How I will proceed with my photography and what happened in July and August.
- herverannu
- Aug 27
- 7 min read
At the beginning of June, I told my followers that I would start writing blog posts summarizing my activities at the end of each month. I'm combining July and August here because I simply didn't have much going on in July, and if I don't have anything big to say or write, I don't think there's any need to do it. So, I'm writing about my activities in July and August in this post at the same time.
Upcoming changes and plans
After my travels to Japan and Tenerife/La Palma in the first half of the year, new thoughts started to form in my head. During these trips, I met some new photographers who are on a completely different level worldwide in their photography and I got a lot of inspiration from them. The harsh reality about my own photography also hit home. Namely, I realized that for the last 3-4 years I have simply shared my nature photos, and lately also videos, on social media. In my opinion, there are two values behind such simple sharing.
One is that looking at a nature photo largely makes you feel better. Nature is still beautiful to look at, especially if the photo has a colorful sunset or a calming misty bog view or something similar.
Secondly, it inspires other people also to maybe take the time to go and spend time in nature, whether with or without a camera. As a result, people generally feel better and get positive energy. I never thought that my photos should definitely have a certain message all the time and what they should convey. If someone asks what it could be, I would point out the two values mentioned above. However, at this point, all the sharing of value ends based on previous activities. But, I want to offer a little bit more to my followers in the future.
For the past 5 years, I have invested a lot of time and resources in developing my photography knowledge. I have traveled thousands of kilometers and captured tens of thousands of photos. Through all this practice, I have reached a point where I feel that I want to start sharing my knowledge also to others. To those who want to become a little better at photography in addition to just looking at beautiful photos and being inspired.
In the past 5 years, I have also spent my time giving lectures on print and nature photography topics at Tallinn Polytechnic College. It is actually awesome to see when the knowledge you share makes a student's eyes shine and, at the same time, makes them a little smarter. What I want to say is that I will start sharing more useful information and advice about photography on my social media channels. Specifically, what is related to nature photography in general and also what goes under more specific topics such as landscape and night photography, planning photo trips, techniques, etc. I will still just share nature photos with stories that may inspire you, but along with that, educational content is also starting to be seen. I also have some bigger plans in mind regarding workshops and courses, but more about those when the time comes.
But what happened during July and August?
Moved to Viljandi
On July 1st, I moved to the city Viljandi. I got tired of living in the big city in Tallinn and my heart had been looking for a calmer place for some time. For the last few years, my partner and I have actually been wondering if Tallinn is really the place to spend our future lives. Both of us were born and raised in Paide, so the idea of a calmer life is probably still inside. A year ago we ended up in Viljandi for a longer vacation and really liked it. Viljandi has its own vibe and now here I am. It is also quite interesting in terms of photography, because this entire region, including South-Estonia and Soomaa, is rather foreign to me and I am looking forward to discovering and capturing new photos in new places.
Altja
Most of July was spent at my computer putting together a big project. At the beginning and end of the month, I spent about a week in Altja to take photos and video for the project. Because the middle of summer is one of the most boring times of the year for me, when nature also tends to stand still with its activities. There are few foggy bog mornings and it is also rather calmer to take photos in nature. At that point, it was a good time to work with this project. One place, during this calm time, blooms in its full glory, and that is Altja with its fern fields and jungle-like nature. That is why I chose this location for this project. You can see the results soon so stay tuned!
Denmark
Besides moving to a new place and working behind the computer most of the time, in mid-July, I managed to travel to Denmark for a week. I had been to Copenhagen a few times before, but this time we discovered Danish life outside the big city. Denmark surprised me with its nature and it has its own Nordic vibe. The people are friendly and stylish. The Danish design is somehow clean and correct, but at the same time free.
It was a family vacation and I didn't put much emphasis on taking on some more photography trips. I still did allow myself one photo trip and went to the Rubjerg Knude lighthouse in the evening light, which is located in northern Denmark. The lighthouse is located by the sea and on top of sand dunes. In the sense that it is about 90m above sea level. It reminds me of the Kiipsaare lighthouse in Vilsandi National Park, where you have to walk a little bit along sandy paths and suddenly you can see the lighthouse. It was a little easier with the Rubjerg Knude lighthouse and the tower was already visible from the car park and it only took 20 minutes to get there on foot. The evening offered some dramatic light and some colors in the sky. I was hoping to get some thunder, but unfortunately that didn't happen. You can't get everything at once, right? Anyway, if you've been thinking about going to explore the nature of Denmark, I highly recommend it. There was definitely a lot left to see, but I can take a new trip for that. It's not far from Estonia to fly there. You can see more photos of Denmark in the Gallery.
The island of Hiiumaa
I was very happy to arrive in Hiiumaa for the first time this year. In previous years, I have been to Hiiumaa 2-3 times a year and I was reminded again how good it is to be there. Hiiumaa also has its own vibe and life there goes according to a different time, according to a special time. I visited my very good friend and I was able to simply enjoy it. In this regard, I am already looking forward to the red deer rut season, which takes place in September. While I don't generally do wildlife photography, the red deer season in September is somehow special for me. Roaring red deer stags in the wild, which sends shivers down your body. This year, I plan to film a vlog about all the activities and I also have big plans in this regard. More about that when it is all confirmed.
Estonian Nature Wallpaper Packs
One big project I completed in August was coming out with my own wallpaper packs for smartphones. It all started when some people wrote to me asking if it was possible to get a photo as a wallpaper for their phone. I thought about the topic and started working on it. I went through all the photo folders from 2017 and sorted out the photos that were potentially suitable for phone wallpapers. The whole process ended up taking almost two months because I agreed with myself that I would do it calmly and properly. Not that I would quickly and sloppily go through the photos and then finally come up with something that looks sketchy. In the end, the following packages were completed: Wildflowers, Magical Bogs, Fog and Trees, The World of Ferns, Mystical Starry Sky and Nature Mix. You can purchase the packages from my e-shop. There are also some free wallpapers that you can download here.
Exploring South-Estonia
At the end of August, I also made it to Southern Estonia a couple of times. August is a time that I look forward more and more every year. Why? Because the dark nights are back and you can take photos of our magical starry sky again. Also you can see the Northern Lights again! Lastly, as the air temperatures start to drop and the mornings are crisper, the foggy bog mornings show their real magic. Let’s just say there’s plenty to photograph. In Southern Estonia, there is a place where I’ve been before, but I had new ideas about night photography and had to take advantage of these clear nights. This photo trip was so awesome that I’ll probably write a two-part blog post about it in the near future.
Finally, here’s a photo from this adventure. Thank you for reading and I hope you like and find posts like this interesting. See you soon!
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