Kaisa Peltomäki Photography

18/06/2026

The success of a Great Grey Owl season often depends on an animal most photographers never think about.

The vole.

When vole numbers are high, owls may breed successfully and raise large broods. When vole populations crash, owl numbers and behaviour can change dramatically.

Many of the wildlife experiences photographers dream about begin long before anyone picks up a camera. Sometimes the story starts with a small rodent hidden beneath the grass or snow.

17/06/2026

One of the biggest misconceptions about wildlife photography is that finding the animal is the difficult part.

Often it isn't.

The real challenge is finding the animal in a situation where photography is possible, ethical, and visually rewarding. A Great Grey Owl sitting deep in a nest box may be exciting for a birder, but it does not automatically create a photograph.

Not all sites that are excellent for birdwatching are equally suitable for bird photography.

16/06/2026

Great Grey Owl photography is one of Finland's most sought-after wildlife experiences. What many photographers don't realise is how much depends on food conditions, snow conditions, owl behaviour, and simple luck. Here's why we choose realism over guarantees.

Great Grey Owl photography depends on food conditions, nesting success, and owl behaviour. Discover why no responsible operator can guarantee owl photography every year.

09/06/2026

Not all wildlife photography hides offer the same experience. Comfort, heating, facilities and even transportation can vary far more than many visitors expect. In this article, I look at some of the practical details that are easy to overlook when planning a hide photography trip in Finland.

Read the full blog post - Link in BIO

Learn how wildlife photography hides differ in comfort, facilities and pricing, and what practical details matter before booking a hide in Finland.

03/06/2026

I've published a new article on the blog about summer wildlife photography in Finland. Summer is the peak season for photographing bears, wolverines and wolves, with long northern nights, active wildlife and constantly changing light. Take a look if you're interested in photographing Finland's large carnivores.

Summer is the peak season for bear, wolverine and wolf photography in Finland, with long nights, active wildlife and unique northern light.

30/05/2026

Ruff Break 2026 - Another morning was also sunny and beautiful.

When bird activity is lower than usual, photography becomes even more about concentration. During the quiet moments it is very easy to open your phone and start scrolling social media — and often that is exactly when something suddenly happens in front of the hide.

Besides the ruffs, we also had Eurasian Curlew, Black-tailed Godwit, Wood Sandpiper, White Wagtail and Reed Bunting visiting the area in front of the hides. The Black-tailed Godwit was aggressively defending its territory, and one male Ruff even became brave enough to fight back against the much larger bird.

If you would like to read more about our trip, have a look at my latest blog post.

28/05/2026

Ruff Break 2026

The second evening was bright and sunny, with beautiful backlight in front of the hides. It is the kind of light that really challenges the photographer. Finding the right exposure directly into the light is not always easy, but when it works, the images can become very rewarding.

26/05/2026

A new blog post is now online.

A realistic look behind this year’s Ruff Break 2026 tour — long days in the hides - see what kind of photographs we managed to make during the trip.

Have a look at how the tour went this year.

Link in comments 👇

25/05/2026

Ruff Break 2026 - second day of the tour - morning.

Ruff Break is a demanding trip.

On clear evenings we stay in the hide until sunset, which means getting back to the hotel around 23:30. Then we leave again already at 03:00 to make it back to the hide before sunrise.

So the nights become very short during the trip. Luckily there is usually time to sleep a bit during the day.

If you are looking for a calm and relaxing photography holiday, this is probably not the right trip for you 😄

24/05/2026

A week ago I was guiding the Ruff Break 2026 photography tour.

The schedule during the trip is quite intensive, so I did not really have the energy to process images while we were there. But as usually, I want to honestly show what kind of images came out of the trip — so people get a realistic idea of what kind of photographs it is possible to make during these tours.

The first evening was sunny and calm. The day had been unusually warm for the season. There were ruffs, although of course there could always have been more. The lek activity was also quieter than I had hoped. So not the best day at the hides.

Still, even if the birds were not especially active, I feel we managed to make quite a nice collection of images during the evening.