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Studio Metsä

Kaisu: from (what she thought was) okay-looking to (what we already saw as) beautiful

24/05/2018 • erikafromstudiometsa •

Kaisu Studio Metsän Erika Lindin kuvattavana Helsingissä Muotokuvaus

The first time Kaisu and I were to meet, I was nervous.

Kaisu is an intelligent and ambitious architect – what if I couldn’t give her what she’s looking for?

This nervousness dissipated quickly as soon as Kaisu sat down in front of me. We connected right away and the getting-to-know-each-other-chat that regularly lasts for about 30-60 minutes, turned into a two and a half hour chat between friends.

We spoke about the photoshoot, of course, and Kaisu’s hopes for it. We spoke about Kaisu’s relationship with herself. We spoke about architecture (which is something I’ve been interested in ever since I was little) and its different trends. We spoke about relationships and everything that comes with them.

We spoke about anything and everything, and truly got to know each other.

I left this meeting feeling energized and happy – this is what my job is at its best. The connection that can be created so quickly between people is one of the biggest motivators I have in this job.

Who am I?

Photoshoot with Kaisu in Clarion Hotel Helsinki by Studio Metsä

Kaisu turned 50 this year.

Which was largely the motivation behind getting photos of herself – “who am I now that I’m turning 50?”.

Kaisu has always led with action, with doing. It’s been important to her to be appreciated and noted for her doing, not so much her appearance.

Now that the appreciation has long come from her work, Kaisu has started to consider her own relationship with her appearance. It’s never been a priority for her nor has she ever considered herself to be beautiful. It also has never been an issue for Kaisu, but come on now, every woman needs to feel beautiful (because we all are)!

Physically Kaisu has changed over the past year after she hired a personal trainer. The personal trainer helped her get rid of the last few kilos from her pregnancies and find the joy in exercise again. Even though Kaisu is now slim and healthy, she still isn’t entirely comfortable in her own skin.

She’s considered herself to be okay-looking but never beautiful.

(You can probably imagine how much I was looking forward to proving her otherwise!)

The magic of the photoshoot

Proving Kaisu she's photogenic in Clarion hotel Helsinki by Studio MetsäKaisu Studio Metsän Erika Lindin kuvattavana Helsingissä MuotokuvausPhotoshoot with Kaisu in Clarion Hotel Helsinki by Studio Metsä

On the day of the photoshoot Kaisu relaxed into the photos fast. Here’s something I admire in Kaisu: she’s used to taking the lead but she knew coming into this process that she needed to let go and this is precisely what she did.

She was on a completely new and unconquered territory for her but she handled it beautifully. She was glowing.

She accepted what came from within. She accepted that this is me, this is how I am and that is good.

We spent hours together photographing, talking and laughing – just like friends!

At the photo reveal Kaisu said to me, with such surprise and innocence:

“I’ve never thought that I’m photogenic, but these photographs are proving otherwise!“

And that’s the bottom line of my photoshoots. I think a lot of people come to me with doubts whether it’s really possible for their own photographs to be beautiful because they don’t believe they’re photogenic. And once they see the photos, they’re genuinely surprised because they think, damn, Erika was right, I am photogenic!

Being photogenic is about being who you are. And as you can see, Kaisu is a gorgeous, beautiful, courageous and confident woman.

So, thank you Kaisu for coming to me and giving me an opportunity to get to know you.

You are such a wonderful, wonderful woman and I have enjoyed our conversations enormously.

Kaisu Studio Metsän Erika Lindin kuvattavana Helsingissä MuotokuvausKaisu Studio Metsän Erika Lindin kuvattavana Helsingissä MuotokuvausKaisu Studio Metsän Erika Lindin kuvattavana Helsingissä Muotokuvaus

—

If you’re interested in being photographed yourself, or would like to ask me something (anything), you can contact me here. I promise I won’t bite ;)

To read another woman’s story who was also used to taking the lead and had to remind herself of letting go of the control during the photoshoot, click here to read Miia’s story and see her photos.

Until next time you lovely person you,
Erika

Gorgeous, strong, sensitive and successful Sini

25/04/2018 • erikafromstudiometsa •

Studio Metsä Erika Lind Muotokuvaus Helsinki

It’s finally time to introduce the amazing Sini.

