• About – Tim Bird

Six Images

~ Selections from Tim Bird's travel photography archives

Six Images

Tag Archives: River Vantaa

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

21 Sunday Jun 2015

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

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

celebration, festival, finland, fog, Fujifilm XT1, Fujinon f2.8 16-55mm, Juhannus, Keravanjoki, midsummer, Nordic, River Kerava, River Vantaa, summer, traditions, Vantaanjoki

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:

midsummer-2360

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

midsummer-2388

Fog on the Kerava River.

midsummer-2391

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.

midsummer-2410

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.

midsummer-2405

Fog, again.

midsummer-2413

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.

Click here to find me on Facebook.

Click here to find me on Twitter.

Click here to find me on Instagram.

60.262300 24.980494

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Tumblr
  • Email
  • LinkedIn
  • WhatsApp

Like this:

Like Loading...

Six Picks: Summer scenes from Helsinki’s River Vantaa

09 Monday Jun 2014

Posted by Tim Bird in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

canoeing, cycling, finland, fishing, helsinki, hiking, Keskuspuisto, riding, River Vantaa, summer, swimming, Tuomarinkylän kartano, Vanhakaupunki, Vantaa

Six themed shots from the archives at www.timbirdphotography.com

The River Vantaa is one of the Finnish capital’s treasures, and one that visitors often don’t get to find out about. Leading upstream from the rapids at Vanhakaupunki – literally, old town – where Helsinki was founded in 1550 and arcing around the eastern side of the city to the northern edge of the forested Keskuspuisto (Central Park), the river takes its name from the city’s northern neighbour, Vantaa.

For me, the river, flowing a few hundred metres from our house, makes summer visits to the city centre a special pleasure, with cycle tracks leading through woods and meadows, past bathing beaches and rapids, as well as the occasional outdoor summer restaurant terrace. Canoe rental is an option near the bridge leading up to the old manor restaurant and stables and riding school at Tuomarinkylän kartano, fishing is popular near the rapids where the river cascades into the sea, and the beach at Pikkukoski (“Little Rapids”) is packed with bathers and partying kids once the holidays get under way. Haltiala farm to the north is popular with families, especially during the lambing season in spring, and anybody can join in with the traditional hay-making at Tuomarinkylän kartano. Sunflowers, flax and peas are grown in some of the fields adjacent to the river towards the Central Park and anybody can go and pick them.

Here are six shots of one of Helsinki’s best summer assets.

ImageHiking and cycle tracks run along both sides of the river, a fabulous scenic ride.

ImageThe rapids at Vanhakaupunki where the river meets the sea and where Helsinki was founded in 1550. The buildings on the left contain a small hydropower plant.

ImageFishing on the river, home to perch, pike, grayling, salmon, trout, and rainbow trout.

ImageModern developments creep closer to the river banks every year.

Image

Sunflowers are grown in some fields and once they’re in bloom anyone can pick and take them home.

Image

Dramatic sunsets are common on the river, but you have to wait until nearly midnight to see them on long light summer evenings.

Please feel free to get in touch – all feedback appreciated – and visit my website to see more pictures from all over the world: www.timbirdphotography.com. Feel free to share these links using social media but please ask permission before re-using any of the shots displayed here and on my website in any other way – copyright is mine for all photos.

Visit my other occasional Blog at birdseyeview.me

 

 

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Tumblr
  • Email
  • LinkedIn
  • WhatsApp

Like this:

Like Loading...

Recent Posts

  • International Women’s Day: Women of India
  • Happy birthday Tikau
  • Around the world in six World Cup nations
  • The archery lottery in Meghalaya, India
  • Six images: On target for a lucky break

Recent Comments

Rudolf Shaw on When Santa’s presence ma…
Tim Bird on International Women’s Da…
Eeva-Helena Laurinsa… on International Women’s Da…
Tim Bird on My name is Tim, I’m a…
Geoff Harris on My name is Tim, I’m a…

Archives

  • March 2019
  • September 2018
  • June 2018
  • March 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • June 2017
  • April 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • January 2016
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014

Categories

  • addiction
  • Amritsar
  • architecture
  • Arctic travel
  • art
  • Assam
  • aurora borealis
  • books
  • bookshops
  • bucket-list
  • celebration
  • Central America
  • China
  • Christmas
  • Costa Rica
  • culture
  • culture shock
  • Estonia
  • festival
  • FIFA World Cup
  • Finland
  • football
  • France
  • geology
  • Golden Triangle
  • Guilin
  • helsinki
  • hotels
  • Independence
  • India
  • Juhannus
  • lapland
  • Mexico
  • Midsummer
  • mountains
  • music
  • namibia
  • nature
  • northern lights
  • Odisha
  • Paris
  • photo tours
  • photography
  • Punjab
  • religion
  • rural India
  • social media
  • Solstice
  • spirituality
  • summer
  • sustainable development
  • Switzerland
  • tourism
  • Travel
  • travel photography
  • Uncategorized
  • wildlife
  • wildlife
  • winter
  • Yangshuo

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.com

Recent Posts

  • International Women’s Day: Women of India
  • Happy birthday Tikau
  • Around the world in six World Cup nations
  • The archery lottery in Meghalaya, India
  • Six images: On target for a lucky break

Recent Comments

Rudolf Shaw on When Santa’s presence ma…
Tim Bird on International Women’s Da…
Eeva-Helena Laurinsa… on International Women’s Da…
Tim Bird on My name is Tim, I’m a…
Geoff Harris on My name is Tim, I’m a…

Archives

  • March 2019
  • September 2018
  • June 2018
  • March 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • June 2017
  • April 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • January 2016
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014

Categories

  • addiction
  • Amritsar
  • architecture
  • Arctic travel
  • art
  • Assam
  • aurora borealis
  • books
  • bookshops
  • bucket-list
  • celebration
  • Central America
  • China
  • Christmas
  • Costa Rica
  • culture
  • culture shock
  • Estonia
  • festival
  • FIFA World Cup
  • Finland
  • football
  • France
  • geology
  • Golden Triangle
  • Guilin
  • helsinki
  • hotels
  • Independence
  • India
  • Juhannus
  • lapland
  • Mexico
  • Midsummer
  • mountains
  • music
  • namibia
  • nature
  • northern lights
  • Odisha
  • Paris
  • photo tours
  • photography
  • Punjab
  • religion
  • rural India
  • social media
  • Solstice
  • spirituality
  • summer
  • sustainable development
  • Switzerland
  • tourism
  • Travel
  • travel photography
  • Uncategorized
  • wildlife
  • wildlife
  • winter
  • Yangshuo

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.com

Blog at WordPress.com.

Cancel
loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.
%d bloggers like this: