PROFILE

Susanna Hynynen – Radiating love and light

A baby swaddled in an orange fabric held by the mother.

In Buddhist tradition, an orange robe symbolises the flame that radiates light. It is easy to see how new-borns carry a light, an inherent purity and goodness within them, which may be why pictures of babies are universally touching.

Finnish photographer Susanna Hynynen specialises in touching family and baby portraits that have an intimate atmosphere. She captures delicate moments between parents and their children that seem private and personal, magically omitting the presence of the photographer and the studio.

Susanna first fell in love with photography 10 years ago, when she started studying audio-visual communications. “I remember the day like it was yesterday! The very first time I touched an DSLR camera, the first lessons and how it all blew my mind,” she recalls.

Being a professional photographer is a dream come true for Susanna: not only does it make her happy, but the work is meaningful also to her customers. While she feels privileged to be able make a career out of family portraits, it also proves how far passion and a courage to pursue your dream can carry.

Susanna’s photographic style is slightly bohemian and highly sensitive. She explains that her goal is to evoke emotions: “I want to capture precious, once-in-a-lifetime moments, that my customers and their families can look back on and treasure forever.”

Susanna says photographing children and babies requires a lot of passion, playfulness and confidence, as they are not always the easiest of clientele. She believes that having children of her own has made her a better photographer in many ways.

While serving as a great source of inspiration, her own sons also make her more aware of how fast time flies. “I think my appreciation and understanding of children has grown a lot though my own children. They have also increased my understanding of the importance these images have for my customers, which makes me push for perfection that much harder,” she explains.

Susanna Emilia Hynynen, portrait photographer
Susanna Emilia Hynynen, 33
Finland
Portrait photographer

Facebook: SusannaHynynenPhotography
Instagram: @susannahynynenphotography

Susanna’s dream shot includes a lot of emotions and features the special bond between children and their parents: “It is just the best feeling in the world when families, especially kids, truly feel comfortable and start to love being in front of the camera.”

Susanna names Anne Geddes, known for fantastical nature-inspired baby portraiture, as her idol. “Anne’s pictures are so unique, and her style is very inspiring to me,” Susanna explains, “Her work shows how much she loves babies and the fragility of them!” Another reason to admire Geddes is the work she has done with the non-profit March of Dimes to promote the health and well-being of mothers and babies. Not only do her images delight the world she’s making a real difference societally. That’s certainly something we should all strive to achieve.

Susanna’s kitbag

Susanna’s favourite kit contains Canon EOS R and EOS R6, RF 50mm F1.2L USM, RF 35mm F1.8 MACRO IS STM, batteries, memory cards and a laptop.

Susanna Hynynen’s kit contains a Canon camera, lenses and accessories.