Sini is a 40-year-old successful interior designer who loves to travel and photograph. Sini has also modelled although she hasn’t specifically liked the way she has looked.

Sini has had it in her head before that she’s fat. This has prevented her from eating in public all the way until she was about 25 or 27. And even though many photographs have been made of her, she’s never felt that any of them represent her – it’s always been a part she’s played.

So she came to me. It was time to make some photographs of the real Sini.

Sini turned 40 last year and has really grown to her own woman. She’s learned to be kinder toward herself, more loving and accepting. She told me how she’s gained 15kg from the time when she previously thought she was fat and is now more comfortable in her own skin than ever before.

This is an example of how external factors really have nothing to do with our insecurities. No external factors can define our worth or understanding of ourselves. It’s simply our mind that creates an illusion of what we should be in order to be enough.

And when we finally reach that goal, we don’t come to any more peace about it. In fact, our mind will have already given us a new goal that makes us believe once we reach that, then we’ll be enough. It’s a vicious cycle, you’ll never win.

The only option is to take control of your mind and start walking down the path to self-acceptance and self-love. It’s the only path that will lead to permanent peace. After all, being loved and accepted is part of our emotional basic needs. Sometimes it just takes us a while to understand that those start within us.

Sini has understood this and you can see that in the way that she carries herself. I’m really happy that I’ve had the opportunity to get to know Sini because she’s inspired me by being who she is. She’s so warm, so kind, so friendly, so empathic and loves to laugh! And actually she has the nicest laugh, which flows out of her quite easily.

You’ll get a sense of that in the photos.

Photos of the real Sini

Sini Haverinen Studio Metsä Erika Lind Muotokuvaus HelsinkiSini Haverinen Studio Metsä Erika Lind Muotokuvaus HelsinkiSini Haverinen Studio Metsä Erika Lind Muotokuvaus HelsinkiSini Haverinen Studio Metsä Erika Lind Muotokuvaus Helsinki Sini Haverinen Studio Metsä Erika Lind Muotokuvaus HelsinkiSini Haverinen Studio Metsä Erika Lind Muotokuvaus HelsinkiSini Haverinen Studio Metsä Erika Lind Muotokuvaus Helsinki

The photoshoot with Sini went great despite the somewhat cold weather. It’s such a pleasure photographing her and seeing the enjoyment she was also having!

At the photo reveal Sini told me that this is her. She’s in the photos. As her real self.

Yay! Mission accomplished!

—–

Here’s what Sini had to say about the experience:

“After gaining some weight, I had managed to become somewhat allergic to the camera. I was afraid that if someone would capture me in photographs, I’d think I look too big and then I’d start to hate myself and the way I look even though in my everyday life I feel good about myself and the way I look.

This is why I declined opportunities where others could take photos of me, even for work.

I ended up getting photographed by Studio Metsä because I liked Erika’s photos – they have this type of authenticity that I hadn’t seen much. I liked the idea that everyone is beautiful and worth being photographed. Even though I was afraid to see myself the way I am, the real me, I knew that’s precisely what I needed.

The experience was really wonderful❤

The photoshoot was really relaxed and I wasn’t nervous at any point. Erika was so warm and guided me really well with different poses. When I saw the photos myself I thought wow, do I look that good.

I went to other photographers as well but I didn’t think anyone else was able to capture the real me, from the inside and the outside, the way Erika did. Every photo makes me feel something. I even recognized my mom’s mischievous smile in one of the photos, which I’ve apparently inherited. 

I got so excited about the photos that I sent them to some modeling agencies in Helsinki (the one I’m in right now is in Tampere) and two out of three told me they’ll take me!

Now I no longer worry if I’m not good enough or photogenic because of my weight. I’m good enough just as I am.

Thank you Erika ❤“

—–

No, thank you, Sini for coming to me, trusting me and through that opening your heart to me. You’re precious, amazing, gorgeous, supportive, warm, loving, goofy, funny and such a beautiful woman. I can’t wait to hear about all the things you end up doing in your life!

You’re a star.

