Photography is almost like therapy; it lets me forget everything else.
Kasper Rajasuo
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Kasper Rajasuo didn’t grow up dreaming of becoming a photographer.
The whole thing started in a pretty ordinary way: a quiet afternoon, a walk in the woods, and a cousin who happened to bring a camera along.
Kasper was about fourteen at the time, visiting family for the week. At some point, his cousin suggested they head out to the nearby forest to take a few photos. Kasper tagged along mostly out of curiosity – and because, well, there wasn’t much else to do. But something unexpected happened during that walk. His cousin would take a photo, turn the camera around, and show him the result.
And suddenly the forest looked different. Kasper started pointing things out. What about that tree? What would that look like in a photo?
By the end of the evening, the curiosity had already taken hold.
When he got home, he grabbed his mom’s old camera and started photographing anything he could find. Forest paths. City streets at night. Long exposures of car lights. None of it was perfect, but that wasn’t really the point. He was figuring things out as he went, like many photographers do, one experiment at a time.
Today, Kasper’s work has a very recognizable feel to it. Snow-covered forests, soft mist hanging in the trees, cabins glowing warm against the cold landscape. His images often feel remote and cinematic, even though many of the locations are surprisingly close to home. In Finland, you can drive half an hour from a city and suddenly find yourself surrounded by quiet forest. That closeness to nature has shaped the way he sees the world, and the way he photographs it.
But this conversation goes well beyond gear or editing techniques.
Kasper talks openly about what it’s like trying to build a photography career while still figuring out your place in the industry. We get into the challenges of working with brands, the frustration of feeling underappreciated for your work, and the strange balance between loving photography and navigating the business side of it.
He also shares something much more personal: the difficult year he’s been through after losing his mother. During that time, photography became less about building a career and more about something simpler, a reason to step outside, clear his head, and just be present for a while.
There’s a lot of honesty in this conversation. And a lot of reflection, too.
Here’s some of what we get into:
- The random forest walk with his cousin that unexpectedly sparked his photography journey
- Why Finland’s quiet forests and harsh winters shape the mood of his images
- The reality of trying to make a living with outdoor and product photography
- How photography became a kind of therapy during a very difficult year
- Why experimenting with different genres might be the next step in his creative journey
- The lesson he’s still learning today: slowing down and letting opportunities come naturally
Kasper is still early in his photography career, but there’s something refreshing about the way he approaches it. No big master plan. No pretending to have everything figured out.
Just curiosity, persistence, and a deep appreciation for the quiet moments you find in nature.
And sometimes, that’s exactly where the best photographs begin.
Q: What do you personally enjoy most about being out in the woods with a camera?
Kasper: Photography is the thing I enjoy doing the most. It’s almost like therapy for me. When I go out, I can leave all the stress from normal life behind and just focus on what’s in front of me. Being in nature lets me stay present and do something I truly love, and that simplicity is really powerful.
Q: When you were learning photography, did you go to any kind of schooling or was it something you learned on your own?
Kasper: No, I didn’t go to school for photography. I watched a few videos because I was confused about the manual settings at first, but most of it was just figuring things out on my own. My cousin helped me when I had questions, but probably 90% of the learning came from experimenting. I actually think that’s a great way to start because you move at your own pace and really get to know your camera.
Q: What do you want people to feel when they see your images?
Kasper: I want people to feel appreciation for nature. I think we’re slowly destroying it, and I want my photos to remind people of what we’re losing. At the same time, I want viewers to feel calm when they look at my images, like they can relax for a moment. If someone has had a rough day and my photo makes them feel a little more peaceful, that means a lot to me.
🔗 Connect with Kasper Rajasuo
🧭 What We Talked About
🎼 Early Journey / Origins
- Kasper grew up in Pieksämäki, a small town in central Finland surrounded by forests and farmland. Time spent at his grandparents’ farm, picking berries and exploring nearby woods, helped build his early connection with nature.
- His photography journey began in 2018 at age 14 when a visit with his cousin unexpectedly sparked his interest in photography.
