Viime vuonna ajelimme suoraan Outin ja Ilkan häiden jälkeen pohjoiseen tavoitteenamme viettää joulu Ylläksellä. Tai suoraan ja suoraan, ajelemme nimittäin aina ensin Haaparantaan ostaman kaikki ruokatarvikkeet reissua varten. Olen syntynyt Ruotsissa ja asunut siellä elämäni ensimmäiset vuodet, joten on aina kotoisaa käydä ostamassa kaikki mahdolliset herkut sieltä. Olen sitä mieltä, että Valion 0,5% laktoositon maitojuoma pitäisi tuoda Suomeen. Samoin kuin kaikki ihanat ProViva -juoman maut. Herbamare maustettuna chilillä, sitäkään ei löydä Suomesta. Eikä BRAVO -mehuja, niitä ihania kahden litran jättipakkauksia (niitä oli hetken aikaa esim. Citymarketeissa, mutta mihin ne hävisivät??) Ja ne ihanat Estrellan ja Olwin grillisipsit, jotka maistuvat sipulilta… ostan niitä aina, vaikka syön niitä aina liikaa, ja sitten on huono olo.

Päästyämme Ylläkselle Naksu asettui tuttuun rooliinsa lattialämmityksen suurena ystävänä ja päiväpeiton alla piileskelijänä. Me heiluimme kameroidemme kanssa milloin missäkin, valmistelimme joulua, kuvailimme Viivin ja Tuomaksen kihlakuvat osa kakkosen (joista kuvia nähtävillä myöhemmin), söimme maailman parhaat burgerit Julli’s Bar & Restaurantissa, bongasimme poroja, ajoimme Ylläksen maisemareittiä lukemattomat kerrat, hiljennyimme Lapin luonnossa ja olimme onnellisia. Viimeisenä iltana Ylläs hemmotteli meitä ihanalla auringonlaskulla pilvisten päivien jälkeen ja kun käännyimme takaisin, toisella puolella nousi täysikuu.

Tässä meidän joulumme niissä maisemissa, joissa sydämemme lepää.

Last year after photographing the wedding of Outi & Ilkka we drove to Ylläs. In the settings that will always take our breath away we spent the Christmas with family and friends. Naksu spent a lot of time on the heated floor, we took our cameras everywhere and even photographer engagement photos part two with Viivi & Tuomas (you’ll see photos of that session later). We saw a lot of beautiful things, reindeer, sunsets and a beautiful moonrise.

/Johanna (+ Jouni)

Johanna Hietanen is a Wedding Photographer in Espoo, Finland. Her work captures people, personality and moments. You can read the original blog post here Personal | Joulu Ylläksellä.

During this almost 11 years we’ve been together and 8 years we’ve been married (just celebrated our 8 year anniversary last Monday, yay!) we’ve been photographed thrice. Twice professionally. It’s so easy to hide behind the camera. When you’re watching photos after all those years you realize how you miss seeing a photo of yourself.

Let’s face it – we all have insecurities. When you have insecurities, it’s hard to place yourself in front of the camera. I know, I’ve been overweight for a long time. No, correction… I WAS overweight for a long time. I’ve always had a hard time being in front of the camera. Now I’ve lost about 7-8 kilos in the course of one year but of course, I’m not quite happy with myself. It’s in my head. But it’s getting better… I’ve learned to love myself. I’m not perfect and I will never be perfect. But still, I’m perfect as me.

Still, I was extremely nervous when we decided to do some modeling for one of Nordica Photography’s workshop. But I trusted them and they were worth the trust.

What I love about them is that they are combining the personality of people and their style perfectly. I can totally see ourselves and their style. And the more time goes by, the more I love these.

So here we are. We’re cute like that.

/Johanna

All photos ©Nordica Photography

Johanna Hietanen is a Wedding Photographer in Espoo, Finland. Her work captures people, personality and moments. You can read the original blog post here In Front Of The Cameras of Nordica Photography.

Johanna Hietanen is a Wedding Photographer in Espoo, Finland. Her work captures people, personality and moments. You can read the original blog post here One From Stockholm | Personal.

So we decided to take her out for a walk. She was one happy cat. :)

/Johanna

Johanna Hietanen is a Wedding Photographer in Espoo, Finland. Her work captures people, personality and moments. You can read the original blog post here Naksu and the Forest | Kissakuvaus | Personal.

So when I opened my eyes today and looked outside, I was happy. A perfect start for the weekend.

A few frames from today.

