I bet everyone has been aware of the increasing number of single speed bicycles everywhere. But while visiting different cities around Europe I noticed that there were new, even more creative ways to commute around the big metropolises.
Some of them are even landing to the shores of our Northern country.
A unicyclist in Basel, Switzerland
Unicycles
One may think it’s just one of those extreme sports which belong to circus. But when you actually think about it, a unicycle is almost as small as a pogo stick, it gets you around faster than walking and is a great way to improve your balance.
It’s definitely a great way to get more socialized plus fixed gear enthusiasts love you for it too!
A unicycle spotted in a metro in Helsinki!
Even my good ol’ pa decided to give it a try and has started practicing the unicycle. Here’s me packing his unicycle into my courier bag:
Kick scooters and roller skates
These are the devices I loved to ride in my childhood – but then they just disappeared! Luckily they’re now making a comeback a little by little.
The funny thing is though that not just the kids are riding them to school as back then but again, working citizens use them as transportation from home to the market or to work…
Older woman took a stop with her kick scooter in Hamburg
And of course
Single speed bikes with Bianchi bodies in a flea market in Berlin
As I mentioned already the single speed cycles and fixed gear bikes have taken over the streets once and for all. I’ll be writing about it more in depth later though, as the phenomenon is worth an article of its own. 
Fixie riders in Paris
Update 20.2.2010: The article is now visible on my portfolio (link)
Just a week ago I arrived back from Sweden, Härnösand. There I was working for Softaaja magazine (or Airsoft Soldier as known internationally) on the photo reportage of the biggest airsoft event I have ever attended in.
This event, a four-day-long scenario game called Berget 7, was a very interesting one to cover. I was playing the role of an in-game photographer meaning that I was all the time – day and night – keeping close to others on my side (Separatist Reform Party i.e. SRP, while the other parties were NATO, Milo’s Tigers, Yuri Orlov’s Mercenaries and Civilians) who were mostly Finns too.
And not only did I have to capture some interesting photographs, my mission was to create an in-depth story of the whole trip so that everyone reading the reportage could get the image of being there. Thus staying focused on stories developing around me and writing captions for my photos on the fly were key elements to me.
The game itself was a great success. Our SRP forces outsmarted the others right from the beginning and we got a firm grip on the leading position. In the end SRP and its new allies crushed NATO and escaped to safety.
As I came back home with the huge pile of photos I was thinking to myself: “What a great experience!”, and then: “How in the World can all these photos be packed into a single article?!”
The thing is, I recall being told beforehand that the reportage had six pages reserved from the final magazine issue. Then we at the editorial negotiated afterwards on 10 to 12 pages, and finally, my photo story got overwhelming 14 pages! Seems like I did quite an impression on the people above me.
The photo reportage will be published in the 5th issue of Softaaja and probably in the 5th issue of Airsoft Soldier also so stay tuned and go get them when you can!
I just fell in love with street photography again. I’ve been photographing the streets of Helsinki and went on a trip to Saint Petersburg where I documented the local people with my camera a lot too.
Or it might just be the camera particularly which is creating such a thrill in me.
For a long time I’ve been drooling after the Canon’s EOS 5D especially due to it’s full frame sencor and the advantages brought with it and the camera’s slim body also. So I finally took the plunge and got that camera body of my dreams!
A comparison between images taken on Canon EOS 350D and on Canon EOS 5D
(Thank you Marja for being such a lovely model as always!)
Some of you might be thinking why didn’t I invest on the new 5D mark II instead, but I just don’t need all the features it has, so it would have been waste of money to me. I’ve been using the old 5D at work for a long time already so I knew what was the perfect choice for me.
One more thing before I let you to jump on the photos taken in St. Petersburg. I want to address my love towards the Canon EOS 5D + 50 mm prime lens combo by showing the following three images of one photograph. The images don’t just come out outstandingly sharp, but the focal length is just right on a full frame sencor. It is not too tight nor too wide, just perfect!
Canon EOS 5D, 50mm f/1.8: 1/800 sec, f/2.5, ISO 200
The first image is the photo uncropped, the last one is a 100% crop.
Ok, here they are (click the photo below). Please enjoy the gallery and maybe even leave a comment considering them here. Thanks!
Hi all! Long time no see.
For those who care, I apologise for neglecting this blog for such a tremendous amount of time, but let me explain myself…
First of all I’ve been out there living. On my summer holiday I travelled with Marja through the city of London exploring the urban culture and meeting new people for a week. Plus, there’s no London without a portion of fish and chips in an atmospheric pub! (There’s no photo of it though. Sorry!) We also enjoyed amazing local attractions in Saint Peterspurg while visiting my grandparents there and finished the whole package by going to Viljandi Folk Music Festival in the Southern Estonia. We were so dedicated to listening to music and dancing with Marja that we didn’t even take a camera with us. And that’s huge from us!
Here are some of our travelling photos from London and St. Petersburg:
Another reason for me not updating this blog has been work. I’ve been hired as photographer for three different magazines including Softaaja in which my work has been seen already previously. It’s been a wonderful opportunity for me to work in a studio and I have learned a lot! Many shots I have taken there are still waiting for their first publication in the magazines so you folks have to wait for a while for the newest pieces of my work. I’m pretty excited about them already.
Until then here’s some of my work for them:
I was shooting airsoft ages ago but didn’t link to the gallery from my blog. See the gallery from the link below: (Also, see how cool Väinö and his moustages look below.)
View gallery
One more thing. There’s a new gallery of a skateboarding competition (SkateSM 08) coming up in the near future so stay tuned! Here’s few teasers for you:
Oh, and I bought a new lens but I will tell more about it later! You may guess what it is by judging from the following photo. *tease* 
Over and out!
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