A drop of time frozen. A son and a mother. Living mere 20km away from each other, yet due to certain circumstances they only get to see each other 3-4 times per year.
Archive for the ‘Families’ Category
Third time the charm – Niki Strbian Mammakuvaus
March 7, 2010We kept postponing this maternity session until the last minute, truly. Once the older siblings were sick, another time there was a quick trip scheduled in the last minute. But we managed, was it 5 days before the baby was born? 
Already now this lovely and beautiful mamma treasures a little boy in her arms. After two girls, I wonder whether the feelings are any different. Perhaps not. Perhaps it’s like she said on the phone: “Every baby is the most beautiful baby in the world for its mum. Sorry for going on and on about how perfect he is.”
No need to be sorry! If he is half as perfect as your belly was while cradling him inside, he truly is the most precious little boy. I can’t wait to photograph him next week. Hope you will enjoy your sneak peek!
The love between a mother and a daughter – Niki Strbian Perhekuvaus
February 26, 2010The third of my minisessions from Valentine’s Sunday. I know, we are about to wave February good-bye, but I am still stuck with Valentine. Yeah!
There was so much love and emotion between these two ladies. And more yet between the little lady and her umbrella, which she was really excited to be allowed to use in the middle of winter. But what a shame that it miraculously disappeared again right after the shoot… I hope you will enjoy watching these at least as much as I enjoyed creating them. Love, Niki
Just one for today … – Niki Strbian Lapsikuvaus
February 23, 2010One I love. I hope you will too.
For there is no friend like a sister in calm or stormy weather.
Valentine’s Sunday in botanic garden PART 2 – Niki Strbian Perhekuvaus
February 22, 2010Taking advantage of the fact that temperature raised since morning by 18 C, and because this family is about to move somewhere close to the equator, it was the perfect occassion to have photos in snow snow snow. Not a problem in winter season 2009/2010 You were so much fun, I hope you enjoyed the shooting as much as I did. And believe it or not, this Dad claimed, he is horrible in front of a camera. But he clearly enjoyed it after all, didn’t he? 
Valentine’s day in the botanic garden – Niki Strbian Valokuvaus
February 16, 2010All shades of green. Sunshine. Glasshouse. Kaisaniemi botanic garden on Valentine’s Sunday … PART 1.
Finns don’t regard love affairs stable enough to dedicate them a day in their calendar. As my father says: “Women come and go but basketball stays.” Surely Finns do not have a dedicated day in the calendar to basketball either, despite the important fact that it’s my Dad’s lifetime hobby. If there was a holiday dedicated to sports in Finland, it would most likely be, you guessed it, to ice-hockey. Perhaps even skating. And maybe sailing. And maybemaybe to sauna (which counts as both sports and a cultural event here, didn’t you know??).
But we are talking about Valentine’s day. On February the 14th Finns choose to show their affection to friends. Because friendship truly lasts a lifetime. And because it’s quite enough to show affection once a year when government permits.
I decided to celebrate the day by spending the entire day with my best friend/assistent/colleague/muse in the botanic garden, shooting a marathon of minisessions for my friends. Here the first sneak peek from Sunday. These two are quite fresh among my friends, yet I feel I have known them for a decade. At least. You two clowns, who are so in love: Come over soon to eat some halusky with us, we run out of the special cheese usually really quickly Enjoy, hope you will like it!
When editing the photos, I had the “Isn’t she lovely, daa, daa, da…” tune stuck in my head. I wonder why…
Let me introduce you, in case you don’t know why the heck the next photo features a lamp. This, ladies and gentlemen, is the famous Double Bubble lamp designed by Eero Aarnio. I challenged everyone to bring something special to the minisession and A+A came up with this. This is HERS not HIS. I am happy they didn’t go with HIS. The BMX bicycle could have been a bit difficult in the glasshouse…
The secret meaning is of course that the big bubble represents the boss of the family. Hmm…?
Looking into the future. Is it bright? Enough?
xoxo
Snow, snow, snow queen – Niki Strbian Valokuvaus
February 4, 2010Having fun with friends. In -16. Wind. Both of my kids. Cranky. Imagine the shoot:
click click click click
back to the car – unfreezing hands
click click click
back to the car – hot tea
click click
back to the car – cannot start the engine, cannot turn the key
click
back to the car – kids crying, me fainting from the cold, leaving and driving home
and … we almost kissed a truck who skid when the driver went too fast through a curve. But we got home safe.
You were awesome as always! thank you
Proved again – the blue eyes gene is stronger than the brown eyes gene :) – Niki Strbian Perhekuvaus
January 17, 2010Yep, science has it that statistically (I know!) if one parent has blue eyes and the other has dark eyes, more of their kids will have dark than blue eyes. We all know that. But today I met yet another proof that this is not always true in Finland. And my proof is a one year old boy who smiled the moment I entered the door.
To the immediate sympathies I felt for the whole family added the fact that the parents went couple of years ago skiing to a ski resort located just few kilometers from my husband’s hometown in Slovakia. The world really is a small place… Despite the weather forecast promising sun, we got windy and cold weather with clouds hanging so low, they didn’t allow for much light. But the parents were sports about it and the little guy was a trooper, so we managed to take pics outside as well. I hope you will enjoy your sneak peek, more is coming very very very very very very very soon.
Zuzka and her horse – Niki Strbian Valokuvaus
January 15, 2010After family Xmas in Slovakia that we enjoyed despite the weird and mountains unlike weather (mud, + temperatures and really cold and humid wind – whilst in Finland the winter wonderland has not only continued but got better all the time) we were to travel back home. My husband’s family lives 5 hours by train + 1 hour by car from the nearest airport which hosts flights from Helsinki. You can imagine the fun of traveling such distance with 2 kids under 5. This time we got lucky, our friends were going by car, so we didn’t have to endure the train, just 4 hours in car. And we got to play with cats in their house and I even had a moment to photograph the lady of the house with her new horse.
What a pleasure to see how a human and a horse seek mutual connection. After knowing each other for just a week or so, they were still very conscious around each other and yet Zuzka managed to earn his trust even for me (and the weird black big thing – my camera). They were after training and already in this spot when I arrived. More than ankle deep mud and fingers-crippling wind made me fear I was going to trip and destroy my Nikon toys, but luckily that didn’t happen I hope you will enjoy your photos, Zuzka. Thank you for everything!
So little, so much joy – Niki Strbian Vastasyntyneenkuvaus
January 7, 2010An attentive reader will remember, you have met the gorgeous mamma. Now they got a little, precious bundle of joy – a small boy, so perfect, so tiny. But he made clear who is the boss of the house even at the fragile age of 10 days. No following the schedule of the big guys – he enjoyed our presence, love and loads of milk for two hours before falling asleep. And when he did, he slept peacefully through the entire photoshoot. Thank you, little angel, for brightening up my Loppiainen morning I hope your parents will equally enjoy this preview of many more sweet images we captured.
