Ajaton Joki » Client

Family and Maternity

admin — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 13:28:02 +0000

Just before the snows came, we were able to take advantage of the beautiful Autumn coloring at one of my favorite locations in Espoo.

In Celebration of a Military Veteran

admin — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 13:21:04 +0000

This gentlemen served in several wars, including WWII. It was my pleasure to photograph him in vintage WWI gear and in front of authentic antique war planes (that still fly regularly!). These were shot at the Bellingham, Washington, Flight Museum.

He really wanted to tell a story about the pilots who brought their dogs with them on missions and brought a neighbor’s pet.

Modern Graduation Portraits

admin — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 13:07:28 +0000

I really like to break out of the norms and bring modern and edgy lighting to my senior (graduation) portraits. In this case, I had a teen from the High School football team that wanted something unique and interesting – not the same old graduation cap and holding a rose type of portrait.

I used very a modern 3-light type of set up for these two – they are actually the sweetest of people but we wanted to give them much more raw energy in their portraits. I think they accomplished the goal!

He had some great tattoos!

The Vancouver Lighthouse

admin — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 13:00:42 +0000

November saw me in Vancouver for photography. This fun young couple and their ‘furry child’ endured a long hike down a mountainside in order to capture images for a session in a great location. The challenge for me was to showcase the beautiful lighthouse but also not fall off the back of the rock and into the cold Winter water. But what is a few challenges when you have such a beautiful location and great couple?

The Beauty of Nevada – A Different Las Vegas

admin — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 12:56:47 +0000

For this private family session in Las Vegas, we chose a beautiful protected canyon well outside of the busy city. The soft Winter grasses and painted canyons provided soft sweet light in the late afternoon for our session. And I couldn’t ask for a nicer group – friendly and eager to explore the location.

Little Red Riding Hood Revisited

admin — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 12:46:23 +0000

On a very stormy and cold Winter day in Bellingham, Washington, I was given the fantastic opportunity to shoot a beautiful young lady. The tree in the background is very special – it is home to the city’s bald eagle and he was flying around us carefully to make sure we weren’t going near his nest. My little model and her father were troopers through the cold rainy day and worked hard to give us the beautiful images from the day.

This one was my favorite from the day. A simple one light set up.

Autumn Family Session

admin — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 13:50:04 +0000

This beautiful family was a referral from a wonderful client in 2010 – I was so pleased to meet them. Both children were so well behaved and perfect models for our family shoot!

North Boston – A Family Shoot

admin — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 11:04:00 +0000

This little girl was sooo sweet! And a beautiful family to boot. A great way to spend an unseasonably warm Autumn in Boston!

Soft and Vintage

admin — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 16:07:09 +0000

I had a special request for this session: add in some sweet soft vintage to the regular mix of proofs. And I have to admit, when a family has this much love, it is very easy to be a photographer!

Serendipity And a Summer Picnic

admin — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 09:43:56 +0000

One of my greatest sources of pride with my photography is the ability to shoot regardless of the lighting conditions. Professional photographers know how challenging a full sun midday shoot can be: if not shot carefully, the lighting will wreck the image, creating harsh skin tones, dappled blotchiness, and odd nuclear-winter brightness/colors. But with a bit more thought, it can also be pure magic.

For a workshop in Central Park, New York City, my objective was to show how to make full sun midday shooting achievable. But often, it is the client who also helps transcend an ordinary day and make it special as well. This family in that regard were absolutely a pleasure to work with and shoot. They brought a full picnic set, set it up, and then sat and enjoyed the day, allowing us to capture that warm, intimate moment of enjoying life together. When the sun moved enough to put them in shade, they were happy to move the set up a bit back into the sun and then sit and enjoy the grapes again. It’s a reminder to all of us to spend time just enjoying ourselves with our family and the ones we love.

My goal with my shots of the family was to show that love and connection and really show that heaven has smiled on them. I wanted to have them bathed in the warmth of the sun and to that end carefully chose the location away from the crowds but still with a bit of Central Park flavor peeking in from the upscale white high rise apartment buildings visible through the trees. I had to shoot between ugly yellow buses and a few random pedestrians also enjoying the park (fortunately, dogs were leashed at that hour!) but in all, once the location was chosen, it was an incredibly easy shoot.

I hope they enjoy the images – they really have a huge thanks from me for being so incredibly wonderful to photograph! My understanding is that the father in this image is a wedding planner – I wish I had known him when I was married because he is very, very, good at his job!