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2013-04-01 19:35:32 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 6 +1s)

5 years ago, Fenis


Today I was so bored that I decided to play a bit with some pictures taken almost five years ago. At that time I knew nothing about aperture, f-stop, ISO, rule of thirds and so on. I did not own a DSLR, I had just a digital point-&-shoot with not many megapixels of resolution.

This pictures were taken in Fenis, north of Italy, a great place that I was visiting with a couple of friends of mine.

What surprises me is that, with a bit of post production, some of what I would have called snapshots are now at least decent (especially in black and white where the color settings of the camera have less or no effect). 


Pictures: http://www.dzanni.com/home/2013/4/1/5-years-ago-fenis

2013-03-30 20:51:42 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 1 +1s)

A group picture

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I definitely love the rare occasions in which somebody comes to me and asks me to take a picture. Today it happened with a group of youngsters. I particularly like this picture and I think that in its simplicity it tells more than it may trivially seem after a quick look.

Originally posted: http://www.dzanni.com/home/2013/3/30/a-group-picture 

2013-03-29 15:58:21 (0 comments, 2 reshares, 3 +1s)

Around the lake

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Walking around the lake, getting lost following a cross-country skiing track. Meeting some Finns, talking about politics. Just another normal Thursday afternoon.

More: http://www.dzanni.com/home/2013/3/29/around-the-lake

2013-03-29 13:50:33 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 3 +1s)

Cristo Redentor

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Yesterday I decided to take my camera, I went to the city center and I waited for somebody with a skateboard or a push scooter to appear. I wanted to play a bit with lower speeds, smaller aperture, to capture some action in a different way. 

More pictures: http://www.dzanni.com/home/2013/3/28/cristo-redentor 

2013-03-29 13:49:05 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 0 +1s)

"Scootering" in Rotuaari

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Today I spent some time in the city center, were I met a group of kids going around with their push scooters. When they noticed I was taking pictures of them they started to improvise some acrobatic trick in front of my camera. At this point I could not avoid to take hundreds of pictures of them. At the end they came to me asking me where they could find the pictures. My Finnish is very poor but somehow I was able to explain them to go to my website in the evening and to check there. I am not sure if they understood but at least they smiled.


All the pictures:
http://www.dzanni.com/home/2013/3/23/scootering-in-rotuaari

2013-03-19 23:07:02 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 8 +1s)

Conformism

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Today I picked up again some matches for another conceptual shot.


Originally posted: http://www.dzanni.com/home/2013/3/20/conformism

2013-03-19 13:50:41 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 2 +1s)

A pipe and some light

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Yesterday I came back to Oulu, Finland. I decided to play a bit with a pipe, which belonged to my grandfather.​ A simple setting on the table, playing with the light and the close-up filters.


Originally posted: http://www.dzanni.com/home/2013/3/19/a-pipe-and-some-light

2013-03-18 22:02:05 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 4 +1s)

Singing in the rain

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I cannot say that the weather has been very good during my UK and Italian holidays. Yesterday, for example, my day started with some rain and ended with some snow. ​Therefore the best way to spend the afternoon that came to my mind was to go to the Triennale design museum in the city center of Milan. Just outside the metro station I found a street artist who was singing and playing, soon approached by an homeless old man who started to (or at least tried to) sing with him. The scene was so lovely that I could not avoid to take a picture.


More pictures: http://www.dzanni.com/home/2013/3/18/singing-in-the-rain

2013-03-14 22:00:38 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 5 +1s)

A pinch of Milan

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Today I spent the afternoon in the city center of Milan in a sunny, not so warm day.

2013-03-14 18:51:17 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 2 +1s)

The deal

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What's the first thing one does when he meets his parents after months? In my case I got a nice deal with them, bartering my 5 years old Nikon D50 with my father's 30 years old Pentax ME Super (plus a flash and even one expired roll of color negative film). We both consider it a bargain.


Originally posted: http://www.dzanni.com/home/2013/3/14/the-deal 

2013-03-13 23:50:44 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 1 +1s)

Streets of London

Three pictures, for the three days spent in London, all from different areas of the city. What I liked the most of this short trip was the great variety of people I had the opportunity to meet. Different faces, different styles, different stories.



