This post is dedicated to all people who don’t cease to learn and explore new ways in and of life. I firmly believe that changes are for the better. So if you are not satisfied with some aspect of your life, go change it. It will get better. And if not, at least you gave it a try. Being passive doesn’t get you anywhere. I am still amazed by how simply and most happily people can live if they only start listening to their hearts. If you don’t listen to your heart yet, start today. Don’t do things that make you feel bad – guilt, sadness, negative gut feeling are all signs that what you are doing or about to do is not a good idea. Find other solutions, be creative!

Oh and don’t forget to make others happy along the way. Especially the old and lonely people, you will be old and lonely yourselves one day, no matter how much you push this idea away. Small things are sometimes the big things… Good karma to you all. I am off to bed now.

Angels do walk amongst us. You can be one of them. This can be your story.

My angel in civil life … Malena of Malenami.com. Probably the most beautiful and positive person I met in Finland. Thank you for being such an awesome model!

About two weeks ago my friend photographer Derek Latham asked me if I would like to take portraits of him and his colleague, Anna Jarske. Sure, any time, I answered. As it turned out, any time was not good enough, it had to be soon and on a specific day as well. But I love demanding people and was happy to sail my whole family over to the island of Suomenlinna to take portraits of Anna and Derek, two great wedding photograhers. I left my hubby bewildered since I was selling it to him as a “family trip and quality time together” and suddenly I was leaving him with our two angels to do daddy magic and hopped and skipped away with a camera around my neck. Not a good sign for the family trip, as he knows all too well.

After we finished shooting, Derek and Anna were kind enough to return the favore and took awesome photos of me and my family. I have NO photos of me and my kids. So it made me all teary and sentimental. But of course, them shooting us went well, because kids and hubby were all thrilled to have me back so we looked like a fairly happy family. But as it is with photographers, neither Derek nor Anna felt really home in front of a camera and I didn’t feel myself either, because I think they are really good photographers. I have to admit, I was quite nervous. Judge the results yourselves…

Derek is supposed to have a mild arachnophobia… too bad I made him lay in the grass. For a long time too… I am a bad bad girl…

This is Julietta and her two kids. Julieta is without a doubt the most beautiful woman I know in real life (and actually she is more beautiful than any of the virtual creatures magazines and movie industry daily serves us). Yet she hates being photographed. The nerves some people have! My heart aches and bleeds and my camera twists and turns in the bag whenever I see Julieta … I met her about 3 years ago when she had few weeks to the due date with her son. She and her husband were strolling through a mall where I was searching models for one project I then photographed. Unfortunately, solely to my own mistakes and wrecked nerves, the photos turned out to be a disaster. I didn’t keep them. But I kept Julieta, we became friends and I love having her in my life. Not only is she absolutely stunning, but she also makes the best hot chocolate in the world. Who would not want to be friends with her?

Julieta, darling, I love you. Don’t move anywhere abroad, my life would become really boring! And please, please, PLEASE, let me photograph you more!

And dear readers, if you like the photos, please leave a comment to tell this stubborn lady that she has to let me photograph her. Ok?

Julieta and her charming kids.

Just in case the 52 weeks challenge intrigues you, here the first 10 topics:

1. Time
2. Trees
3. Books
4. Candy/treats
5. Chair
6. Water
7. Money
8. Shoes
9. Hats
10. Tools

33.

Not afraid to say it. I don’t feel age matters anyways. I have all I need. My husband and my kids (I LOVE YOU). My great family who always supports me – my sister and my parents who believe in every step I take. And if they don’t agree, they will tell me! A mother-in-law that is an angel (which never happens I heard…). My soulmates Irene and Raduska. My friends, Svend, Juhana and all the Czechoslovakians here in Finland. My photographers. Super cool chics who call Wende “mum”. I love you all and I owe so much of my energy to all of you. I cannot walk through life without my loved ones.

This is me and my family on Suomenlinna yesterday – fooling around and playing hide and seek. It’s hard to say with the big party still coming on Sunday, but this might be just the best gift I have gotten and not only this year. I am eternally in debt with my two awesome colleagues, wedding photographers Anna Jarske and Derek Latham. Thank you guys, you just made my day. (I am in tears really.)

(do put the speakers on…)

me and my family

I am a member of a few photography forums, dedicated to portrait photography and children portraiture. Jesh’s lecture has been discussed there more than once and people raved about it. I am the type who doesn’t go to see a movie if everyone raves about it. I am the type who doesn’t believe in mass happiness. (Yet I am a potterologist and avatarlogist. Go figure!) I missed the lecture anyway. One evening, after having a rather difficult day with my little angels (sometimes it happens even in the best of families), I was editing photos and thought to myself that I will give it a try. I listened to the recording of the lecture and it

CHANGED. MY. LIFE.

My life as a photographer. My life as a person. As a human being.

I knew instantly that I wanted to become a part of this movement. BELOVED movement. And one day a package arrived. The BELOVED field guide. Which changed my life still more. Ok, I know you want to know now what this photography voodoo is about. Bear with me a little longer.

Imagine that you decide to have your photos taken. Any given occasion will do. You got engaged. Married. Secretly married. Your wife is pregnant. You have a newborn baby. You have a family. You celebrate your wedding’s 50th anniversary. Any occasion will do. Even one as simple as: “it’s a beautiful day”. So what is it that you want to have captured?

Poses.

OR

Feelings. Laughter. Deep gazes into each other’s eyes. Hugs. And … do we dare … kisses.

I bet it’s the second one. And it damn well should be! BELOVED photography will empower just that. Through a number of small tasks (for a lack of a better word), you will experience real feelings in front of the camera. You will BE LOVED. And if you let me, I will capture the feelings in a timeless manner. Resulting in a true celebration of your relationship.

Oh common. Say it out loud! This is unheard of in Finland. This will never work with the Finnish nature. Finnish culture. Finnish personalities.

Really? Try me! Book your Beloved session now. (It’s also a perfect gift.)

Oh and not that it’s the most important thing. But I am officially qualified for the Experiential Photography. You can also find me listed as a photographer of the Beloved movement. Looking forward to hearing from you.

Your Beloved photographer,  Niki

PSHHH: The first three Beloved sessions will receive a special gift from me.

• Nikon D300 and Nikon D700, Flexaret VII fully functional and polished to all glory
• Nikkor 85/1.8, 50/1.8, couple of flashes and minor stuff
• and two new additions o the lens family Nikkor 14-24/2.8 and 135/2.0

I love me Tamrac bag and messanger style Crumpler bag. Both red of course (my Dad: “Of course you chose a red car, you are a woman.” Me when done my research: “Daddy, red is the safest color there is!”)

When the miracle happens that neither me nor my husband have to work during a weekend, we usually have bunch of friends coming over and then on Sunday evening we wonder why we are so tired again This weekend was no different and after spending a lovely Saturday with the family of our god-son, we had the pleasure of one Slovakian girl’s, my husband’s colleague, company on Sunday. And since she’s never been to Haukilahti beach and cafe Mellsten (what a sin!), we took her there for a coffee and a cake. After the filling traditional lunch, we had problems to eat even the cafe Mellsten’s fantastic pullas. Though it was after many hours of playing hide and seek with the kids Or what seemed like hours in a snow storm and a cruel wind, anyway.

Here is one from just before the storm. If you wonder what that white field is – THAT is a frozen sea, my dears. (Half March, yes, half March – says calendar.) Taken with the new toy 14-24mm Nikkor lens (oh yeah baby!). Thank you for being a patient model, this wide angle stuff is harder than it seems

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

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