Green for a day...again!
It’s been three years since the last time the Irish and the wanna-be-Irish-for-a-day in Copenhagen could celebrate March 17th, a.k.a. St.Patrick’s Day, but this year it was once again possible to gather to dress up in various shades of green, white and orange (but mostly green).
The 365 Project Mark VI - Month Eight
The year is two thirds done and the air has a certain crispness to it at night. No doubt that fall is approaching, but we’ll get to enjoy warm days for a little while longer (hopefully anyway!). The eighth month of the year brought some previous types of photography and locations back to me, topics and places I’ve not had much contact with for the duration of the pandemic, so that was a lot of fun!
Overseas for the first time in a long time
It’s 21 months since the last time I was in Copenhagen, or even in Denmark at all. There’s a very obvious reason for that long delay, a reason that the whole world has had to deal with in some shape or form, for longer than any of us thought we’d have to. However, after getting the two shots and waiting the two weeks for them to take full effect I figured it was pretty safe for me to use one of my vacation days to experience the Danish capital again. World Pride 2021, however small it could be right now due to the pandemic, was going on in Copenhagen, so I figured I’d get a look at that and hopefully get some interesting pictures.
Light is returning
It is not exactly a world-shattering piece of news that when the calendar turns from February to March to April the days get longer and the light returns. This year though it feels different; it feels more important to notice the light coming back, because it signifies a symbolic return to normal…eventually. It is nature’s promise that even though the winter was bleak there is lighter times ahead. So I enjoy being outdoors seeing that the light is back here again with us!
The 365 Project Mark IV - The Eleventh Month Summary
It is time for my last but one summary of this year’s 365 project and I think it’s been the easiest one of them all, mostly because I’ve allowed myself to include images from all my photographic devices; be it analog, digital or mobile cameras. That way I didn’t limit the type of picture that I could include. If I decided to my 5th 365 project next year I will definitely apply the same rules to it then. I’ve not decided yet…that’s what December is for!
The 365 Project Mark IV - The Fifth Month Summary
Five months gone already? Really? This year is proceeding fast. Just one month to go to the halfway point, and then it’s all downhill from there. Well, if this had been a hill climb it might be, but it’s not, so I’ll refrain from more analogies I think. Anywho…I am glad that we’re into the sixth month of the year, because it’s warm(ish) outside and there’s a lot of daylight (too much of it according to certain Texan people I know I am sure!). I like it though, because it gives me more time to shoot during the days.
Sakura in the rain
For many years it’s been a tradition for me to go across the ocean to Denmark’s capital Copenhagen at the tail end of April to photograph at the Sakura (or Cherry Tree in Japanese) Festival. It’s usually quite the colorful experience with lots of people in kimonos, martial arts outfits (for the displays) or various anime and manga outfits. I’ve covered it with my digital gear many times…so this time I figured I’d have a go at it with my 1970s Canon TLb and Fomapan 400 film. It is also the one camera in my gear bag that I am not very careful with…so if the projected downpour would have a disastrous go at it…well…I have other cameras I can use.
The 365 Project Mark IV - The Third Month Summary
One fourth of the year is over and I have another 31 images to write a blog post about…my March “harvest”. It’s been an interesting month photography wise, because at long last it looks like the snotfest we call winter is finally over and we’re on the way towards better light, which is pretty crucial for photography…at least if you want to take anything more than “moody” gray photos (nothing wrong with those though if that’s what you’re after).
Green day in Copenhagen
Second week in a row with digital images from me…which is kind of rare for me these days. Don’t worry though, I haven’t abandoned my analog gear in any sort of way, it’s just that this week’s images would most likely NOT look as interesting in black and white!
I’ve been coming to the St:Patrick’s Day celebrations in Copenhagen for several years to photograph the antics and hijinks of the revelers, and this year I got 7 of my fellow photo club shooters to come along. Everyone seemed to have a good time, even if the winds made the day a sometimes very chilled experience. At least we didn’t have any rain (unlike last time I was there in 2017 when there was quite the downpour).
Sakura photos with issues...a lot of issues!
One of the frustrating things with analog photography (and actually one of the redeeming qualities too when it works) is that you can't check the back of the screen to see if your exposure is spot on. I find that a good thing often because that makes me focus on the picture taking and being careful with the exposure to begin with, because I can't check it after each image.
Instagram 365 Project January Wrap-Up
So...it’s now February 2018 and that means I am officially done with the first month of this year’s 365 project and it also means that it is time to look back at the 31 images I uploaded during that month. Just like I did during my 2016 365 Project I’ll pick 5 or 6 images and write a bit about each so there's a little bit more "meat" than just the hashtags I've put on each on my posts to Instagram.
Photowalk in Monochrome
At long last I've gotten around to processing my negatives from the Scott Kelby Worldwide Photowalk in Copenhagen, Denmark on October 7th. As I wrote in my previous blog post from the day after the event it was a VERY wet affair, so I decided very soon after we arrived at the starting point to only shoot analog photos (and a few cell phone snaps here and there) since my DSLR isn't particularly weather sealed and I didn't want to risk losing it or have to send it in for repairs. So analog it was from there on!
Industrial details in Copenhagen
I did a day trip to the Copenhagen Photo Festival and while the actual exhibitions weren't exactly to my liking the location of the exhibitions at Photo City, the HQ of the festival provided a few interesting details. It was held in an old power station near some gasworks and the raw industrial feel in the somewhat gloomy rooms was definitely still there.
Almost time to be Irish again!
In a week's time I am once again heading to Copenhagen to be fake-Irish for a day. Yep...March 17th is St:Patrick's Day and it is time to enjoy the way that's celebrated in the Danish capital. I took a look through my archive of photos and it turns out I've been there four out of the last five years (I sat 2016 out due to just being through a bout of flu), so I've taken a lot of pictures of the celebrations!
The 365 Project - June Wrap-Up
We are now in the month of July, which means I'm halfway done with my 365 project. Yay! Also, my my how time flies! It doesn't really feel like it's been over six months since I posted the first of these images on Instagram, but then I look at the 184 images in my Lightroom folder and there they are, all 184 (!) of them. There'll be another 182 before the year is over, but at least I know I'm on the "home stretch", if quite a long stretch!