Author Archives: Tim Bird

Six Picks: Suomenlinna, fabulous in winter

15 Friday Jan 2016

Posted by in tourism, Travel, travel photography, Uncategorized, winter

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A shamefully occasional photo blog presenting six-at-a-time appetizers of the delights in my photographic larder. Sneak in for a midnight feast at www.timbirdphotography.com

The most exotic and exciting venue for photography for me in the locality of my home in Helsinki, Finland, has always been the historic island fortress of Suomenlinna (literally, Finland’s fortress). Helsinki is a vibrantly modern city but that means it’s short of truly old historic districts. Suomenlinna’s ramparts and defences are built across a small archipelago of rugged islands, a mere 20 minute ferry ride from the city’s main market square. A UNESCO listed World Heritage site, it’s a wonderful place to visit at any time of the year, romantic and windswept and with wide sea views.

For myself, winter has always been the best time to visit, especially when (or in these days of unpredictable climate, if) the sea freezes. This winter has been the coldest for some years and that means dramatic sea ‘smoke’, the effect of very cold air sweeping across not-yet freezing water. There has been a fair amount of snow, too, with more to come, it seems.

And it also seems that my fondness for Suomenlinna in the winter is being increasingly shared. Today I got a press release recording the fact that the numbers of winter visitors have soared. There was an increase of 14 per cent in the total number of visitors in the winter months in 2015, and the total of over 200,000 was a new record.

Since this means I might not have the place to myself in coming years, I don’t know if celebrations are called for, but in any case I’ll mark the news by showing six of my best shots from the dramatic afternoon on January 5 when the the entire archipelago and South Harbour were enveloped in that extraordinary ‘sea smoke’. Here goes:

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Visiting Suomenlinna while in Helsinki is easy – just jump on the ferry. Helsinki city transport tickets are transferable. Click here to find the timetable from the Kauppatori (Market Square). More information about Suomenlinna and its museums and restaurants: click here.

If you’ve enjoyed your visit to Six Picks, come back and let me distract you again some time, or visit previous blogs in the series. And feel free to Tweet toot, hoot, share and anything else that social media well let you do – but remember copyright is MINE! If you’d like to use the photos for any other purpose please get in touch.

Six picks newsflash: ‘Motion Pictures’ available on iTunes, Kobo

23 Monday Nov 2015

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At last – my new eBook, ‘Motion Pictures – a travel photographer’s companion‘ is now available on three eBook platforms. In addition to the launch version for Amazon Kindle, the richly illustrated 96-page all-colour book can now be bought on iTunes and Kobo.

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My new logo – fresh from the brilliant Ea Söderberg, who also designed Motion Pictures.

Quoting my own blurb: “Designed especially for viewing on colour devices, this is a  beautifully designed companion to anyone whose twin passions are travel and photography. The book contains tips, advice and anecdotes by experienced award-winning photographer and writer Tim Bird, illustrated with his own colour photos, and featuring sections by three top guest photographers. An entertaining and inspiring companion rather than a ‘how-to’ manual, this eBook discusses cultural issues encountered when using your camera in exotic locations as well as practical shooting situations.”

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My eBook – out now on iTunes, Amazon and Kobo.

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Six picks: Motion Pictures – a travel photographer’s companion

12 Thursday Nov 2015

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eBook

My eBook – out now on Amazon

I’m returning to Six Picks after a long absence with the great news that my eBook, ‘Motion Pictures – a travel photographer’s companion’, is now available on Amazon. Here’s the blurb:

“Designed for viewing on colour devices, this is a richly illustrated, beautifully designed companion to anyone whose twin passions are travel and photography. The book contains tips, advice and anecdotes by experienced award-winning photographer and writer Tim Bird, illustrated with his own colour photos, and featuring sections by three top guest photographers. An entertaining and inspiring companion rather than a ‘how-to’ manual, this eBook discusses cultural issues encountered when using your camera in exotic locations as well as practical shooting situations.”

I’m hoping to follow up with Apple and Kobo versions, although the publishing processes of both platforms are presenting various frustrating obstacles to this. It’s available on different Amazon national sites, including the USA, Mexico, India, Germany, France and Australia. I’m donating a euro for every copy sold to the very worthy charity in Nepal, Moving Mountain School Bag.

The eBook will make a perfect companion for anyone joining my fabulous photo tour to Assam in April 2016. Still places available for what promises to be the adventure of a lifetime: click here and here to learn more and contact me at timothy.bird@kolumbus.fi when you’ve decided to join me!

Other great news includes my award from the British Guild of Travel Writers as Photographer of the Year 2015, presented at a gala dinner at the Savoy Hotel in London on the eve of the World Travel Market. It’s the second time I’ve won this award – the first was in 2012 – and I’m thrilled to be recognized by such a prestigious organization. This news was followed by more good news, namely that I have two photos included in the finalist list for the Travel Photographer of the Year awards and one shortlisted in Outdoor Photographer of the Year. The winners will be announced in December.

Here are the winning four shots from the BGTW award:

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Light installation at Amsterdam’s Light Festival.

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Festival of Arts and Culture in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Mending nets at a Longhouse community in Sarawak, Borneo, Malaysia.

Mending nets at a Longhouse community in Sarawak, Borneo, Malaysia.

Celebrating boy drummers at a Muslim festival in Jaipur, India

Celebrating boy drummers at a Muslim festival in Jaipur, India

Here are a couple of my own shots from the eBook, two of many from a richly illustrated design which is the work of my talented friend Ea Söderberg, director of Hapate Design:

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Working in a Balinese rice paddy.

Ceiling and frescoes of St Isaac's Cathedral in St Petersburg, Russia.

Ceiling and frescoes of St Isaac’s Cathedral in St Petersburg, Russia.

If you splash out the modest sum for my eBook you’ll see plenty more of my work and share some of my ideas and stories about travel photography. Feedback welcome, and if you do make a purchase, I’d be eternally grateful for a review on Amazon too.

Over and out for now – watch this space for more news about my photo tour to Assam!

Info for photo gear nerds (like myself): All photos made with Fujifilm equipment, XPro1 and XT1 bodies with various lenses, although mainly 18-55mm f2.8-4 zoom.

Six picks: sign up for my Bird’s Eye Tour to Assam

11 Sunday Oct 2015

Posted by in Assam, India, photo tours, photography, Travel

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A shamelessly intermittent photo blog featuring six images from or hovering around my files at www.timbirdphotography.com.

I’m pursuing the India theme again as promotion starts in earnest for my exciting and unique photo tour to Assam in northeastern India, planned for April 2016. The itinerary, planned in cooperation with the very reputable Intrepid adventure travel operator, features the following highlights:

  • the vibrant Bihu festival celebrations
  • the hidden side of Dibrugarh’s temples
  • meeting the residents of the world’s largest river island, Majuli
  • capturing images of colourful local tribes
  • seeking the one-horned rhinoceros in Kaziranga National Park
  • sunrise from river boats in Nameri National Park

Although I have traveled extensively through India, from north to south and east to west, I have only visited Assam briefly, so this trip excites me as much as it should excite anyone who loves combining their passions of travel and photography.

In this issue of Six Picks, I’m showing six images from a single village in Assam’s neighbouring state of Bihar, which I have visited several times. Visual surprises abound in India, and many of them are found in scenes of every day life. I hope these pictures demonstrate what I mean and whet your appetite for the photo trip of a lifetime.

Click here for contact details and more information about Bird’s Eye Tour to Assam.

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Twitter, share, blog, brag and shot from the rooftops, be my guest. But copyright remains with Tim Bird, that is me, and you must contact me if you wish to use the photos commercially. Feedback always welcome – say hallo using the contact form on my About page.

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Six Picks: Presenting Bird’s Eye Photo Tours

31 Monday Aug 2015

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Tim Bird's avatarSix Images (and then some)

A photo blog providing a quick distraction in the form of six images from the files at www.timbirdphotography.com

I’m taking the opportunity in this Six Picks to announce the launch of an exciting new venture, Bird’s Eye Photo Tours, which I am planning in cooperation with Intrepid Travel. The first adventure sets off in April 2016 to the state of Assam in north-east India. Initial details of the tour itinerary are listed at Bird’s Eye Photo Tours  – I’ll be adding to these later – and if after reading this you’re interested in joining our compact group of eight photo enthusiasts, just send me an email at timothy.bird@kolumbus.fi or contact me using the comment form below and I’ll tell you more. You need an adventurous spirit, an interest in and basic competence in the basics of photography, and a willingness to accept and embrace India’s special culture…

