phase space » night

noctilucent sky

john grzinich — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 00:10:24 +0000

These are noctilucent clouds hovering at the edge of the earth’s atmosphere on the fringes of space. Nobody is quite sure what they are, but its a beautiful phenomenon nonetheless, seen mostly at higher latitudes. I took this photo last night as the earliest sunlight made its way into the night sky. It was my first sighting of noctilucent clouds this year.

mid-summer night embers

john grzinich — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 19:29:27 +0000

The traditional Jaanipäev (St. Johns Day) or mid-summer day in Estonia is on or around June 24th. It marks the long days around the summer solstice when there is continuous light from the sun throughout the night. This time also marks the peak of springtime nature activity when the bird songs trail off and the cricket and ciccada sounds start to swell. It is common to make a bonfire on midsummer night which we did at a friends place. There is a folk saying related to behavior of the sparks above the fire. If the embers rise straight into the sky the fruits of the garden will be plenty. I hear the forests are already full of berries and mushrooms so the light trails in these photos must be evidence of a good sign.

night sounds of estonian spring

john grzinich — Wed, 23 May 2007 21:05:34 +0000

May and June are an active time in the wilds of the Estonian countryside. The daylight hours extend from early morning to long into the night until the peak time in late June (celebrated by the folk holiday ‘Jaanipäev‘). Nature also follows a similar pattern which can clearly be heard in the soundscape, particularly with birds, frogs and insects. I went out the other night and decided to do some recording because the air was extremely still. There was a thunder storm off in the distance which can be heard faintly behind the frogs and nightingales (and dogs).

Estonian spring night (1:20) Ahja, May 2007: Download Link

Estonian spring night (1:40) Ahja, May 2007: Download Link

Full quality versions of these recordings can be downloaded from my Freesound Project page.

helsinki by night

john grzinich — Fri, 30 Mar 2007 10:33:53 +0000

I have not written too much about my photographic practices here, mainly because I hope the images I post speak for themselves. As noted on my website, the photos I take help add some additional stories of my travels and projects. As for those who have browsed my image galleries before, you know I enjoy taking photos at night using the artificial light that exists, particularly in urban areas. On a recent trip to Helsinki I took the opportunity to wander the streets for a few hours and capture some images. In particular I found nice contrasts between the light reflecting off the melting ice and water in the harbor areas. You can see more of these shots and others in the photo galleries for the month of March.