- During a walk in the woods, his cousin began taking photos and showing them to him on the camera screen. Seeing how ordinary scenes transformed through the lens immediately fascinated him.
- That same evening, Kasper was already thinking like a photographer, pointing out trees and landscapes and asking how they might look in a photo.
- When he returned home, he started shooting with his mother’s Sony a5000 camera, photographing anything he could while learning the basics.
- Not long after, he bought his own camera, a Nikon D7000, marking the moment photography became a serious creative pursuit.
📖 Philosophy / Vision / Storytelling
- For Kasper, photography is closely tied to escaping everyday stress and reconnecting with nature. Being outdoors allows him to focus on simple things and clear his mind.
- He often describes photography as therapy, helping him stay present and grounded while working in quiet natural environments.
- His images aim to evoke calm, reflection, and mood, even when they are taken in harsh winter landscapes or remote forests.
- At the same time, he hopes viewers will recognize the importance of protecting nature, remembering what is at stake as environments continue to change.
- His work emphasizes authenticity, avoiding heavy manipulation or compositing and focusing instead on natural moments and realistic edits.
📷 Tools, Gear, and Behind the Scenes
- One of Kasper’s earliest photographic interests was long exposure photography, especially shooting light trails from cars at night in the city.
- Experimenting with these techniques helped him understand manual settings and how exposure works.
- His visual style gradually developed into a recognizable look defined by moody lighting, strong contrast, and cinematic atmosphere.
- He keeps editing simple and natural, focusing mostly on color grading, contrast, and selective adjustments rather than heavy manipulation.
- When editing, he often enhances the subject using masks; For example, making a red cabin stand out against a snowy forest to guide the viewer’s eye.
- Weather plays a central role in planning his shoots. He first studies the forecast and then selects locations that will best match those conditions.
- One example he shared was photographing near flowing water during –30°C temperatures, where rising mist and sunrise light created dramatic conditions.
🔁 Practice, Community, and Creative Process
- Kasper is largely self-taught, learning through experimentation, YouTube tutorials, and occasional guidance from his cousin.
- Connecting with other photographers has recently become an important part of his growth and motivation.
- Collaborative projects with fellow photographers helped him realize that creative partnerships often lead to opportunities and ideas he wouldn’t have discovered alone.
- Although he originally considered himself very introverted, photography helped him become more comfortable reaching out and building friendships within the photography community.
- Revisiting familiar locations in different seasons also plays a big role in his process, since landscapes change dramatically throughout the year.
💬 Advice, Growth, and Challenges
- One of Kasper’s biggest current challenges is navigating the business side of photography, particularly when working with brands or commercial projects.
- He has learned that even when photographers put their full energy into a project, the appreciation or compensation doesn’t always match the effort.
- Photography has also helped him through personal hardship, becoming an important creative outlet during difficult moments in life.
- His biggest advice for beginners is simple: don’t obsess over gear.
- The most important thing when starting is learning how to see light, understand composition, and practice consistently.
- Cameras are simply tools, and beginners should choose whatever gear they can afford while focusing on developing their creative eye.
🌍 Influences, People, and Places
- Konsta Punkka is one of the first photographers who inspired Kasper, particularly through his wildlife photography and large online presence.
- Peter McKinnon also played a role in his early development, especially through educational YouTube videos that helped explain camera techniques.
- The forests and winter landscapes of Finland remain his primary creative environment and the foundation of his visual style.
- Traveling to places like Norway has also expanded his perspective, exposing him to dramatically different landscapes and photographic challenges.
🔮 What’s Next for Kasper
- Kasper is currently focused on finding balance and personal peace while continuing to grow creatively.
- In the coming years he hopes to experiment with new genres including festivals, events, portraits, cars, and outdoor lifestyle photography.
- He also wants to incorporate more camping and outdoor storytelling into his work, combining his love of nature with documentary-style photography.
- Travel will remain an important part of his future projects, with plans to explore more of Europe and continue building his portfolio internationally.
- Above all, Kasper hopes to stay curious, keep learning, and continue evolving as both a photographer and a person.
