MAGIC WINTER WONDERLAND: LAPLAND
TIINA TÖRMÄNEN
Winter wonders abound in Lapland, Finland. And while magical snowy landscapes under aurora-colored starry skies are a clarion call to a range of photographers aiming to capture their beauty, Tiina Törmänen’s photos are in a league of their own.
Born and raised in Lapland, Törmänen has a special connection and intimate knowledge of this sparkling wonderland. Her spectacular photos of these luminous landscapes show off their unique forms, colors, texture and life.
In Lapland, everywhere you look you find another beautiful thing. The absence of light and air pollution helps it to really shine.
Everything is blanketed in thick layers of snow and ice.
The aurora borealis undulates in trippy colors and shapes across the sky.
Wild reindeer roam, searching for dinner, through icy evergreen forests, while others pulls sleds across the tundra.
Frozen waterfalls form sculptures of remarkable form.
Cozy cabins peek out from soft snowdrifts. Icicles decorate everything, it seems.
While Törmänen has a clear affinity and talent for nature photography, she came to it late. Growing up in Lapland, she took its beauty for granted.
It was only after she moved away to Helsinki, with its urban bustle, that she began to understand and appreciate the beauty of her homeland.
“You know when you are born and raised somewhere, your surroundings are normal and you don’t even think about them, you just take it all for granted,” she explains. “But after spending 15 years in the southern cities, I saw the North in a different light and was even more blown away about the beauty of what we have here.”
Törmänen wanted to study art and photography, and tried for years to gain entry to art schools, only to meet rejection every time. She was not deterred. “I never lost my passion for photography, I just kept shooting,” she says.
“It has been long journey,” Törmänen admits, “but once you follow your passion it will lead you somewhere beautiful in the end.”
Read more about Winter Wonder all this week on BeautifulNow. And check out more beautiful things happening now in BN Wellness, Impact, Nature/Science, Food, Arts/Design, and Travel, Daily Fix posts.
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