Category: Beloved
About a boat on a meadow | Beloved
04/01/2012
All laughed at him and he did it anyways and he did good.
I was not as fortunate as to find remains of Noah’s Ark, but I still consider myself lucky to have found an old and shattered boat in the middle of a meadow (and that meadow right next to Turunväylä!). This is a difficult task even in such a boat country as Finland. But the boat was really there, noone seemed to live near it, own it or care for it, so all I had to do was to wait for warmer weather, because the boat was full of slippery ice after the winter and so rather dangerous with all the rusty nails sticking to every direction possible.
On the day of our shoot the sun was shining and the love was radiant between my friends. He is an accomplished jazz musician, she is our every year’s Christmas porridge chef (can’t get enough of it!) and they both are some of the loveliest people that have been walking hand in hand on this planet since the times of … well, Noah’s Ark. At least. 
And imagine, the boat has been demolished and a rummage removed only one week after our visit. Our setting disappeared, but their love stays.
My dear friends, thank you for giving me the opportunity to capture your special relationship. Despite our turbo lives, I hope to see you much more often. ♥♥♥
You might remember the photos I took in the same location after visiting The Crazy Glasses shop.
Oh, I know that this should be a Happy New Year post. But everyone keeps writing about it, so I decided to skip it for now. What do you think, would the end of January be still a good time for a Happy-New-Year post? We could at least recapitulate the already failed New Year resolutions. 
My resolution for 2012 is to deliver photos of my friends within a shorter time window. And by shorter I mean shorter than 1 year.
Ok, ok then! (In a very small voice) To all my friends, customers, potential customers, suppliers and everyone who has ever supported me or thought of me in a good (or bad) way … and most of all to my family – Happy New Year. All of you – be as brave as Noah – go and build ships on top of mountains … against all better judgement! Because you might become a laughing stock or just as well the only survivor. (This already sounds like an Oscar thank you speech …. blaaaaaah!) 
It rained happiness … | Kihlajaiskuvaus
13/12/2011
The title of my today’s post happens to be a beautiful Czech proverb. “It rains happiness…” people say every time when there is a happy occassion and when the weather Gods get drunk on ambrosia and don’t cooperate. I searched for a similar proverb in other languages, but it is hard to find one that would not be negative.
My top three rain proverb with bad attitude are:
No. 3 – A deaf man may not have heard the thunder but he surely will see the rain. ~ Malian Proverb
No. 2 – If it were ever to rain soup, the poor would only have forks. ~ Brazilian Proverb
And the winner for today – A banker is a man who lends you an umbrella when the weather is fair, and takes it away from you when it rains. ~ Traditional Proverb
But some of them were not all that bad, here my favorites with a positive attitude:
No. 3 – An old friend met in a far country is like rain after drought. ~ Chinese Proverb
No. 2 – Some people walk in the rain, others just get wet. ~ Roger Miller
And my favorite by far … Two lovers in the rain have no need of an umbrella. ~ Japanese Proverb
On a Sunday two weeks ago it was clear that it rained happiness for these two lovebirds. They got engaged the night before and nothing could have stopped them from drowning in each other’s eyes (and smiles). They did, proverbially, forget their umbrella at home (and so did I). We got completely soaked! But we didn’t mind – not the wind, not the too low temperatures, not the standing under a waterfall feeling… Nada! Photographing in the rain is actually quite wonderful – rain makes the colors stand out so much. And the light is beautiful. And the atmosphere is divine. I think my clients shared my enthusiasm – though there was a moment of hesitation when I told him to open up his jacket so that she can warm up her hands. His comment was spot on: “You must feel so bad that I still have dry layers of clothes.”
One of these images is likely my most favorite Beloved image of 2011. Do you know which one it is? And which is your favorite? ♥♥♥
… but I must bring to your attention once more the pictures I shot with Malena and Ante last year before the Blog of the Year gala – I still love those images so much!
Aaaaand you can see more of me in action on Malena’s blog.
Sadly, Malena didn’t win the Blog of the Year prize, which I can only attribute to the old paradox that people were so sure that she was going to win, they didn’t bother to vote. And so she didn’t. (Learning – next year please vote – I did!) Alas that is not the end of things, because Malena is clearly in her Element when blogging – and so I have a complete trust she will not be defeated by such a small inconvenience as one less prize on her shelf constitutes – and she will continue enriching our lives with her daily dose of energy and positive views of worldly affairs.
Hugs to you all (tomorrow back to newborn photography).
♥♥♥
PS: What inspired this shoot? Can you guess?
“Should we put a little make up on you too?” I suggested. And I didn’t mean to even out his skin. Moment of hesitation. I quickly searched for a photo of Viggo Mortensen on my iPhone to prove what a touch of eye-liner can do for a drama. If Aragorn can pull this off, so can I, was the conclusion and the stylists were already on it.
