Presenting a 9 year old Finnish girl, her reindeer, a book on antique Finnish maps, and a beautiful snowy day in January.

The light and scenery is so exquisite this time of year.  Soft and light and lovely.  We’re fortunate to have a mild Winter – not too cold for tea parties with friends!

I’m happy to play with both the old and the new: the traditional white and black graduation cap in a timeless Finnish setting.  In this case, a location in the lovely city of Kauniainen.

This Summer, I am pleased to announce two special workshops, the 29th and 30th that I’ve taught:

The Big Picture Workshop: Australia (click here for more information).  At the Surfers Paradise studio of Wild Spirit photography.  Limited to 15 only.   June 18th and 19th.  Note: only 1 seat left before it is sold out!

Surfers Paradise 2009

The Big Picture Workshop: Europe (click here for more information).  Limited to 10 only. July 17th and 18th at my studio in Helsinki, Finland.

Tapiola, Finland

Of course, with that much golden sun out there, I’m going to take advantage of it!  I love the glow and warmth from shooting out in that full sun.  It really exemplifies the beauty that is Spring and the emergence from a very long Winter!

A little extra lighting helped really bring out the colors of the sky yet still retain the vibrant hues of the red in their formal wear.  We were serenaded by swans (one of which became a bit too enamored of us and had to be shoo’d away) and the occasional jogger (who we didn’t shoo off).   But in all, it was a lovely evening and perfect to really showcase the love and respect these two share.

Here, model Heidi Moijanen is wearing a 60 year old Japanese wedding kimono (shiromoku) at a stretch of beach outside of Helsinki.  Hair and makeup was done by Cemille Nismetdin and I was fortunate to have a great assistant in the form of Richard Hernigle.  And he had his hands full not only keeping the lighting rig from blowing away a la Mary Poppins but also keeping the wind-damaged umbrella open enough to spread light onto Heidi.

And Heidi was amazing – modeling to perfection despite gale force winds and a frigid -10c along the sea.  She’s also standing nearly knee deep in heavy snow yet still manages to look elegant.

Oftimes shooting in Winter can be a bit more difficult; but the beautiful soft feel of blues and whites truly make for extraordinary imagery.

we began the session  near an old power factory museum in Helsinki – I just had to get that late season moss and fallen leaves in the old bricks and concrete area.  I really wanted her beautiful brown eyes and vibrant colors to stand out and not have to compete with too much distraction.  Because, it really was all about that sweet face.

To get to the other side of the river, we traveled across a spam bridge and found a lovely area where several streams and the river converge.  The late setting sun beautifully lit up the area and I was able to get several shots before the sun set behind the old factory.  Then we enjoyed an area lined with oaks and plenty of fallen leaves.

I switched between lenses for the session – using the longer 70-200 to compress the background and increase the focal plane with the family shots.  And it ended up being especially useful on the riverbank to remove unwanted distractions across the water.  My 85 then provided the means for showcasing that beautiful face and personality.

I truly believe I am the luckiest photographer in all of Finland.  These pictures can definitely show you why!

I do get lucky, though, with being able to photograph such beautiful families.  The littlest one was so happy – he woke up with a smile and I don’t think I saw it leave his face all afternoon.  Their little girl had enough energy and personality to make any photographer happy – perhaps my only challenge was keeping that shutter speed high enough to make sure I didn’t get any motion blur!  And her elder sister was a treat – one of those rare tweens who didn’t mind helping with the shoot and working with me to elicit great expressions from her younger siblings.

Here is a sneak peek from the session – just a few black and whites (this session is so remarkable in black and white!) and one color!  Truly, I must have the best clients in all the world!

And one color image – she was such a lovely soul: