Portraits of a Rauma Girl – Kylmäpihlaja

I spent two days with this beautiful woman at Kylmäpihlaja Lighthouse Hotel. Katja resides in Helsinki but her heart resides in her home town of Rauma on the western side of Finland. She loves the sea and grew up on the water with her dad as a devoted fisherman. I met Katja at a wedding in 2011 in Mikkeli and she told me that she would love to get portraits the next time I am in Rauma and we have been in contact on Facebook ever since. It took 4 years but we made it happen this summer!

Katja is a fashion designer and also a classical singer. She has many talents and passions but I believe her greatest passion is being by the sea. Her face lights up whether she is walking on the rocks, sitting on a boat or in the water.

In late July this year we made a trip to the outer island, Kylmäpihlaja in the Rauma archipelago to take photos for Katja’s profile as a classical singer. We were also able to sneak in some ‘lifestyle’ shots that show Katja’s love of being in the Rauma Archipelago.

The weather in the 2015 Finnish summer had been very disappointing in June and July but we had been watching the forecasts for a month and for the 18 hours we would be on the island, the sun would be out! The forecasts did not disappoint and we were blessed with great light for our multiple photo sessions at sunrise and sunset! We also fit in some time for a sauna, cider drinking, girl talk and an adventure on the rocks in the morning! Kylmäpihlaja Lighthouse Hotel provided the perfect location.

A big shout out to the amazing Nina who designed the white dresses and the black dress.  Check out her gorgeous work here – www.ninaco.co/. The yellow dress is a vintage Marimekko. I also highly recommend staying at the Kylmäpihlaja Lighthouse Hotel – the food and service were amazing!