/Johanna

Johanna Hietanen is a Wedding Photographer in Espoo, Finland. Her work captures people, personality and moments. You can read the original blog post here First day of Snow | Personal.

Johanna Hietanen is a Wedding Photographer in Espoo, Finland. Her work captures people, personality and moments. You can read the original blog post here Personal | Helsinki City Sunset | Valokuvaaja Helsinki.

I’m in love with my latest VSCO Film BW I came up the other night. I’ve found THE PERFECT one.

Johanna Hietanen is a Wedding Photographer in Espoo, Finland. Her work captures people, personality and moments. You can read the original blog post here Helsinki at Night | Personal | Musiikkitalo.

Yesterday we met with Nani and photographed. And talked. A lot. It was sunny before but started raining a while after. Still, it was beautiful. We got wet, but it didn’t matter. Summer rain doesn’t matter.

More to come later. :)

Johanna Hietanen is a Wedding Photographer in Espoo, Finland. Her work captures people, personality and moments. You can read the original blog post here Kirsikkapuu | Ystävät | Helsinki.

For the longest time I’ve been holding myself back.

It’s way past midnight and I should be asleep. My alarm goes off in less than 5 hrs. But I can’t sleep, I just have to write this. I don’t know if it’s a good idea, but I have to do this.

I was watching American Idol where Phillip Phillips sang a Dave Matthews Band’s song. What set me off was Jennifer Lopez saying that maybe that song wasn’t the wisest choice. That maybe it was too artsy.

It feels like I’m Phillip Phillips picking that artsy song to sing.

I know I can’t be anything more than myself. Our business is me. It’s who I am. Who Jouni is. Who we are. It’s our vision, our taste, our hearts. Before I was trying to be interesting. Picking those popular songs that could make me go far. But I can only be myself. Pick the songs I love. I don’t know if I’m interesting. To some I am, to some I will never be. It took me a long time to see that it’s OK.

At the end of the day, we all have to do what feels right for us. We can’t make the choices we’re supposed to make if it doesn’t feel right. We can’t be something for everybody. We’re not for everybody.

When we were at Häämessut, one of the most popular lines I heard (not necessarily pointed at us) was “These photographers are so expensive!”. I understand that there’s budgets, but we haven’t decided to be “expensive”. We’re actually quite cheap in Finland.

It costs to run a business. It costs to be a professional. We have to pay VAT (23%), taxes (in our case it’s about 33% because this is not my primary job – and one of the reasons it’s not my primary job is that it’s hard to be a full time wedding photographer in Finland), YEL (16,88 %). On top of that we have to buy gear, computers for editing, software. If you start to calculate it… and start to think about photographing weddings yourself, would you do it for example 500€?

It also comes down to your priorities sometimes. Do you want to go for the perfect wedding dress? For the perfect venue? Or for the photographs and memories?

I can say for sure that the biggest mistake we made when we got married was not knowing about documentary wedding photography. The photos we have, we love. But there’s only a handful of them. I would do ANYTHING if I could go back in time. But something positive still came out of it – I wouldn’t be a wedding photographer if it weren’t for the mistake we made. The lack of wedding photos made me surf around on the internet and I stumbled upon Charlotte Geary’s beautiful work. And here I am now :)

We’re having our vow renewal in 2015 (maybe even sooner, if it’s a possibility). A few months back we decided that photography will be our priority, whatever it takes. And it’s going to be Nordica Photography. When you know it, you know it. The times I’ve cried watching their photos or raved about their photos to everyone I know… that should count for something. Heck, I don’t even know what it will cost us. Actually, I don’t even really care. Photography means so much to us that we’re willing to sacrifice a lot of things! :)

—

Now that our website looks like us, I’m going to be posting a lot more personal stuff too. My philosophy is that you should know your wedding photographers, your family photographers, your boudoir photographers… You’re allowing someone to capture your soul and you should like that person. I want you to know me. And Jouni too, although I’m the one writing. Jouni is busy with his school (and a summer job!!) and because I want him to graduate, I’m allowing him to do his stuff. Maybe sometime he’ll write some posts too :) But when you know me, you’ll know Jouni too.

I want to leave you with a song that’s been on my heart and mind. It pretty much summons my thoughts.

(You might want to press play, pause, open full screen and exit full screen to get the song at the highest possible quality if it sounds weird at first)

Beyonce – I Was Here

And here I am in my dream place once again.

Johanna Hietanen is a Wedding Photographer in Espoo, Finland. Her work captures people, personality and moments. You can read the original blog post here Honesty | Häävalokuvaajan Mietteitä.