Olkiluoto nature photography project
24.10.2016
At the beginning of September, TVO and the nature photographers of the surrounding launched a photography project that will culminate in a nature photography exhibition at the Olkiluoto Visitor Centre.
For several years now, on autumn mornings, I have watched the view from the Olkiluoto bridge and thought that, some day, I will come and try to capture the feeling permeating that sight with my camera. This autumn, the moment finally arrived that everything came together by chance on the same morning.
A few week previously, I had been invited to participate in the Nature Photographs from Olkiluoto project, so there was an obvious need to bring my camera equipment to the island. On that cold September morning, I was already driving to work instead of riding the bus for other reasons, and it was convenient to bring my camera case while I was at it. As I was driving along Olkiluodontie, I realised that the weather seemed most auspicious for mist, and the sun was also conveniently about to rise. I should definitely slow down when I get to the bridge.
My hunch was correct, so I parked my car on the side of the road, which was busy with the morning rush, and walked towards the bridge. As the commuter traffic sped by, I didn’t really feel like I was about to immortalise a tranquil morning atmosphere by the sea. When I reached the bridge, however, the noise of traffic seemed to fade into the distance.
The sun had just risen above the tree tops and shone through the thin cloud cover, lighting up the mist floating over the sea in several shades of orange. Dewdrops condensed on reed flowers refracted the sunlight all all around in contrast with the dark forest looming far behind. Not a leaf stirred on the branches of the lone aspen standing on the shore. It was cold, just a few degrees above zero, but like the noise of the traffic, the chill could not touch my senses in that moment. I did not notice that I was not wearing gloves until I returned to the car and wondered why my fingers were so stiff.
That morning, I arrived to work half an hour later than usual, but the experience was definitely worth every minute. There is no sense in everyone rushing to the bridge at the same time, but busy and stressed commuters should sometimes slow down even a little, open their eyes and look around.
Photos: Lasse Saarelainen
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