place:   Riekkola, Haparanda, Sweden
Photos: Dragonflies
Date:    7th of September, 2016

Camera: Canon EOS 60D
Lens: EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS

Editing: Sharpening, highlights down, cropping

I have posted before dragonfly photo also earlier, but that was different species.

Also these mating dragonflies are different species than last time.

Dragonflies are interesting object for taking photos, but season for dragonflies will be very soon over here in North Europe.

Regards,
Mika

Small Frogs

I was watching yesterday swans on the seaside, when I suddenly realized there are jumping something just next to me. There was several small frogs. Size of the frogs were about 3cm.

Place:    Riekkola, Haparanda, Sweden
Photos: Small frogs
Date:     7th of September, 2016

Camera: Canon EOS 60D
Lens: Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS

Editing: Sharpening, contrast, saturation, cropping

This was nice, when the frog was on the leaf.

Same frog. Just different angle.

Here another small frog tries to hide and be invisible.

I haven´t seen frogs here in Finland or just other side of the border in Sweden for long time. Here are frogs, but I just haven´t been in that kind of place recently.

Regards,
Mika

Double Bridges

Walking bridge to Pikisaari Island and Tornio old bridge on the background.

Place:  Tornio, Finland
Photo: Double Bridges
Date:   5th of September, 2016

Camera: Canon EOS 60D
Lens: Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM
Shot: 1/80 sec. f/22 50mm ISO160

Editing: Sharpening, highlights down and cropping.

This was interesting and new angle to old bridge, which I saw when I was biking. I just had to turn back and take the photo.

Regards,
Mika

Barnacle Geese Landing on Water

Flock of barnacle geese landing on Tornio River.

Place: Haparanda, Sweden

Photo: Barnacle geese landing on water

Date: 20th of August, 2016

Camera: Canon EOS 60D

Lens: Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS

Shot: 1/2000 sec. f/5.6 250mm ISO250

Editing: Sharpening and cropping

This is the same flock of barnacle geese like photo I posted earlier.

Regards,

Mika

Wild Ducks

Here in Tornio is a bay where are every summer lot of wild ducks. This summer was not exception. Young ones are not so small anymore.

Place: Tornio, Finland
Photos: Wild Dicks
Date:  26th and 29th of August, 2016

Camera: Canon EOS 60D
Lens: EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS

Editing: Sharpening and little bit cropping

This guy has different kind of color even it was in the same flock.

Bathing time.

Here the summer is in practice already over and wild ducks will fly soon out of Finland to warmer places.

Regards,
Mika

Sparrowhawk

Yesterday I was outside of my condo in the middle of Tornio city and I saw sparrowhawk gliding in the sky.

Place: Tornio, Finland
Photo: Sparrowhawk
Date: 26th of August, 2016

Camera: Canon EOS 60D
Lens: Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS
Shot: 1/1600 sec. f/5.6 250mm ISO320

Editing: Only sharpening and cropping.

Hawk was quite high and it was gliding opposite direction of me, so I coundn't get as sharp photo as I wanted. Also I had to crop it quite much. Anyway it was interesting to see hawk flying in the middle of city area. Never seen before.

Regards,
Mika