January mornings

Street photography
Bicycle commute in January, Tampere 2022

This week I want to share some photos from my January morning walks.

January morning are dark. The sunrise is at about 9am. We have already passed the shortest day of the year which is on 21. December, but early morning are still with night darkness and streetlights.

I take our dog for a walk at about 7:15 and in early January i took with me also my camera. I wanted to take photographs of the path I walk every day in the forest and the park along the lake.

The streetlight with ice on them. The snow-covered party. The signposts standing alone in the cold.

Few people pass by on their bicycles on the way to work. The have halogen lights on. Multilayered sport clothes he’s to keep them warm.

We usually see 4-5 other dog owners out for the morning walk. Sometime they get closer and let the dogs meet and sniff at each other. Sometimes they prefer to stay away. We exchange few words to greet each other, with a good day, and then continue walking along the path.

Yeas, the morning in January at dark, but the days are getting longer and over the next few weeks the lights will get brighter and brighter until when the night will disappear completely.

Winter morning

Forest / Street photography
Winter morning, Tampere 2022

Park bench

Street photography
Park bench, Tampere 2022

The snows has been falling for several days. The snow machine move during the night to keep the paths cleared. They do that night after night. They move the snow on the side of the paths. There is this bench I pass by every morning. It is half submerged as the snow gets higher and higher. It sits at the edge of the light circle from a lamp post which is alarmingly diagonal. The bench seems trapped and unable to provide the sitting place it is meant to provide. In the meantime the snow continues to fall as we are entering the month of February.

The small farm

Landscapes
Farm in winter, Kontiola 2021

The farm is small. Four wooden houses and a barn. They create a space on their own. Families have lived here. Different generations under the same roof. They worked the land during the short summer and waited patiently during the winter. Kids walked along the gravel road to get to the primary school no matter how cold, snowy or rainy it was. This old farm was a shelter and place where people lived their lives.

Light circle

Street photography
Light circle
Light circle, Tampere 2022

Winter lamp post

Street photography
Winter lamp post, Tampere 2022

The old barn

Countryside
The old barn, Niinikumppu 2021

I really like this old barn. Its high roof. The stone and boulder thick walls. The shape of the windows. An old times building.

Wooden bridge

Forest
Wooden bridge, Tampere 2022

Winter roads

Countryside
Winter roads, Niinikumppu 2021

The road is not slippery even though it is covered by a thick layer of dry snow. The air is clear. It is -15 Celsius and no forecast of snowfall. It will be a nice drive. We will get there on time.

Lake walk

Lake
Lake walk, Kontiola 2021

The lake is frozen now and a thick layer of snow stops the noises that the ice layers makes. Cracks, pangs, and bubbling sound between water and ice. The snow is like a blanket that puts everything on hold until the temperature starts to rise, the days will get longer, and spring will push to open the door of the winter.