With the warmest of hugs,
Erika

Päivi – the stepsister, never Cinderella

02/04/2017 • erikafromstudiometsa • Leave a Comment

Päivi Studio Metsän ja Me Naisten kuvauksissa Helsingissä

Päivi was the first of the five women I was meant to photograph for the my collaboration with the Finnish women’s magazine Me Naiset. (To read the introduction to this series click here)

We met on a cloudy Friday morning in front of the main railway station in Helsinki. As we began walking towards our photo location, the clouds decided to provide us with some light rain. Despite the weather, the mood was light and happy, though perhaps a tad nervous but that’s all part of the process ;).

From the first moment on, it was easy to be with Päivi. She met me with a big smile and friendly words. You’d never guess this out-going woman would have a negative self-image.

Always the stepsister, never Cinderella

Päivi is the youngest of a large group of siblings and has always looked up to her big sisters’ beauty, never quite able to reach it. She’s formed a very strong identity as the ugly stepsister in the Cinderella story – as if beauty was always something unattainable to her, spending her life watching on the sidelines as others succeeded.

This impression has always followed Päivi: she wasn’t dealt the “beauty cards” and because of that she’s not that special, and this is simply her “role” in this society. As she’s grown older, the meaning of this “role” has diminished as she’s had her own family and career. By the age of 59, Päivi has simply given up on the pursuit of beauty and come to terms with the fact that it isn’t in the cards for her.

In fact, in Päivi’s world, people are divided into “beautiful” and “ugly” (she’s always belonged to the latter). For her, belonging in the “ugly” group has meant that she can fail, she can be imperfect and human, she can make mistakes and even be a little dumb because the “ugly” are forgiven these things much easier than the “beautiful”. On the other hand, the “beautiful” receive more compassion and they’re more easily considered better people than the “ugly”.

Päivi – and her own beauty

Päivi Ahola Studio Metsä

When asked, Päivi says she likes her smile, liveliness and brightness. These are the very things you noticed about her right away and these are precisely the things we need to pay attention to – the aspects of ourselves we really like. Why do we always want something we don’t have? Why do we wish we were something we’re not?

For instance, have you ever admired someone’s clothing only to try them on and realized oh dear goodness gracious they do not fit at all?! I’m sure you have as have I! But in here lies the true beauty of our individualism. We are all different, we all have different bodies and personalities, and this is what our clothing reflects.

We should focus on who we are and what fits us – not trying to be something or someone else, because we’ll always lose that game. Always.

Besides, how much fun would it be if we all looked exactly the same?

Don’t judge a book by its cover

Päivi ja Studio Metsä Helsingissä

Photographing Päivi was fun and natural, you’d never know by just looking at her how much it meant for her to be photographed. And this is something important to remember – it’s not always about how we feel about something but that we do it anyway. Because if we let our fears and insecurities guide us, we’d never do anything. None of us would ever do anything because we all experience fear.

Just recently I had a chat with a colleague about our misguided ideas of the bravery of others and the cowardice of ourselves. We always think that others can but for an unknown reason we can’t. Always someone else is capable, someone else has more to give, just not us.

Even though the truth is that the difference between us and others is solely in what we decide to do. People don’t succeed or get to do amazing things in their lives just out of pure luck. People succeed and move forward because they work for it. Just as we can work for what we want.

A Finnish rapper, Elastinen, raps in his song Eteen ja Ylös about this:

if it was easy, everyone’d be doing it

Damn straight!

That’s about as true as it gets. If we want a better self-esteem, we need to work for it. We’ve all got learned patterns that we have to fight hard to get rid of. But the gift of life is that we can make a new decision every day, every moment to change ourselves and through that the course of our lives. Every decision we make forms us and our lives. There’s a lot of power in it!

We have a lot of power in ourselves!

Päivi Studio Metsän ja Me Naisten kuvauksissa HelsingissäPäivi Studio Metsän ja Me Naisten kuvauksissa HelsingissäPäivi ja Studio Metsä HelsingissäPäivi Studio Metsän ja Me Naisten kuvauksissa Helsingissä

That is all I have for you fine folks on this cloudy Sunday evening. So tell me, what steps are you going to take this spring? How are you going to treat yourself better? What are your best qualities? How can you enforce them?

Until next time lovelies,
xoxo
Erika

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