About this journal
A quiet record of what grows underfoot in southern Finland.
I started carrying a camera into the woods around Espoo in 2019. I wasn't trying to make anything in particular, just trying to look more carefully. Most of what you'll find here is small: petals, mosses, the way frost forms on bilberry leaves. Occasionally a wider scene, when the light insists.
A small field guide
When and where I look for things, roughly by season.
Seasons of attention
Spring
- Wood anemones
- Coltsfoot
- Marsh marigold
- Early lichens
Summer
- Lupines
- Wild strawberry
- Bog cotton
- Dragonflies
Autumn
- Chanterelles
- Rowan berries
- Rust ferns
- Frost patterns
Winter
- Snow textures
- Ice on bark
- Reindeer moss
- Long shadows
Recent frames
A handful of recent favorites.
Wood anemones, Nuuksio, April
Bog cotton at sunrise, Sipoo
Lichen study, Porkkala
First frost, late October
Lupine field near Lohja
Chanterelle, September
What's in the bag
Honest answer: not much, and the same things most of the time.
- An older mirrorless body, nothing exotic
- A 35mm prime for almost everything
- A 90mm macro for the small stuff
- A small notebook (more important than I expected)
- Wool socks and patience