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Six Picks: Presenting Bird’s Eye Photo Tours

23 Thursday Jul 2015

Posted by in India, photography, Travel

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A photo blog providing a quick distraction in the form of six images from the files at www.timbirdphotography.com

I’m taking the opportunity in this Six Picks to announce the launch of an exciting new venture, Bird’s Eye Photo Tours, which I am planning in cooperation with Intrepid Travel. The first adventure sets off in April 2016 to the state of Assam in north-east India. Initial details of the tour itinerary are listed at Bird’s Eye Photo Tours  – I’ll be adding to these later – and if after reading this you’re interested in joining our compact group of eight photo enthusiasts, just send me an email at timothy.bird@kolumbus.fi or contact me using the comment form below and I’ll tell you more. You need an adventurous spirit, an interest in and basic competence in the basics of photography, and a willingness to accept and embrace India’s special culture shocks. Here are some highlights to whet your appetite:

  • the colourful Bihu festival celebrations
  • the hidden side of Dibrugarh’s temples
  • meeting the residents of the world’s largest river island, Majuli
  • capturing images of colourful local tribes
  • seeking the one-horned rhinoceros in Kaziranga National Park
  • sunrise from river boats in Nameri National Park

I passed through a small part of Assam once on the way to the mountain state of Sikkim, but I didn’t spend enough time there to do much photography. But as my compact but loyal readership will know, I am a regular visitor to India. So in this issue of Six Picks I’m taking the opportunity to delve into the archives and share some previously unseen shots from Indian adventures hinting at the limitless diversity of cultures and geography that this extraordinary country contains. Here goes:

The ceremony of closing of the border with Pakistan near Amritsar has become a tourist attraction. The soldiers are staring towards Pakistan, where a similarly flamboyant guard contingent is staring back at them.

The ceremony of closing of the border with Pakistan near Amritsar has become a tourist attraction. The soldiers are staring towards Pakistan, where a similarly flamboyant guard contingent is staring back at them.

A bather in the Ganges at sunrise on the main day of the Hindu Kumbh Mela festival at Allahabad.

A bather in the Ganges at sunrise on the main day of the Hindu Kumbh Mela festival at Allahabad.

Rope for sale at the Sabai grass market in Odissa.

Rope for sale at the Sabai grass market in Odissa.

Goat herder - and goats - in the Rajasthan countryside near Jodhpur.

Goat herder – and goats – in the Rajasthan countryside near Jodhpur.

Sufi worshippers at the Nizamuddin Dargah or shrine in Delhi, my favourite place in the Indian capital

Sufi worshippers at the Nizamuddin Dargah or shrine in Delhi, my favourite place in the Indian capital

Fishing boat at sunrise at Pondicherry, the one-time French colony on the south-east coast.

Fishing boat at sunrise at Pondicherry, the one-time French colony on the south-east coast.

OK, I'm feeling generous, so here's a seventh, bonus shot of the spring Holi festival in Delhi. I needed a bodyguard to stop the guys throwing paint on my camera. My camera came out of the ordeal safely - I was covered in paint myself.

OK, I’m feeling generous, so here’s a seventh, bonus shot of the spring Holi festival in Delhi. I needed a bodyguard to stop the guys throwing paint on my camera. My camera came out of the ordeal safely – I was covered in paint myself.

I realized this is just the tip of the iceberg of my Indian archives so I’ll be doing this again! If you enjoyed dropping in, please do follow the blog and tweet, twerp and google, goggle, share and like!

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Six Picks: Midsummer Night’s Fog on the River Vantaa

21 Sunday Jun 2015

Posted by in festival, Finland, Juhannus, Midsummer, Solstice, summer

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An occasionally regular photo blog showing six latest additions to my photo archives. Visit www.timbirdphotography.com for more.

Midsummer – or the summer solstice if we’re going to be strict about it – is a big event in the Nordic region, where the long days and short, magical light nights are our reward for the rigors of winter. Juhannus, as it’s known in Finland, is a festival of rural traditions, with bonfires, saunas, midnight swims and fishing. I like to take late night bike rides along the River Vantaa close to my Helsinki home. This year the nights of the holiday weekend featured atmospheric fog on either side of the river.

Here are six images from the night before the longest day:

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Rapids on the River Kerava in Vantaa, close to where it joins the River Vantaa in Helsinki. Confused?

