“We had a mutual friend who had been implying we would be a match made in heaven. She put in a great deal of effort to get us together. Now she thinks she’s an automatic guest at our wedding some day (not gonna happen ;)) But I don´t think either of us believed her at first. In addition Annika had sworn she never would date a soccer player! And here we are, four years later!”
I had the pleasure of photographing Joni and Annika in Turku, Finland. It was a great change of scenery, and since couple’s photos are not as common in Finland as in the United States, the stares we received during our destination photoshoot made our session all the more exciting 😉
I definitely used the typical Scandinavian architecture to my advantage–the red wooden building was such a great contrast to Annika & Joni.
While Annika & Joni’s mutual friend takes credit for their coupling, the two had actually known each other for several years before they started dating. Joni plays soccer at the stadium Annika used to work at. I didn’t know how famous Joni was until a woman approached the couple while we were taking photos in front of the Turku library, and asked to take a photograph with Joni! 😉
Aside from bringing the two together, sports play a huge role in Joni & Annika’s life– “We are both athletic, and spend a lot of time outdoors. Annika dances samba and we do a lot of biking.”
The cobble stones, the lush greenery…THE BIKES! I could get used to this……
So what keeps this couple smiling?
“We share the same kind of sense of humor. We are both fans of black comedy. On a daily basis people have a hard time understanding our jokes.”
Our next stop during our Åbo, Finland destination photoshoot was the Domkyrkan also known as Turun Tuomiokirkko, or Turku Cathedral, built in the late 13th century. While originally built from wood, the now stone and brick building is quite the impressive backdrop!
It rained a few short hours before we began our session, and while I had told Annika & Joni we were all done, I couldn’t resist when I saw their reflections in this puddle, as we were waiting to cross the street. And the random guy biking by, sarcastically yelling ‘Oooo, it’s water!!’ while I was bending down to get this shot provided for comic relief that was a perfect ending to our time together!
I had a wonderful time photographing Joni & Annika in Turku, Finland!
Ready to schedule your destination photoshoot or wedding? Send me an e-mail at info@karendphoto.com or call at (805) 400-3289.
