Solitude, seclusion a retreat to the forest - Take me away to the woods... these little cabins beckon the call of the wild.

Suomenlinna Island lies in Helsinki's harbor and is an easy access by ferry. Looking out towards the Baltic Sea the granite coastline is a great place to relax and explore endless photographic opportunities. 

Lush and green, this woodland was alive with little squirrels darting about, but I was particularly drawn to the fern which holds the central position in this photograph. I wanted to capture it in its context, the surrounding environment.

What can I say? It is not often that a Midwesterner gets to see a boat hanging suspended from an old brick building on the waterfront of a harbor along the sea. I was drawn to the textural composition in this image.

Solitude, seclusion a retreat to the forest - Take me away to the woods... this little cabin beckons the call of the wild.

I am making an assumption that this is an old cistern but am not certain. At any rate, I was attracted to the bright green ground cover that surrounded the subject of this image. I felt there was an appeal to this simple composition.

There was a simple but welcoming nature to the doorstep of this Finnish timber home. The rug reminded me of the little mats we napped on in kindergarten.

I thought the composition of this photograph conveyed a sense of adventure... stumbling upon a red house while strolling through the forest. Sounds a bit like the setting for a fairy tale.

Suomenlinna Island lies in Helsinki's harbor and is an easy access by ferry. Looking out towards the Baltic Sea the granite coastline is a great place to relax and explore endless photographic opportunities.

The warm sunlight of early evening bathes the distant shoreline of a cove on Suomenlinna Island highlighting the varied colors and textures of the landscape.

Suomenlinna Island lies in Helsinki's harbor and is an easy access by ferry. Looking out towards the Baltic Sea the granite coastline is a great place to relax and explore endless photographic opportunities. Here the island fortress is seen in the background, set against whispy clouds and a blue sky.

The long days of summer extend the hours of dusk in the northern latitudes. Here, a lone tree stands on a hill in evening sunlight as the sun's rays add warmth to the coastal grasses creating a feeling of peace and solitude.

This photograph has been digitally softened to lend atmosphere to the warmth of the sun on a coastal hillside of wildflowers and wooden fence on Suomenlinna Island.

Purple-blue wildflowers growing in a rock wall on Suomenlinna Island make for a lovely subject in this composition.

This lush and green woodland was alive with little squirrels darting about. I was drawn to the contrast between the earth tone colors of the path and the variations of green covering the forest floor.

Suomenlinna Island lies in Helsinki's harbor and is an easy access by ferry. Looking out towards the Baltic Sea the granite coastline is a great place to relax and explore endless photographic opportunities.

Cumulous clouds move across the morning sky over Helsinki harbor providing a backdrop for sailing boats on the waterfront.  

The natural beauty of some yellow wildflowers in a rocky crag along the granite coast of Suomenlinna Island provide visual interest amongst the lichen covered granite.

Solitude, seclusion a retreat to the forest - Take me away to the woods... these little cabins beckon the call of the wild.

Sailing boats sit moored in the harbor at Helsinki with a brooding morning sky in the background.