Originally posted: http://www.dzanni.com/home/2013/3/13/streets-of-london

2013-03-13 15:54:53 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Trains and airports

Even if I have not updated this blog during the latest days, I did not stop taking pictures. I have in fact been traveling from Finland to Italy, with a short pit-stop in London, for some days of holidays. I am planning to process the pictures taken during these days when I am be back home, but I will continue to update the Project 365  from Italy with the missing pictures. Today I am posting a shot taken on the train from Oulu to Tampere on Friday  and one taken today at the airport.

2013-03-06 15:00:39 (2 comments, 1 reshares, 6 +1s)

Such a nice weather!

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Finns are not commonly famous for their skills in small talking. It takes a really special weather to hear them commenting about it, especially with a stranger. Today must have been one of those days, because two guys made some comment about it to me, noticing me out under a snowstorm with my camera.

More pictures: http://www.dzanni.com/home/2013/3/6/such-a-nice-weather

2013-03-06 01:08:55 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 3 +1s)

Streetlamps

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Another last minute entry for this 365 project, put together with what I randomly found in my room (in this case some pins and a pillow). Obviously the intended streetlamps would be switched of, enlightened maybe by a full moon (otherwise the shadows would be completely different).


Originally posted: http://www.dzanni.com/home/2013/3/6/sstreetlamps

2013-03-04 21:28:07 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 4 +1s)

Back-and-forth

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​The days are getting a bit longer now and sometimes there is some light outside when I leave the university to go home. And it snows.


Originally posted: http://www.dzanni.com/home/2013/3/4/back-and-forth

2013-03-03 18:38:38 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 4 +1s)

Props

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Today I had the pleasure to be asked to take some pictures during an improvisational theater event for kids at the cultural center of Oulu organized by the Uniikki Unikorni improv group. 

During the second part of the event I had the opportunity to watch how some professional used a storytelling pervasive game that has been implementing during the past months.

The only pity was the event was completely in Finnish. Surprisingly, anyhow, I understood quite a bit.


All the pictures: http://www.dzanni.com/home/2013/3/3/props

2013-03-03 03:52:16 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 3 +1s)

DJ

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​Tonight I brought the camera to the disco. It was a strange experience: since there was an official photographer, somebody must have thought I was with him too. The result: people were stopping me asking for pictures. Since I had no flash with me, most of those pictures had no chance to be any good, but I tried the same to do my best. Nobody actually asked to see the picture or where to find it.

Apart from those, I took some pictures around, trying to exploit the little light available.​


Originally posted and more: http://www.dzanni.com/home/2013/3/3/dj

2013-03-01 20:46:30 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 6 +1s)

The cyclist

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Imagine to have your hands and your legs freezing. The temperature is -12°C, you are walking around the lake cursing your resolution of taking at least a picture everyday, when you suddenly notice that a young cyclist is riding towards you. 

Before moving to Finland I thought it was physically impossible to ride a bike if the temperature was lower that 15°C. Of course the idea of riding where it had been snowing few days before would have made me laugh.

Originally posted: http://www.dzanni.com/home/2013/3/1/the-biker

2013-02-28 20:07:45 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 7 +1s)

Cranes

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Venturing in the humanistic part of the university sometimes has its advantages. Not only because the population there is quite different from the one in my department (you can imagine yourself the average specimen in a computer engineering department), but also because of some nice findings. For instance today the entrance was full of origami pending from the ceiling. Nobody was there to explain to me why.


Originally posted: http://www.dzanni.com/home/2013/2/28/cranes

2013-02-28 08:47:35 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 7 +1s)

Election days

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For the past three days I have been keeping the Italian news channel switched on almost all the time. Even if I do not live in Italy at the moment I am trying to follow the political situation over there. I am not going to comment on it, but this picture was directly inspired by the recent news.

Originally posted: http://www.dzanni.com/home/2013/2/28/election-days

2013-02-26 17:41:03 (1 comments, 1 reshares, 5 +1s)

Another normal day at the university

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I will probably never get used to the strange things that happen at the university over here. Today, for example, a bunch of students gathered for some reason making snow sculptures in the yard. At the same time somebody else was trying a drone not too far.

