I first laid my eyes on Tallinn last December. At the time, I was on my trip to Helsinki, the Finnish capital two hours away by ferry from Tallinn. Given their close proximity and shared heritage, these two cities are often referred to as twin capitals, Baltic sisters, or simply Talsinki. Castles and other churches and buildings lie scattered all over this tiny country. Then there’s the aftermath of two World Wars and the Cold War, as well as Soviet occupation and withdrawal, making it a fascinating country to visit.

Tallinn’s old town is just marvellous. Visiting there is like stepping back a few centuries and they have done a good job of preserving their history and medieval structures. I walked around there shuffling down cobblestone paths which are lined with medieval homes and ancient churches. Tiny alleys lead to tinier lanes, where you find cloistered yards. The city is still ringed by much of its original stone wall and many guard towers. It’s breathtaking.

I don't really use a map nor an itinerary to discover it. I realise just going by foot everywhere and stumbling on interesting things is fulfilling enough. I like medieval towns to be empty and quiet. It personally helps me appreciate them more. Medieval towns are much better when they are empty and peaceful. In winter, the narrow cobbled streets that take you past grand merchants houses, medieval walls and hidden courtyards are almost deserted.

由于爱沙尼亚的首都塔林 (Tallinn) 就在赫尔辛基 (Helsinki) 两小时的船程范围内，于是我便贪心地把塔林这城市都加插在我芬兰旅行程之内。在港口便望见一大片白墙红顶、高矮参差错落有致的房屋，间或有一个个突起的墨绿色尖铜顶刺向天空，勾画出一道耐人寻味的天际线。那里就是塔林的老城区。单是听名字，已经觉得浪漫。塔林老城是欧洲唯一保持着中世纪外貌和格调的城市，因此被列入世界文化遗产。

I tend to shoot as I am going about my life so much of my photography is 'daily life' or places I have chosen to visit. I have not actually photographed many of the 'tourist' places and I probably need to do a bit more of that. 
 
While I have not completed my Finland winter stories, I shall bring you back to Japan, precisely to one of the most crowded and vibrant cities in the world, heaven for street photographers: Tokyo.
 
One of my favourite spots in Tokyo to wonder around photographing and a paradise for street photographers is Ginza; the Grande Dame of high-end shopping in Tokyo. This is the place where all the main fashion brands show their beauty and richness by installing enormous stores and decorating the spaces with the most extravagant architectures and billboards.

There is also a sort of sophistication that Ginza still holds onto that the other districts just do not have thanks in part to its wide streets and sidewalks. This makes a much more relaxing place to shop. I would love to go back again and again and again, as there is always something new happening in these crowded and exciting streets.

One of the good things about visiting Finland in winter is that it is easy to catch both sunrise and sunset on the same day, offering ample photography opportunities without insanely early wake-up calls. Getting up to catch the sunrise in Finland in the winter is a piece of cake. It’s pretty odd to see a sunrise around 10 a.m. in the morning but the sky looks so beautiful that you forget about it later. The same thing happens during sunset. There is this magical blue light that can be seen around Helsinki that makes everything better. You will have to visit it to see it. Therefore, it’s actually reasonable to catch sunrise and sunset, and if you are at all able to, I suggest doing so as you certainly don’t want to regret missing out on a beautiful sunrise when photographing. 

Do you prefer the sunrise or the sunset? Which one really stands for the beginning and the ending - when both are the start and finish line of another day or another night. It’s a matter of opinion. I love both, but love sunset even more. The color of the evening just after the sun falls behind the horizon is absolutely unique and stunning to me. Whichever you prefer, you can frequently tell a sunrise from a sunset by the fact that the latter appears more chaotic, and the former, tidier.

Japan is a country I have been visiting (besides Hong Kong) with incredible mountain scenery, one of the world’s most chaotic & quirky cities such as Tokyo, a long history of culture & tradition, and of course incredible cuisine with authentic sushi on offer everywhere you turn.
 
