Spending time in the forest makes me happy and calm

2 May 2022 Forests in photos

Our photo of the month is ‘Misty Sunrise’, taken by Jari Romppainen, a runner-up in our 2021 PEFC Photo Contest, on the Simojoki River in Ranua, Finland. Jari tells us more about his photo, and how the forest has always been part of his life, giving him unforgettable memories.

How do you feel about forests, both professionally and personally?

I love forests, of course. I've spent lot of time in forests in Lapland since I learnt to walk. I live in Southern Finnish Lapland, so there are lots of forests around us.

Already as a kid, I enjoyed many things in the forest. I earned money from my hobby of picking berries. I picked 120 kilograms of cloudberries when I was ten – that’s still my record! I'm also a keen fisherman, and my dad taught me hunting.

Through photography, I got to know a simpler way to enjoy the forest. Spending time in the forest makes me happy and calm. I often take my camera with me, and it doesn't feel like work. Forests are amazing places to take great pictures, as they change, depending on the season. 

Here in Finland, the four seasons and the variable light are great friends of us photographers. Northern lights and the full moon in a winter wonderland gives you possibilities you can't find everywhere.

How did the forest inspire you to take your winning photo?

Forests are a very important part of nature. When I go to the forest, I'm looking for things that make my pictures interesting. Rivers, ponds, lakes and mountains are the best places for taking nice photos.

It's very important to also have trees in the pictures. You can't find any photos without trees in my gallery. I'm always in the forest when I'm taking nature photos. Forests always inspire me. They are the most important part of my work as a nature photographer, but also when I shoot, for example, marketing photos.

What do you think about the work that an organization such as PEFC does to care for forests?

I think it's very important to safeguard the versatility of nature. I really like that many big companies are thinking about their responsibility for nature. It's very important that there are many different organizations working on those things, because together we can make the future of our planet better.