Kaisa Peltomäki is a Finnish wildlife photographer, OM SYSTEM Ambassador, and managing director & co-owner of Finnature, a travel company specialised in wildlife photography tours.

Working in Finland means working with seasons that shape both nature and photography in very concrete ways. Light, snow, temperature, and timing decide what is possible — and often what is not. Learning to observe these limits has become central to how I work..

Most of my time is spent observing rather than photographing. Waiting, watching, and learning how animals move through familiar places is as important as the moments when the camera is actually in use. Not every encounter becomes an image, and not every day in the field produces a result — but all of it builds understanding.

My work focuses on birds and wildlife in their natural environment, often from hides, always on the animals’ terms. I am especially interested in seasonal change: how light returns in spring, how behaviour shifts, and how timing matters more than control.

While behaviour-based images and rare moments can be fascinating, my own approach to wildlife photography leans more towards visual expression than documentation alone. I see photography primarily as a form of visual art, not just an extension of biology — although at its best, it can certainly be both.

I am often more interested in creating strong images of familiar species under good conditions than in chasing rarity or unusual behaviour at the expense of light, composition, or atmosphere. For me, the quality of seeing matters more than the novelty of the subject.

Alongside my own photography, I have co-owned Finnature together with my husband, Jari Peltomäki, since 2015, working full-time in nature tourism through a travel company specialised in wildlife photography and birdwatching tours in Finland and abroad. That work has shaped how I see both wildlife and photography — through patience, repetition, and long-term observation rather than quick results.

This blog is a place to write about those experiences. It is not a portfolio, and it is not a guide. It is a record of observations from the field — of what happens, what doesn’t, and what can be learned in between.