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Fog on the Kerava River.

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Rapids on a foggy summer’s night. It if hadn’t been for the fog, this image, taken just after midnight, would have been taken in something close to daylight.

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A midsummer tradition in Finland (and probably in Sweden) is for for unmarried girls to gather seven wild flowers and place them under their pillow. The face they see in their dreams is the face of their future spouse.

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Fog, again.

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One of my favourite views of the River Vantaa, a five minute walk from my home.

Technical note for photo nerds: these images were made using my Fujifilm XT1 and the latest addition to my fast expanding lens family, a Fujinon f2.8 16-55mm zoom. This was a good test for the new lens and I’m happy with the results.

If you’ve enjoyed dropping by for this brief photographic distraction, please keep your eye out for future blogs. Feel free to share, tweet, and shout from the rooftops.

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Six Picks: the Estonian island of Hiiumaa

20 Wednesday May 2015

Posted by in Estonia, Travel, travel photography

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A lamentably irregular photo blog, presenting half-dozen selections from my archives and/or recent travels. Find more at www.timbirdphotography.com

Apologies for absence. I haven’t been blogging for a while, but a long weekend of cycling and hiking on the lovely island of Hiiumaa off the Estonian Baltic coast has moved me to share some shots.

We reached Hiiumaa by bus from Tallinn, the capital. The bus ticket includes the hour-long ferry ride from Haapsalu on the mainland – itself worth an exploration, with its old wooden quarter, intimate local bars and castle. In the island ‘capital’ Kärdla, we stayed at the Kaptenite Villa (their website seems to be under maintenance currently, and it was formerly known as Villa Loona), a very hospitable guesthouse run by mother and daughter Maria and Sigrid, whose breakfasts lived up to their ‘luxurious’ billing. Highly recommended as a base for a visit.

Like its bigger and better known neighbour island Saaremaa, Hiiumaa was a ‘closed’ island during Estonia’s Soviet era, with military bases dotted around the coastline. This ‘closed’ status, which forbade visits by foreigners and most Estonians, means that the natural environment is especially well preserved.

My friends and I rented bicycles and braved the elements (Estonia in the spring can be cold and blustery). Here are a few highlights:

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Tahkuna Lighthouse, one of several lighthouses on the island and the site of a memorial to the wreck of the MS Estonia in September 1994.

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The entrance to a military museum near Tahkuna is marked by a Soviet tank with flowers placed in its barrel.

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The shingle spit at Sääre tirp, with millpond calm to the east and angry seas to the west.

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Barrel chalet accommodation in the community of Kassari.

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Grazing sheep at Orjaku

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Wild spring flowers – cowslips and forget-me-nots – in a meadow close to Kärdla, Hiiumaa’s main town.

I strongly recommend a visit to Hiiumaa. Meanwhile, I hope you enjoyed this brief introduction to an Estonian treasure. Welcome back, and please share, shout, tweet, hoot and Google Plus as much as you like – but please give credit where it’s due and remember copyright is MINE, ALL MINE!

Six Picks: Yangshuo encounters

09 Thursday Apr 2015

Posted by in China, Guilin, Travel, Yangshuo

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A periodical trawl through my photo archives, focusing on a different theme each time. Visit www.timbirdphotography.com for more.

Yangshuo is on the Li River and close to the city of Guilin, famous for its classic Chinese scenery of limestone karst mountains and rice terraces. It’s the venue for a spectacular light show on the river against the backdrop of the mountains and some equally spectacular caves. It’s a handy base for exploring the region. I stayed at the highly recommended The Li River Retreat on the edge of town, which is closed this year for renovations, but the friendly Australian manager Alf has alternative accommodation at Alf’s Place in the town itself until it reopens.

I spent some days here in 2010 during a break from visiting Shanghai for Expo 2010. I rented a bike and cycled to small market towns and followed the waterways upstream, loading the bike on bamboo rafts to make the return journeys downstream. I haven’t done a blog of photos from China for a while so I thought a return was long overdue. But rather than repeat the familiar scenes of those limestone mountains (perhaps I’ll return to those later; they are beautiful), I’ve selected six captivating characters encountered on my trip. Here goes:

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If you have enjoyed dropping in for this little photographic distraction, do come again. You’ll also find me on Twitter at @BirdTimothy and on Instagram at @indifreak, as well as on Facebook.