All the pictures: http://www.dzanni.com/home/2013/2/26/another-normal-day-at-the-university

2013-02-26 00:34:37 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 2 +1s)

Toothpicks

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Today I had no inspiration at all. I took the firs thing I found in the kitchen and I went for a sort of abstract shot with it. 

Originally posted: http://www.dzanni.com/home/2013/2/26/toothpicks

2013-02-25 00:43:29 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 4 +1s)

Lubitel 166B

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I have been considering for some time if it was a good idea to buy another film camera. But then, I wanted a TLR since I tried a Rolleiflex. Then I saw this used Lubitel 166B on sale. I do not know what's with Soviet's camera but I did not think twice about ordering it. 

"Lubitel" in Russian means "Amateur" but this camera can really do cool pictures! I am just looking forward for the 120 b&w film rolls to get here to try it out!


Originally posted and more pictures: http://www.dzanni.com/home/2013/2/25/lubitel-166b

2013-02-23 23:35:20 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 2 +1s)

The world cup of kyykkä

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Kyykkä (aka Finnish skittles) is a centuries old game of Karelian origin. The aim in Finnish skittles is to throw wooden skittle bats at skittles, trying to remove them from the play square using as few throws as possible.
This is how Wikipedia's page about kyykkä begins. Today we had the world cup at the parking lot in front of the University of Oulu, were, apparently, 400 students gathered to play it. 

Since I live quite near to the university, I was woken up by the (lovely?) sound of tens of wooden bat. At that point I decided to take my camera and take some pictures of the event.

All the pictures: http://www.dzanni.com/home/2013/2/23/the-world-cup-of-kyykk

2013-02-22 22:29:15 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 1 +1s)

A day at the university

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Today it was my first time as an "official"  proctor at the university. It makes such a odd effect to see myself on the other side of the desk.

As a consequence, I spent all the day there (or at least all that part of the day with enough light outside). Hence I had to find something to take pictures of over there.

Originally posted: http://www.dzanni.com/home/2013/2/23/a-day-at-the-university

2013-02-22 00:04:17 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 3 +1s)

I ate too much

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A nice Italian dinner at home might have its consequences. Today's picture is an attempt to communicate that feeling.

Originally posted: http://www.dzanni.com/home/2013/2/22/i-ate-too-much

2013-02-20 23:14:53 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 0 +1s)

The soccer match

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Today I had to take a last minute picture since I did not have time during the day to take one. Hence, I brought the camera with me to a sport bar where I had never been, to watch a soccer match. The pictures are quite boring, but at least the match was fun!

Originally posted: http://www.dzanni.com/home/2013/2/21/the-soccer-match

2013-02-19 17:01:22 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 5 +1s)

Crossing

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Since today the weather was decent (-10 °C, cloudy), I decided to have a walk around the lake after lunch. I stopped at a little wooden bridge on the way, at the intersection between a cross-country skiing track and a pedestrian path.  Here I spent 10 minutes taking pictures to the people passing by, getting little by little more confident. 

Originally posted and some more pictures: http://www.dzanni.com/home/2013/2/19/crossing

2013-02-18 20:42:14 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 7 +1s)

Playground

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Next to my favorite spot there is a small playground. 

Originally posted: http://www.dzanni.com/home/2013/2/18/playground

2013-02-17 21:42:51 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 4 +1s)

Parking lot

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No good shots today. This is the best I have got, taken while going to buy some grocery. I had a lazy resting Sunday. 

Originally posted: http://www.dzanni.com/home/2013/2/17/parking-lot

2013-02-16 15:59:39 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 3 +1s)

The lady from Inari

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I am having a reindeer soup at the indoor market in the city center. I do not go there often but today there is the Reindeer Carnival and I cannot miss it. A lovely lady asks me if she can sit at my same table with her coffee. In Finnish. It does not happen often that a Finn spontaneously decides to join me, especially during the day and far from any pub. Of course I nod. She starts to speak to me, in Finnish again. I kindly answer in English that my Finnish is very poor, but she does not seem to mind.

