Perhe ja yksivuotiskuvaus Tuomarinkylän kartanolla

Photographing a one-year-old

One is a wonderful and demanding age to photograph. The child is no longer a baby who stays where you put her, but she doesn’t yet understand requests. She moves, investigates, grabs everything, and changes her mind every three seconds.

So I don’t direct a child of this age at all. Instead I find a place where it’s safe for her to do exactly what she wants — and I follow. Every good frame happens in that order: first the child does something, then I photograph it.

Parents usually find this a relief. You don’t need to arrive hoping your child will behave. It’s enough that she’s herself.

The old tree

The manor park was planted in an era when the owner was importing seeds and testing new species from across Europe, Asia and America. Some of those trees are now enormous. One old deciduous tree leaned over at some point, leaving its trunk running almost horizontally above the ground — and it has become the best seat on the property.

That’s where we moved next. Both parents sat on the trunk with their daughter between them, and the canopy filtered the light until the whole frame turned green and soft. You cannot build that light with equipment. You can only find it.

One moment there has stayed with me. Her father lifted her into the air and the laugh that came out was so sudden and so complete that her mother started laughing simply because of the laugh. This happens at many sessions. It has never once been boring.

Slowing down

When a one-year-old gets tired, the session doesn’t end — it changes gear. We spread a blanket on the grass at the foot of the old tree and I let her be on her own for a while.

Those became the photographs her parents will look at longest: a small person sitting alone on a blanket, a red toy car in her hand, entirely absorbed. On the stone steps she tried climbing and decided not yet. The grass tickled. A leaf moved and had to be investigated.

None of this is posed. This is what she was like that summer, at one year old — and that is exactly what disappears fastest. A year from now, nothing of this child will remain except these frames.

Why this location works for families

I recommend Tuomarinkylä Manor especially to families with small children, for practical reasons:

• Plenty of shade. The large old trees give soft light even in the middle of the day — useful when a one-year-old’s schedule doesn’t allow an evening session.
• Everything is close together. The shop building, the park and the paths are within a few dozen metres of each other. Nobody carries a tired toddler half a kilometre to the next spot.
• Variety without travel. Manor architecture, a leafy park and open fields — three completely different moods in one place.
• Something for the child afterwards. There are horses in paddocks on the grounds.
• Parking is close. Pram, snacks and a change of clothes all come along without a struggle.

Planning your session

Mid-July gives the fullest, deepest green — exactly what you see in these images. June is lighter and fresher. August brings warmer light. Late September brings Finnish autumn colour, which is a different story entirely.

With a one-year-old, build the schedule around naps rather than around the clock. The best window is right after they’ve woken up and eaten. Everything else can be arranged around that — including me.

Book a family session

We photograph families in Helsinki, Espoo and Vantaa year-round, and we also work with families visiting Finland. Tell us your children’s ages and roughly when you’d like to shoot, and we’ll suggest a time and let you know what’s worth bringing.