Rain and darkness … there is not much to do outdoors in such weather at the beginning of December. That’s why we are all indoors, sipping a tea or a hot chocolate and remembering the beauty of last summer. Some people got married then, imagine. And they are still happily together.

Haha. I know. But perhaps I can afford mocking this lovely couple just a little. Because I know that they are insanely in love. How do I know that? I have a written proof – where they both confided the five why’s regarding their feelings for each other.

I am not going to share those words with you today though. Instead, I will share few images. And perhaps you will feel inspired to leave me a comment with the best declaration of love you have ever heard (or said). Happy Friday to you all! ♥♥♥

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

As noted on my Facebook page, I have had a fun and trying shoot this week:

Assignment: wedding shoot
clients from: Singapore and Indonesia
duration: Mon 9:00 am – Thu 2:00 pm
images shot: 2749
1st round selection: 954
final selection: 482
so far edited: 88

(note to reader – I do not edit every single photo from the final selection)

This must be my favorite so far. Will share more as I fight my way through the rest. I must be ready by Sat 8.10.2011 7:00 am as clients want to see their images before they flight back home. What will you bet on my success?

Stay up to date on the current events in casa Niki Strbian Photography and become my fan on Facebook (occassional special goodies only for my fans are rumored to exist).

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.

Year 1977 was a regular year, just like any other. Many people were born, many people died and everyone in between had birthday. You need examples? Ok, let me randomly choose.

Among the ones who died in 1977 was Anais Nin, a French-Cuban author, best known for her diaries. Her thoughts were interesting: “Dreams are necessary for life.” and “Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.” (Before you start thinking deeply about the meaning of these two quotes, you must know her writings were often of a very erotic nature. Part of her life she was also simultaneously married to two men and endlessly explored her sexuality. Disclaimer – no offence!)

Among the ones whose birthday left footprint in our recent history was Billy Joel’s wife Elisabeth, who received the song Just the way you are from her husband as a birthday gift. (Those are the wonders of being a famous and successful musician’s wife. Should I get a gift from my husband related to his work, it would probably be an MRI scan. Awesome! It’s much less cool and lot more expensive. )

And among the ones born that year was … me. The footprint I hope to have left and continue leaving is capturing your memories. Because you are great, loving and beautiful.

During the heatwave at the beginning of June I had the honor to take wedding portraits of Satu and OP and their best man and maid of honor. We enjoyed our sunny time in Auroran puisto very much! And while taking photos, this is what Satu and OP shared with me about each other.

OP loves Satu because of her smile, calmness, the way she enjoys life, because he can always count on her and because she is the love of his life.

Satu loves OP because he thinks of others before himself, he is kind and caring and because HE LOVES HER JUST THE WAY SHE IS.

Enjoy watching their love and listen to Billy Joel’s Just the way you are, live recording from the year – well, of course, 1977. ♥♥♥

PS: Who knows which famous Czech fairy tale does the first of the black and white photos refer to? If you know +10 points! If you are Czech -10 points. And if you are Czech and you don’t know – go hide under a stone, thank you.

Oh it’s been a long time since posting a proper photo and I miss it so much! It’s the time of the year when I am the least inspired and I miss photographing in full sun and without fear that my fingers are going to deepfreeze and fall off my hands.

So it’s better to stay inside, with the temperature around the cozy 40 degrees Celsius and a most sleepy newborn I have ever met. ♥♥♥

Ok my dear readers. I have not been around that much lately, but that’s just because it’s been super busy with the häämessut in Wanha Satama and all. It was lovely by the way, I met  loads of new people and even some fans of my Facebook pages. I shared a booth with the awesome Maria Hedengren, befriended girls from the Villeroy and Boch booth and found out that one girl from Iitala stand was a cousing of my client. All in all it felt homey and lovely and big thanx goes to Liisa Silla of Menään Naimisiin magazine for organizing the whole thing.

My husband and angelitos with friends came to say tsemppiä but they didn’t stay long. When my daughter and her friend started dancing dangerously near the Villeroy and Boch stand, I quickly asked them to just go have fun in the sunny weather outside. Apropo sunny weather. Of course the ONLY two sunny days in what must have been weeks now were the weekend of the wedding fair. It feels now like I will never ever see a ray of sunshine again.

But here is a sunshine offer for you! I still have a few of the gift certificates left, so I decided to be extra good right from January. When Joulupukki asks next December how I behaved the whole year, I will be able to tell him:

I gave out 100€ gift certificates for the price of 35€. Ain’t me good?

So for today and tomorrow only – the 100€ value gift certificate is available for the price of 35€.

On Thursday and Friday they are going to be available for 45€ and during the weekend for 55€. After that they will be back at their regular price 100€ value lahjakortti for 100€ price. Go get them while I have them. ♥♥♥

You remember the fun afternoon in early October when I and my friends photographers went out to get some trash the dress images.

Jaana had the biggest smile. She smiled and wore her black wedding dress graciously. I enjoyed working with her. She radiated honesty and somewhere behind those blue blue eyes you could see a tiny devil peaking out. You are beautiful! ♥♥♥

To be continued … there are still two more brides waiting for their images and I made a promise to deliver them this year.

Not long ago me and couple of my colleagues, wedding photographers, arranged a little outing for ourselves in the Suvilahti area and on the Lauttasaari beach. The photography theme of the day was TTD – trash the dress. Basically a fun session for a bride, who wants to have a little less formal images of herself in her wedding dress. Who cares that little less formal usually means a little more dangerous for the dress, right? The trash-the-dress session happens after the wedding, so a little dirt here and little rip there don’t matter much, unless you are planning to sell the dress for more than you bought it or if you are planning to marry your great-granddaughter in it. Hmm, not like that she will want to, they will probably wear silver tubes by then… or is that just a reflection from some cheap sci-fi I read when I was 15? Anyways, we had a blast and our models were fantastic. One of them was Victorine, an absolutely stunning young lady, who I would like to introduce to you today in more than just one photo. Victorine loved the camera and my camera loved her right back. Don’t you think so?

Thank you, Victorine, and thank you to my wonderful colleagues, whom I have such a good time with … Anna Jarske, Maria Hedengren, Niko Paulanne, Arto Ketola, Mikko Reinikainen and Oka Morikawa. ♥♥♥

This weekend was as busy for Niki, the photographer, as it can get. In this post I would like to share with you some portraits of a beautiful couple I had the honor meeting yesterday in the very spot where their wedding ceremony took place some weeks back. Lotta and Ninad flew in from Sweden to have their wedding portraits taken and since their thank you cards are perfectly ready, save the photo, I am sharing some of my favorites from yesterday. Maybe one of these will catch your eye and become the “official” one.

Lotta and Ninad, as every freshly married couple you are much in love. Clearly and inevitably. But you also had a special something, the air of a couple that not only loves each other dearly but also has a great respect for each other, respect and understanding. I loved witnessing your conversations. Thank you for sharing the true meaning of romance with me. One could in today’s world easily forget that even though passion is mighty, romance is everlasting. You are great together and I wish you much happiness in all coming years until you are 99 and beyond. ♥♥♥