This is how a lovely 40 minutes monologue begins. In total I get maybe ten sentences of which I am even not completely sure. She probably comes from Inari, Lapland, and she probably lives making woolen clothes. She probably tells me about her family, her son or daughter who travels a lot, her childhood. Sometimes she asks me something. I... more »

2013-02-16 02:00:41 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 1 +1s)

On the dance floor

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This evening I brought my camera to a local party in a local club. Since I could not use any flash it was not easy to exploit the club lights to capture a decent picture. As I side note I now know that I am not allowed to take pictures of the club's staff without a written permission (a bouncer of the club has been very clear about it).


Originally posted and more pictures: http://www.dzanni.com/home/2013/2/16/on-the-dancefloor

2013-02-14 21:30:53 (0 comments, 2 reshares, 6 +1s)

A gaming event

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Today I was invited to take some pictures at a gaming event taking place at the Njetwork In in the city center. Hence the subject for today's picture was not difficult to find, especially after noticing a Commodore 64 right on the table.

Originally posted and more pictures: http://www.dzanni.com/home/2013/2/14/a-gaming-event

2013-02-13 22:46:29 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 5 +1s)

Chaika II

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Tonight I am so tired that I cannot physically dedicate much time to photography. Luckily this afternoon I have just got my second hand Chaika II camera directly from Russia. According to some online research "chaika" in Russian should mean "seagull" and this model was produced in Belarus and USSR between 1967 and 1972. The name came somehow from the first woman in space - Valentina Tereshkova.

The biggest peculiarity of this camera is that it is a half-frame 35mm camera. This practically means that a 36 exposures roll can actually take 72 pictures. Apart from that, the camera is quite ugly, which makes it adorable to me. I can't wait to try it!


Originally posted: http://www.dzanni.com/home/2013/2/14/chaika-ii

2013-02-12 19:16:47 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 5 +1s)

Laskiainen

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The first day of in Finland is know as "Laskiainen". Here in Oulu university students gather at the only hill in town and go sledging during the afternoon (with traditional and less traditional sledges). Of course, since I had the camera I took some picture of the people who were just watching there.

Originally posted and more pictures: http://www.dzanni.com/home/2013/2/12/laskiainen

2013-02-11 22:06:14 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 5 +1s)

Bus stop

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Sometimes a picture taken randomly while crossing the street becomes my favorite for the day when reviewing them for the daily post. Like this one. "Keskusta" means "city center" in Finnish.


Originally posted: http://www.dzanni.com/home/2013/2/11/bus-stop

2013-02-10 22:46:43 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 3 +1s)

Walking the dog

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Sunday night. The streets are empty, you can hear the sound of the snow falling on the trees. Some of the few people you meet even raise a smile when you pass by them. It is incredible to me how much  this town can change, comparing a Saturday night to a Sunday night.


Originally posted: http://www.dzanni.com/home/2013/2/11/walking-the-dog

2013-02-10 02:39:26 (1 comments, 2 reshares, 8 +1s)

Oulu by night

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Tonight I brought my camera with me, since I had not yet taken a picture during the day.  I was nice to take some night pictures. At least until it began to snow.


Originally posted: http://www.dzanni.com/home/2013/2/10/oulu-by-night

2013-02-08 23:10:48 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 3 +1s)

Socializing Friday

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Today I attended the inauguration of the new offices of Socializing Friday here in Oulu. Of course I brought my camera with me.

All the pictures: http://www.dzanni.com/home/2013/2/9/socializing-friday

2013-02-08 02:27:56 (1 comments, 2 reshares, 5 +1s)

I want the perfect smile

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Tonight's shot was taken very fast. I found some old water colors which I used a couple of years ago for the last time and I decided to play a bit with them before going to sleep. 

Originally posted: http://www.dzanni.com/home/2013/2/8/i-want-the-perfect-smile

2013-02-07 00:27:25 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

Enlarging

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This evening I participated in the basic dark room course organized by the local organization of photographers at the university.  What a great experience. I learned a lot and I got my first ever print. I also got my first roll of Holga pictures developed and scanned, but I will dedicate a post to them tomorrow.

For today's picture I tried for the first time the maximum available ISO setting for my Nikon D7000 (HI 2 - equivalent ISO 25600), in the darkroom, enlightened only by the red safelight.

