Clouds – Lotta Villagefield

A Spontaneous Road Trip

July 20, 2017August 25, 2017 by Lotta Villagefield, posted in Norway, Photography

I got a call from one of my brothers on my second night here in Sweden. He told me he had Monday and Tuesday off work and wanted to go for a drive to Norway. I had no idea you were here, but Dad told me, so I thought you might like to come along. Since you love photography so much.

You know when someone asks you to go for spontaneous a drive–usually it doesn’t end up in a twenty-four hour, fifteen-hundred kilometer trip. Across country borders. With barely any sleep in that entire time. At least not in my experience. But that is exactly what happened. We started at 10 a.m. on Monday morning and we didn’t get back until 2 p.m. the following day. As we drove back through our Swedish forests, the past day and night felt like a distant dream. Like something I had honestly only imagined in my head. It was the strangest feeling. Luckily, in spite of my camera battery dying after seventeen photos, I got enough images as proof it was all wonderfully real.

I have spent pretty much all day, on and off, going through and editing these photos, and it honestly amazes me how good camera phones are. Of course there are things I cannot possibly do with them, like taking photos at night. They turn out grainy and look more like paintings than photographs, which was kind of cool.

I finished editing earlier, but my body isn’t fully recovered so I wasn’t going to do this post until tomorrow. As I lied in bed with my clothes on–I felt so ill I went straight to bed after the last photo was done–I thought I don’t have to write a novel about it. And you know what? I am going to let the photos speak for themselves. My brother and I didn’t speak much, either, while we drove. We were both so engrossed in the impressions this wondrous country continuously gave us. And I am so grateful to him for asking me along. This was above and beyond anything I could have imagined beforehand. So without more delay, I invite you along on this beautiful adventure.

On Our Way Through Sweden

Norway – First Impressions

Agdenes – Along Trondheimsfjord

AgdenesTrondheimsfjorden_Canon — Canon EOS 1100D & Tamron 90mm macro lens.

Agdenes – View Of The Ocean

AgdenesJumpingForJoy — My brother has stared at Google Maps satellite images, and to finally be out here made him jump for joy. Such a happy moment. / Canon EOS 1100D & Canon EFS 10-18mm lens.

AgdenesOceanSunset — Canon EOS 1100D & Canon EFS 10-18mm lens.

AgdenesFerryView — Canon EOS 1100D & Canon EFS 10-18mm lens.

Agdenes – Gravvikbukta

GravvikbuktaOceanRoad — Canon EOS 1100D & Canon EFS 10-18mm lens.

GravvikbuktaInnerRoad — Canon EOS 1100D & Canon EFS 10-18mm lens.

GravvikbuktaFjord — Goosebumps sped up and down my body as I stood here, choked up on tears and utterly overcome by this breathtaking beauty. / Canon EOS 1100D & Canon EFS 10-18mm lens.

When The Battery Dies

MistyMountains — As I set up for this photo, the camera flipped, then stopped working. I couldn’t even focus it. It was an incredibly long exposure and imagine my surprise when I uploaded these to the laptop to find this intact. / Canon EOS 1100D & Canon EFS 10-18mm lens.

Dawn Over Midnight Lands

Sunrise Reflections

Farewell, Norway

I will go back here. If not to these particular places, I will return with my Canon and capture more of Norway’s treasures. For now I am just so thankful to have gotten to experience these places.

If you want a daily photo and much less words, come join me on Instagram where I keep it short and sweet. 😉 I have also started to share spontaneous moments through Instagram Stories. Now I am just working up the courage to speak while at it. One step at a time, eh?

Thank you so much for reading, liking, and commenting. It means so much to me. ❤ See you soon!

Among Old Buildings

July 4, 2017July 4, 2017 by Lotta Villagefield, posted in Photography

Good evening, everyone! Yesterday was truly one of those overcast days, and I kept waiting for the sky to open up with showers but it didn’t until sometime during the night. Later in the afternoon, early evening, the clouds broke apart a little. It was the loveliest light, so I grabbed my camera and went outside.

Usually I don’t go outside with my camera unless it’s early or late. And I always seem to chase that mesmerising evening sun. But what a treasure this turned out to be. In edits I found myself leaning toward different settings, since the ones I mostly use didn’t really bring out the feeling in the photos I had when I shot them. (A lot of photos in this post, by the way!)

These clouds were absolutely amazing. Every once in a while a sliver of light would come through here and there, and further away the sun sent out its soft caresses to the trees.

In my latest reply to the weekly photo challenge, I told you I had a particular spot in mind. And I am so grateful for the response. Thank you all so much–for the likes and the lovely comments. ❤ One of you in particular expressed a wish to see this place, so that was actually my main goal for taking this walk. When I saw that sun filter through the clouds, I thought oh, this is perfect. So thank you, Chronicles of Wonder, for inspiring me to go get that shot.

On my way there, though, I stopped (as I seem to be obsessed with lately) to capture a few closeups.

Jay was out in the fields with the fertiliser, and when he was done, he came right at me. The spreader was still spinning, even if he had turned it off, so a few pebbles bounced off my shirt. I joked you threw crap on me! Good thing it isn’t actually manure. Not that he would have been sad to see me put my shirt away, considering he thinks it looks like a potato sack. Haha

Last time I came here, taking care not to step too much on the moss, it was spring. The ground must have been quite chilled still, and relatively solid, because now I sunk into the clay as I got in between the buildings. It is a wonder the buildings stay upright on these shifting foundations. Although… they do tilt a little.

I told Jay I wanted to rescue this wagon–what is left of it–and bring it to the garden, and he didn’t quite agree. He tells me he likes looking at it where it is. Also, after some closer thought, I wonder if it even would stay together or if the wheels are rotted. So it will stay. I must agree with him; it does look beautiful. Just as it is. Which is probably exactly why I thought of it as the perfect showcase for transition and the passing of time.

This little hidden treasure is only one of many on our farm. Even though I get immensely frustrated over all the things inside the main house left from previous generations, and we are literally swamped in the clutter, I am also so thankful so much history remains (mostly) intact on the property.

HorseWagonShed — The old horse wagon shed.

LabourCottagePlayfulShadows — Photo taken on another occasion a couple of weeks ago.

LabourCottageVines — Also captured a couple of weeks ago.

This last building is called työtupa in Finnish. I have translated it to the labour cottage. It used to be the main building (built around 1880). Jay’s grandfather grew up in this house but moved out before World War II. The house we live in, or a part of it–it has had extensions later on–was built some time in the 1920’s.

For years I have wanted to “write an article” on this farm, mostly told through photographs. Now that I am blogging, I think it is time to get started. It will take some time to gather material, but hopefully before the end of this year I will take you on a tour through the generations this place is built upon.

Until then, I would like to share two photos I took many years ago now (and actually shared here on WordPress on one of those blogs I started but never continued), from inside the työtupa.

I wish you a wonderful evening, and thank you so much for reading. ❤

Roadside Treasures

June 26, 2017June 26, 2017 by Lotta Villagefield, posted in Nature's Treasures, Photography

Hello, everyone. I sat here this morning and looked outside my window. I looked at the dew still resting in the arms of branches, balancing on the tips of leaves on a small maple. Every once in a while the sun broke through the clouds and it was like a symphony of light and brilliance as the drops danced. A glitter of reflection. Nature is so generous like that. It doesn’t really matter where I am. I don’t have to travel to faraway lands, I do not need to gaze at the horizon and wish and wonder what adventures await me there.

A short moment, but a passing wind of light rain swept across the fields. How beautiful it is when rain falls as the sun watches and lights up every drop–thousands upon thousands–as they rush to the ground.

I sat in our kitchen yesterday morning for the longest time. The house so silent, resting now in summer. As the cold sets in, the wooden timber in the walls creaks and cracks as it shifts and draws into itself to huddle against the northern winds. In spring, it’s the same, but instead it stretches after a long, hard winter, and finally exhales a breath of relief. It is still, possibly reveling in the warmth once more.

I sat there all alone for so long, but not once did I feel lonely. Just around the corner, Loke would stretch at times, sigh, and go back to sleep. The tick-tock of the clock, the hum of the refrigerator in tune with the birds chattering amongst themselves leaking through the walls. I could see the road from across the fields, but the sound of cars barely reaches over the distance. And most likely majority of the people were still in their beds or just waking up from Midsummer festivities.

It hit me, then, how much I adore these quiet moments. A slow morning when suddenly I just sync with everything around me. I took it all in and noted my gratefulness, listened to the scritch-scribble-sctrach as my pen followed the lines, danced along to this subtle morning symphony. I am happy. I am at peace. I feel content–right here, right now.

Later in the day, once the rain let up, I took my camera and walked along the road that leads from our house. I don’t know exactly how long the road is, but I walked along between a hundred and two hundred meters of it and found so many treasures.

In the evening, while marvelling at this simple beauty nestling just outside our door, I read a post on Instagram by one of the many amazing photographers I follow there. Forrest Winants Smith / @lostintheforest. He asked what gets us outside? What makes us appreciate the outdoors? I have mentioned this before, in Shaped By Thousands Of Years. I said, then, that these fields of ours, while beautiful in their own way, could not compare to the mountain vistas of the High Coast. The thing is, though, that they can–this is our beloved nature, too. The same magic rests here.

The spirit of nature isn’t exclusive to towering mountain ranges and sloping valleys, nor does it hide in only specific places. Nature is everywhere, and its wisdom speaks to my soul wherever I may be. Whenever. I just have to stop and listen and it will open me up to all the aspects. Along this little roadside I find perspective. In these simple treasures I find wonder.