Surrounding these peaceful creations are cities with complex and diverse histories, filled with architectural wonders built for both style and purpose. My heart trembles at the thought of Japan and I’ll struggle to capture its greatness in words. Why am I so overwhelmed? Why does Japan hold so many special pieces of my heart? Why go back? Why do I keep coming back?

我是一个重度日本（还有香港）旅行上瘾者，差不多只要有段假期， 我就会定飞机票去日本或香港。

A very happy weekend! My short photo essay under pen name 蓝天游 on Lake Kawaguchi (near Mt Fuji) in Tokyo, Japan 日本东京《东京河口湖赏富士山美景》is featured in a special press travel edition.So happy to see it being featured nationwide in print! Special thanks to Lianhe Zaobao, you have made my day! Thank U so much 感谢 感恩 :)

I love street art. I have been a street art fanatic for many years. What began as mere curiosity, many years ago, soon became a deep appreciation, and occasional obsession. There’s something so impressive about artists pouring themselves into works that in all likelihood will be removed or destroyed. Aside from the more technical aspects, it’s simply a beautiful way to liven the concrete backdrop of an otherwise bland, almost dismal scene. Sometimes it’s a multi-story mural exploding with colour, becoming a focal point of the neighbourhood. Other times it’s a simple stencil, maybe conveying some cheeky social commentary.

In Helsinki, the city considered by many as the cultural capital of Finland, street art isn’t just an art form. It’s an intrinsic part of the city’s history and identity. Finland has a wonderful street art program. I found a wonderful art area. ​In their constructions zones, they put up blank walls surrounding the scene. On these walls, street artists are allowed to “deface” them and showcase their art. This blew me away. The beauty brought to the construction site from the artists made it a better destination. The bold colours used by the artists contrasted strongly with the brown wall of the stadium. Each section held a different message depending on what the artist wanted to portray.  The result is that street art has burgeoned and become one of the defining aspects of the city’s character. Buildings tall and small are daubed with beautiful murals.

我拍摄和观察许多国家的街头涂鸦多年了。街头涂鸦在很多城市中很流行，涂鸦者以年轻人居多。我很佩服那些有才的涂鸦创作者，画在墙上或地上，惟妙惟肖，立体感很强、很艺术的样子。在生活即艺术，在不经意间的路口遇上别趣的涂鸦，让我充满拍照的欲望。我不断地在旅游中寻找这样的城市，因为有时候，寻找一个城市的街头艺术，往往会给我带来出乎寻常的惊叹，也是一种很酷的游览城市、探寻城市的方式和过程。 这是美术馆和画廊无法窥探的原声活力，也是一种生活哲学的体现。

芬兰有北欧最酷的画廊、餐馆、咖啡厅和商店等。芬兰的首都，赫尔辛基，也是一个充满活力的设计之都。赫尔辛基城市中充满着的创意和艺术，能让去到的人与街头艺术来场惊喜的邂逅。毎一区的每一片墙都充满街头艺术壁画。与一些习惯于散漫的街头艺术家不同，赫尔辛基的街头艺术者只会在法律允许的地方进行创作，这是对居住在同一城市里的人的尊重。虽然涂鸦有一些必须要遵守的规则，例如，不能打扰住户，记得把空油漆瓶扔垃圾桶，别打扰你旁边的画家等等。

Everyone, truly everyone: from Helsinki locals to avid travelers, told me to visit the Unesco World Heritage site of Suomenlinna when in Helsinki. I wasn’t entirely sure what all Suomenlinna had to offer when planning my trip. It felt a bit like: "You have to visit the Eiffel tower" when in Paris, which usually makes me want to skip a site or monument altogether. But not in the case of Suomenlinna: it is a truly unique place. Suomenlinna has a really interesting history, paralleling Finland's history. It's a fortress built over 6 islands in the 18th century, at a time when Finland was part of Sweden.

After only a short 20-minute ferry trip from the city center, I arrived in what seems like a different world -  a snowy white wonderland. No cars, few tourists because of the winter season and a snow storm. It was -20°C and all the trees were covered with beautiful hoarfrost. ​I was able to get some pretty epic pictures thanks to all of the snow. I’m not sure what Suomenlinna looks like in the summer, but with the snow in the winter it was breathtaking. 

I spent almost two weeks in Finland, exploring, discovering and learning. Finland has long been a dream destination for me, so when I had the chance to explore this amazing city for several days, I packed my warmest jackets, my favourite camera and away I went. Winter in Finland is famous for the amount of snow falling every year and for how long the snow season lasts.

Helsinki was colder than I anticipated but the weather didn't stop me from exploring even its most obscure corners. There were so many things to do in Helsinki. Helsinki is a quaint European city with lots to see and do. I like it how you could have almost the entire place to yourself, especially during the cold winter season. Unlike the more famed touristy cities such as Madrid and Barcelona, Helsinki is the salve for the over-travelled soul, looking to take a break from bus loads of Chinese and European tourists. It’s a lovely place for winter-lovely travellers, on a search for a place of peace and quiet, for themselves. I am so grateful for every encounter in Finland.

芬兰的冬季是个魔幻的季节，一到冬天，皑皑白雪覆盖，万籁俱寂。雪把芬兰包裹在一片静谧之中。冬季的芬兰宛如一首壮丽史诗，在短暂的白昼和漫长的夜晚交替间。然而有那么几天，芬兰的灯光在皑皑的白雪上熠熠生辉，光明战胜了黑暗。美丽神奇的景象让我眩惑不已。每当街道和建筑披上冬日的黑白色斗篷，芬兰变得沉默而低调，充满神秘感，却拥有独特的魅力。​相较于周遭的秋色，北欧，或者更准确说是芬兰的冬天感觉非常的神秘。

A very happy weekend! My short photo essay under pen name 蓝天游 on Hayao Miyazaki Clock At Nippon Television Tower In Tokyo, Japan 日本东京《钟声响起走进宫崎骏的梦幻世界》is featured today! So happy to see it being featured nationwide in print! Special thanks to Lianhe Zaobao, you have made my day! :) Thank U so much 感谢、感恩 。

I stole moments on benches during the winter in Finland. Sitting there helped me to take a real time out. A pause. It's a moment of just being me, doing what I wanted. No distraction, only nature. Sitting on a bench on a winter morning or night in December in solitude is a real treat to me. "Embrace it", I told myself. "It's good to be friends with yourself. It's a gift. Embrace it." And so I did. I sat on my bench and hang out with myself. I was having a great time. 

I believe in order for people to remain healthy, strong, viable providers for their family and to be positive forces in society, they need to take time out for themselves. The world as we know it now – a society based on antagonisms and competition – has left many people feeling like most of their lives are lived against the world but little or not time is spent living in it. The only way I have found to constructively deal with this, is by taking time out through solitude. It is one of the most practical ways to reconnect with oneself, to regain clarity and to be reminded of one’s deepest passions and purpose. Spending time alone allows us, as humans, to see clearly that which either we can’t see, or society won't let us see, because we are so busy trying to outdo everyone else.

I adore being outside and sitting on a bench and just enjoying the sounds of nature, the gust of the wind or feeling a light breeze. Another thing I adore to photograph is benches and seats found in parks or on trails and paths or other outdoor areas. I love to photo benches with or without people on them. Maybe I long to have more outside time with the nature. This is the first time in which I really enjoyed being outside, especially in winter. I can actually participate in it rather than wish I could.

The tram is part and parcel of everyday life in Finland in much the same way as gastronomy is. It is a good reason to involve the tram in Finland in every possible sense. A quintessential Helsinki tram experience takes you past the city’s palatial monuments.
 
The living pace in Singapore is fast, and we demand high speed in transportation too. The slow going tram in Finland, by comparison, is like a gentleman walking nobly on the street and living out his own unique lifestyle. The tram came into service on dating back to hundred years ago, and is one of the earliest forms of public transport in Finland. Getting around Helsinki on tram is an interesting experience as you can observe and photograph the lives of people in a relaxing way without needing to worry about the snow, sun or rain. Most tram passengers are not rushing for time. Instead they may just want to take a rest and think during the ride. 

In trams, the history is visible in the present. The tram simply looks very different from the other vehicles in the city and it is often pretty old-fashioned, even the latest versions of it. More importantly, surprisingly old models are in active use. In Helsinki, the oldest tramcars are actually older than many parts of the city. 

在20世纪初欧洲的许多城市，有轨电车曾风行一时。不同的城市，不同的有轨电车，成就了不同的城市经典。但随着其他公共交通方式的普及，旧时的有轨电车不是被陆续拆卸，就是被继续现代化。在有轨电车幸存下来的城市，“叮叮咣咣声”成为绝唱，它们晃悠悠地穿过城市的老街区，不紧不慢，被这个时代所遗忘。这些有轨电车发展到今天，也成为那个时代的靓丽风景和永恒不变的历史印记。

我对有轨电车的印象，来自于香港的老电影。无论高兴，或者悲伤，香港电影里的情绪与氛围渲染常常在电车车厢的光影里演绎出不一样的诗意。这些关于电车的镜头，记录某种怀旧情结、呈现出浓郁生活气息的画面，让我不知不觉融入某种情景之中，与电影里的人物命运相连。

芬兰的有轨电车于如今它依然是赫尔辛基城主要的交通工具之一。每日乘坐电车的旅客超过二十万人次，它墨绿色的车厢早已与这座城市融为一体。在过去一百多年的风风雨雨里，电车上的乘客换了一批又一批，如果电车有记忆的话，也许它自己也数不清在这一百多年里见证了多少历史时刻，见证了多少人的悲欢离合。它就像一位百岁老人，带人游走在新旧之间，饱览城市的各种景象。​搭乘电车能够带着人穿越赫尔辛基 450 多年的历史，体味从现代到古老，从悠闲到繁忙，从静谧到生动的韵律。

Notes on Finland as promised…Going on holiday and taking my favourite camera along can quickly turn into a photographic journey where you’re always in the right place at the right time. As a photographer, I love looking at great imagery. We all do. It’s what inspired most of us to pick up our own cameras and it’s one of the main things that continues to inspire us as we evolve as artists and image technicians throughout our lives.
 
I’ve taken my work and style further by incorporating a very tasteful element of HDR into my imagery. I’m not talking the kind of HDR that gets a bad rap, so much of which is overdone and just looks, well, you know…kind of “off”. There is also a time and place when doing HDR photography has its benefits.  This is where ‘street’ style photography is perfect and I hope to work at it more as I found it can be liberating. ​

HDR photography can be a bit polarizing in terms of personal tastes. It's like opera and sushi – you either love it or hate it. All I can say is that personally, for me, I prefer the look HDR gives. Maybe because it’s my first experience with HDR, or maybe because I just feel comfortable with it.

When hectic times occurred, I would have to really boil down my priorities to the essentials. I succeeded in clinging to what I was really committed to, but that was because I made choices and, again, didn’t try to do so much. 
 
Making a painter’s resolution is my new creativity in life besides my passion for travel photojournalism (I still have many other photo stories on Finland to blog in due course). I want to spend more time critically assessing my compositions before picking up a brush. I want to sketch an idea, play with color options, and think it through — really enjoying (and not hurrying) through the process. ​Artists tend to be a friendly, supportive, caring group of people, generally happy for other artist's successes, and concerned about the well-being of the planet and its inhabitants. There are many artists and art organizations doing great things in the world and we need to support one another. The world needs more artists.