New Nokia

Today is a very emotional day for Finnish people. Nokia mobile phones have been important factor in our national self-esteem for decades, and now they are sold for Microsoft dirt cheap.

Nokia was known for very good engineering, they made practical products that were reasonably priced. The problem was that they were never very hip. Hipsters buy I-phones, not because they are well engineered or cheap, but because they are desirable and cool.

I thought Nokia never had any cool products, until last summer I found this pair of Nokia Kodikkaat from a flee-market in Alajärvi. These are some kind of indoor slippers, but they have a rubber sole thick enough for light urban outdoor use as well.

Right now everybody is speculating on which direction would Nokia turn next. Could this be the new Nokia? Hipsters would buy these like crazy, what could be more ironic than Nokia slippers? For a hipster it would also be an urbanistic statement: I am so urban, I don't even have shoes. For old people these could be sold with nostalgic reasons, and they do not need to go outside anyways.

And these would be perfect for ex-employees who can now finally dress casually, and only leave the house to buy beer. 

 Only time will tell what Nokia will end up producing, but we can only hope it would be something as cool as Kodikkaat are. 

New bag

I do not buy camerabags very often. When my bags break, I repair them or get them repaired. I like tough natural materials that slowly wear out. Now I bought myself a used DomkeF6 bag.

There is very little paddings inside Domke bags. Different kinds of paddings and deviders can be added depending on ones needs.

I have always liked Domke bags. They are not perfect, but often a good a very good compromise between price and quality. Cheaper brands like Lowepro are usyally pretty plasticy and impossible to repair. More expensive brands like Billingham use better materials, but cost like crazy and look  too posh for my taste.

The used F6 (on left) has seen pretty light use, atleast compered to my old F802 (on left). Leather, jersey and other materials on F802 have been added later. Original material was Canvas only. 

 


F5X (front left) was my first Domke bag, pretty small but perfect for MF film camera and a couple of lenses.

I have added quite a lot of leather on my bags, this patch was done by a local shoemaker.

Just tried it for one assignment, but F6 seems to be pretty good for my needs. It is quite small, but fits one body, 3 lenses and a flash easily. If I pack I can fit spare body and couple of zooms on my F802, I should be able to handle most of the stuff  I do.

F6 does look more like a traditional camera-bag than my F802, which I do not like that much. Layout seems more practical thought, so I suppose I will get used to it.

Domke F6 is well designed bag. It is made from quality materials that feel good to use and wear out nicely. It is originally designed for film gear: I would recommend trying before buying it for new gear. It is pretty versatile though, so it can be customized to fit different kinds of gear.

How good is it, well ask me again in ten years or so and I will know more.

Last guitar hero-Mathieu Sylvetre at Sorbus

I´m usually not that much into guitar-heroism, but I must admit this guy did it in style. Mathieu Sylvetre played a gig as part of Non Gratas Diverse universe tour in Sorbus Gallery, and I think he was able to revive some sense of danger playing this instrument should have. 

Malmi

Aave Festival

Spend some time on festivals. Aave festival had very interesting lineup, especially in the live-cinema department. Many strange experiments with 16mm and 35mm film and also digital medias.

Not easy stuff to photograph, but personally I think I did pretty well.

Check the festival photo report and judge yourself.

Soft Moon at Kuudes Linja

Old friend of mine asked me to take photos of Soft moon when they visited Helsinki. Well any reason to go to a bar in good company sounds good to me.

Had never heard of the band before, facebook event mentioned familiar influences like Joy Division, Suicide and so, so I had some idea what to expect.

Had some good time, got some photos, drank some beer. Band was interesting, though perhaps bit too cool for my taste. Young hipsters and goths who crowded the bar were propably able to enjoy it more.    

I just have not yet learned to cope with the age of perfection, what I love about Suicide and Joy Division is that their imperfections. They sound like they only have a faint idea of what they want, and barely make it there, unlike these contemporary bands who know exactly what they want and how to get there.

Well the show was spectacular, do check it if you have a change.

Here are the photos