This was my first couple boudoir session and I LOVED it!!!! (add more exclamation marks depending on how much extrovert you are)
We only had one trouble, the beautiful lady not being able to give the camera a serious face. There were fontains of giggle, rainbows of laughter and then after all that colorful sparkling bubbling stream of smiles, she released the tiger in her and the boudoir party started.
We had a view of Helsinki center from the hotel window, it was raining hard and we photographed and photographed and enjoyed the creative process to the maximum.
I loved it. ♥♥♥
PS: Now tell me, boudoir sessions for couples – yes or no?
It’s about time I told you a little more about my GAAH a.k.a. the Great Adventure with Ann and Hans.
Act 1: Helsinki major sights
After planning this session for about a year and half, after exchanging 234 emails (I actually opened my mailbox and counted them) and one excited phone call from the cold reception of a Sokos hotel downtown, we finally met on Sunday evening. Chatted and immediately felt like we have known each other for years. Which was almost true, given our long scribling history…
Ann is a petite beauty with dry sense of humor and quick wit. Hans is protective, kind, intelligent and handsome. Ann says that Hans is an overplanner (and she secretly loves it about him). Hans says I love you with his eyes every time he looks at Ann.
They are two people in love. And I was supposed to take their wedding portraits. Easy…
Now let me tell you – in Singapore the temperatures around 20 degrees Celsius are considered remains of the Ice Age. Warm rain showers quickly change with sunshine. Ann’s and Hans’ arrival to Finland was marked with sudden drop of temperature and start of that cold, bitchy, windy rain that can only lash Finland during October and November. The one that makes you feel like all your flesh is squeezed around your neck while the wind bites on your bare bones.
They were two people who were dressed in many layers and still cold. And I was supposed to take their wedding portraits. Easy?
Easy!
Because despite the misery Ann and Hans were optimistic, cheerful and ready for any kind of adventure.
And so we shot in rain, through falling cats and dogs, thunder-storms, tornadoes and volcano erruptions… (I might have gotten carried away just a little here.;))
And so we got images with full colors and with raining happiness. Noone caught a cold and we continued our trip on Tuesday to Rovaniemi. I will tell you all about my first time in Lapland on Friday. ♥♥♥
PS: check out my favorite eye-lashes portrait from their first day in Finland
just images today…
or
not?
Ok, I give you a small reading exercise too.
Pipsa and Tommi got married a year ago. They are from a small town in Finland, about 2 hours drive from the capital. They called me to ask if I wanted to do a beloved session with them, because they don’t have one useable portrait from their wedding. Of course, I was happy to say yes. I also do not have any portraits from my wedding that I would proudly display, so it was way easy to relate to their situation.
Pipsa and Tommi are two sweet people who were so much in love. It was clear from our first meeting that Tommi would bring the blue back from the sky for Pipsa. And she followed him everywhere with that love-filled gaze that makes you remember your own first date(s). No wonder the beloved session with them felt like dancing in sunlight. And the session had a big fat bonus on top – as parents of two small children, Pipsa and Tommi rarely get any time for themselves (another experience easy to relate to, isn’t it?). And a trip or two to Helsinki might just do the trick.
If I could summarize their beloved session, I would say: happiness, deep connection and loads of kissing.
I hope we will stay friends. ♥♥♥
PS: Tommi is also a talented portrait photographer. Check out his work.
there was a cupid once
who wanted warm each heart
he chose his target carefully
and aimed at it skillfully
and shot with all his art
but sometimes he
missed
or not?
Happy Valentine’s! May your loved ones keep you close today… ♥♥♥
PS: All sentiments aside, I interviewed this lil romantic messenger of love and I found out there is a serious competition going on among cupids on Valentine’s Day. The most successful one gets the fattest bonuses. Clearly the fact that there is a serious research on the contraproductivity of awards and punishments has not reached the heaven yet. (Or wherever cupids are from.)
PS2: Where are, in your opinion, cupids from? I am kind of lost, actually.
PS3: The last picture contains legend to the whole story.
7 Comments
I like the last one and the 6th photo. All are very lovely and you really hit the nail on the head by Japanese proverb. What’s your Beloved 2011 favorite Niki?
Wowowowowowowo! My favourite is number 2. They are all beautiful…i loooove the rain photoshoot, sooooo different. Whats your favourite, Niki?
These are georgeous!! your favourite must be n:o 2, (right?), because that’s all what beloved-sessions are all about. You can feel the emotion right there. Number 6 is 2nd best.
Wow…that’s a lot of rain! #2 is my fav. I am such a fan of your work. Beautiful Niki!!
My little sister <3 …..and all the pictures are beautiful <3 <3
Hands down it has to be Image 7 – a real moment there…so much fun
LOVE the red tones!!
I love 3 and 5 screens. But they are all great!