Chefs special

As some might know, I enjoy working in the kitchen. Cooking is just simply fun. I seldom make anything really fancy, mostly it's just basic home cooking for the family. The chef in the videoclip could be called my inspiration or maybe even an idol:

Freezing sunshine

It has been rather cold lately, especially the nights and mornings have been cold enough to make even a finn think twice about going outside. However, the day temperatures have been at a tolerable level and the sun has been shining brightly. Unfortunately I have not been able to enjoy the lovely wintery days, since I have been battling with a high fever for the last week and I still don't feel completely well. It would have been nice to have been able to go out and ski a bit and maybe even take some pictures.

I'm planning on starting to make the next version of my hide in the near future. I'll post some text and a few pictures on what I'm doing as soon as I get things started.

Two months

have gone by almost unnoticed. There is now snow on the ground and my photography has come almost to a complete stop. I have taken some quick snapshots, mainly stuff to go in the family album, but that's about all. This one will go in the family album also, I think:

Autumn

Since I can't go out shooting what I'd want, I'll have to make do with taking quick snapshots around home. A small glimpse of the colors of autumn:

Quick birdies

I haven't been shooting much lately, at least not naturepictures. A few days ago I did manage to take these quick snapshots in our garden:

Not my usual preparations

I'm going to take some pictures after work tomorrow. However, this time around it will not be naturepics, but people. The pictures will be published in a calender. I'll be packing my backpack with the shorter end of my optics, some lighting and bits and pieces to go with it. I wonder how badly this will turn out?

Sunset cranes

We packed our gear in two backpacks and headed out to the edge of the swamp, with the intention of seeing and photographing the cranes that would be arriving at the swamp in the evening. For myself, this was nothing new, I've photographed migrating cranes quite a few times before. My companion however, was going after craneshots for the first time. She was also using gear borrowed from me, and which she was not familiar with. I didn't have very high hopes for the outcome of our trip. Even the weather was against us, steady gray skies with occasional light drizzle to make photography a real challenge and dampen our feelings.

At the end of the dirt road we hoisted the packs on our backs and headed for the swamp. At the edge of the wetlands, we found a small group of trees that we used to attach our camonetting onto. The netting hid us when viewed from the direction where the cranes usually land.

After getting the netting in place, we set our cameras up and had a bite to eat and some tea while we waited for the birds to show up. My companion managed to keep her voice nice and quiet and stay rather still, eventhough waiting for something to happen was obviously not much fun.

Eventually we could hear cranes as they approached from behind the treeline. We both lay low behind the netting, but unfortunately the cranes flew right above us, spotting us and continuing their flight just above the treetops and landing at the far side of the swamp.

My companion managed to take a few pictures on our little outing.

While waiting for the cranes to arrive, she took a picture of the ospreys' nest that was nearby:
There was also a autumn colored cloudberry leaf right next to us:
As the cranes fly by, a quick snapshot was taken:
On the way back to the car, we stopped to look at a treestump and a mushroom. They just had to be photographed:
I decided not to take any nature pictures myself this time around, concentrating instead on documenting my companions doings and feelings during the evening:
All in all, it was a good evening, eventhough we did not manage to take a picture that could be called a "sunset crane". I think this is pretty much what "spending quality time with your kid" means.