Originally posted: http://www.dzanni.com/home/2013/2/7/enlarging

2013-02-05 21:54:11 (2 comments, 2 reshares, 4 +1s)

Against the light

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Today I had the chance to take a lot of pictures. It was a sunny day and when I got lost (I am getting used to it) I discovered a cross country skiing track. I am not sure if I was allowed to walk there, but at least there was no sign in English. On my walk I met plenty of skiers which were not so easy to capture (I still find difficult to have moving subject on focus, but I am working on that).

In the evening I visit the university darkroom for the first time were I was introduced to the place and the film scanners available.

Originally posted and more: http://www.dzanni.com/home/2013/2/5/against-the-light

2013-02-04 15:20:17 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 2 +1s)

Around the lake

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I am getting little by little more confident in taking pictures of strangers. Today I tried some frontal shots, while walking around the lake. As usual most of the people I met started to look elsewhere as soon as they noticed me. One lady, anyhow, stopped and stood starring at me for a coupe of seconds, while I was taking a picture of her. It was such a powerful moment! Then, we both started to walk again, one toward the other, we passed each other, as if nothing had happened.

Originally posted: http://www.dzanni.com/home/2013/2/4/around-the-lake

2013-02-03 13:05:40 (1 comments, 1 reshares, 2 +1s)

Sunday afternoon

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A walk to the lake today made happen a series of curious encounters. I was mainly shooting with my new Holga but I also brought my digital camera with me, since I will not be able to develop any film for a couple of days.

Originally posted and more pictures: http://www.dzanni.com/home/2013/2/3/sunday-afternoon

2013-02-02 18:34:49 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 5 +1s)

Watering smoke

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This afternoon was snowing again so I spent some time playing with smoke. I have to admit I thought it was simpler to take some nice smoke shot but i was wrong (especially since I do not have any external flash yet). 

Originally posted: http://www.dzanni.com/home/2013/2/2/watering-smoke

2013-02-01 13:47:38 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 2 +1s)

Khawer

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Today Something unexpected happened. Somebody came to me asking if I could take a picture of him. Of course I was happy to take it and to publish it. This is Khawer from Pakistan.

Originally posted: http://www.dzanni.com/home/2013/2/1/khawer

2013-01-31 17:21:45 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 4 +1s)

Nice coat

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This afternoon I took my camera, I placed myself in the city center and I started to take pictures to strangers for the first time. I admit it was not easy, not knowing which kind of reaction they would have had. Some people noticing my camera tried to avoid me, some of them smiled, most of them ignored me (which I consider a positive thing). I take it as a positive experience, even if the result can definitely be improved.

Originally posted and more pictures: http://www.dzanni.com/home/2013/1/31/nice-coat

2013-01-30 18:20:41 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 4 +1s)

Holga 120N

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I have just come back from the post office with my new Holga 120N.
For the few who do not know what a Holga is, this is how Wikipedia describes it:

The Holga is a medium format 120 film toy camera, made in Hong Kong, known for its low-fidelity aesthetic. The Holga's low-cost construction and simple meniscus lens often yields pictures that display vignetting, blur, light leaks, and other distortions. 
I can't wait to try it!

Originally posted: http://www.dzanni.com/home/2013/1/30/holga-120n

2013-01-29 14:47:59 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 2 +1s)

Left alone with the lake

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Today I have asked for the first time to a stranger if I could take a picture of him. I got a "yes", but then he ran away.
The story goes as follows: I was at the lake looking for something to shoot when I noticed that in the middle of the lake there was someone ice-hole fishing. "Cool!" I thought. So I reached him, I showed him my camera asking if I could take some picture. Collecting a few fishes that were lying on the ice, he answered "yes!", then he got up and he started walking away.

I only had the time to take some shot of his back and then I was left alone snapping at the lake.

Originally posted and more pictures: http://www.dzanni.com/home/2013/1/29/left-with-the-lake

2013-01-29 01:50:58 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 0 +1s)

Daisy

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I have to admit I am not totally satisfied with the result of today's concept. But I guess it is normal in any Project 365 to have one of those days...

Originally posted: http://www.dzanni.com/home/2013/1/29/daisy