Ajaton Joki » Snow

My Love of Finland – If I Could Design A Postcard…

admin — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 22:48:36 +0000

Today, I thought it would be fun to do a shoot that really showed just how beautiful Finland is in Winter. If I could design a postcard of an amazing Winter wonderland, then these are what I’d submit as the artwork.

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

The First Snow

admin — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 16:12:32 +0000

It took half the Winter, but we finally saw snowfall here in Helsinki.

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!

The Cusp of Spring

admin — Sat, 30 Apr 2011 20:58:51 +0000

Between the bits of melting snow, we can actually see ground again! The warm Spring sun means that although there is the white stuff still on the ground, it is warm enough to bring out the Summer clothes.

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!

Endless Blue and White

admin — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 22:42:09 +0000

There is a reason the national flag of Finland is blue and white – and never is that more evident than along the Baltic coastline.

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.

Emma In Spring

admin — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 20:04:37 +0000

We photographed Emma near her grandmother’s house in Espoo this weekend. It was a beautiful Spring day – full of warm and wonderful sunshine even if the snow has far from melted.

Ajaton Joki Perhekuvaus

Musician Promo Images: Guitarist Gary Law

admin — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 12:35:41 +0000

When Gary asked me to do his promo pictures, he described his music as being very blue-collar in the vein of Springsteen. I knew immediately the perfect location: a factory on the outskirts of town. Unfortunately for us, it began to snow quite heavily and was cold – -12. But Gary was a trooper and I had enough weather protection gear to get out at least one full lighting rig for the shoot. And even better, my fingers did unthaw later that evening and I could use them again! Big thanks to Gary for braving the cold that night.

Musician Gary Law Promo Images

Musician Gary Law Promo Image

Musician Gary Law promo images

You can hear more of Gary’s work on his MySpace Music page

Brother and Sister

admin — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 18:31:11 +0000

I took a trip up to Hameenlinna this week to photograph this brother and sister team. We even captured some magical images in the crisp snow after the indoor shots. There’s something spectacular about January – cold but beautiful!

Here’s a sneak peek!

Ajaton Joki: Families

Lucky Number 28

admin — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 10:19:53 +0000

I had over 125 entries for the Winter free session offer I ran last month. Using a randomizer, number 28 was drawn and I’ve contacted the winner to book the session. I’m looking forward to sharing those images later next month.

Thanks to everyone who sent in an entry!

Hanna

admin — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 10:06:44 +0000

Images from my session with model Hanna Kyyrö. Make up and styling by the extremely talented Lotta Eloranta.

Commercial by Andrea Joki of Ajaton Joki

Preview: Beautiful Snowy Family Session in Kirkkonummi

admin — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 17:02:15 +0000

It is so incredibly beautiful right now – more snow than Finland has seen in 40 years has meant white dusted forests and soft blue skies. And what a sweet family to shoot! These are four quick preview images – I can’t wait to go through the rest of the session!

I love the moment here – everyone having fun together. I have more formal images, of course, but this one just speaks to me!

Ajaton Joki: Families