Turku Wedding Photographer Helsinki

Almost 15 years working as a wedding photographer, yet 2025 probably was my best wedding season ever. Never have I ever enjoyed my work as a wedding photographer this much before!

During 2025 I’ve travelled all over Finland, documenting a total of 15 weddings of all shapes and sizes. From amazing celebrations in my hometown Turku, documenting weddings at Manilla, Akateeminen Juhlasali, Airisniemi and many others, to multiple idyllic weddings at Åland Islands and around Helsinki.

The 2026 wedding season is already just about fully booked

… and I have so much to look forward to! I just want to wrap up this splendid year with my regular recap, showcasing some of all the thousands of photos I’ve captured from all celebrations.

—–

If this is your first impression of me and my work, here’s a short introduction

I am Julia, a photographer, based in Turku, Finland. I speak Swedish, Finnish and English and have worked all over Finland and a few times in our neighbouring Nordic countries. I started my company in 2012, when I was in my early 20’s and have more or less worked full time as a photographer ever since.

I am all about imperfection and living your best life without letting norms pressure you to be anyone but your truest self. I welcome and cherish all kinds of different projects and inquiries, but my heart beats a little stronger for anyone who goes their own way while also accepting other people for who they are.

Follow me on Instagram if you want to get to know me, and view this full post of my year as a photographer to get to know my work.

If you like my photography, and my documentary approach that celebrates real moments and emotions, feel free to get in touch if you yourself are looking for a wedding photographer. You can read more about the different wedding packages I offer here: Weddings

Du vet väl att du också hittar hela min hemsida översatt till svenska? Klicka bara här.

Turku Wedding Photographer Helsinki

The post The Story of 2025 | Turku Wedding Photographer first appeared on Turku Wedding Photographer Julia Lillqvist.

My photo story 0f 2024

What a year of joy, truly.

I might never have loved working as a photographer more than in 2024. I’ve had reason to say that a few years in a row now, and it’s such a blessing.

While running your own business always come with challenges, I’m finding that my work as a photographer is just getting easier. I trust my vision and am grateful that so many of you do too. While taking photos of your family or documenting your wedding day I feel at ease, I can truly enjoy myself and I think it shows more and more in my work for each passing year.

This past year’s collection of photos are high in contrast and rich in colour. Photos often taken in between those epic moments, small glimpses of life and love when friends and family come together. I’d like to say that my wedding photos are about more than just the wedding in itself, and my family photos are about more than smiling into the camera. I hope you feel it too.

Filmqvist

Biggest news of 2024 was me and my husband Sebastian forming Filmqvist to be able to offer wedding stories in both photo and film. Working together was so much easier and more fun than I dared to dream, and we are both excited to see that 2025 will bring! You can view the stories we captured at our wedding video portfolio over at our Youtube channel Filmqvist.

Here’s to 2024, and an equally sparkling 2025!

With 9 weddings already booked during the summer of 2025, I only have room for a handful more. You can view available dates in my booking calendar and note that it’s not too soon to inquire about weddings in 2026 as I’ve already booked my first couple of weddings for the summer season. I will open the booking calendar for family sessions in summer of 2025 at the start of February, and you can already sign up to the wait list if you want to be the first to know. Just send me a message to show your interest.

—

Med allt fler finskspråkiga kunder så har jag valt att kommunicera främst på engelska, men du vet väl att hela min hemsida finns översatt till svenska och att du alltid kan kontakta mig på vilket språk du än föredrar (sve/fin/eng). Hör av dig om du letar bröllopsfotograf för 2025/2026 eller vill skriva upp dig på väntelistan för familjefotograferingar 2025. 

If you’re looking for a wedding photographer (or wedding videographer) you can view available dates in my booking calendar

Note that it’s not too soon to inquire about weddings in 2026!

The post Story of 2024 | Turku Photographer first appeared on Turku Wedding Photographer Julia Lillqvist.

2023, the year I got my groove back

(English below)

Under mina snart 12 år som egenföretagare och fotograf har jag gått igenom många olika faser. Jag kan ändå lugnt säga att jag aldrig har njutit så mycket av mitt jobb som jag gör nu! 

2023 har varit året då allt till slut fallit på plats och då jag fått må bra och njuta både av mitt privata liv och av mitt företag. Om jag med hjälp av det österbottniska mottot “tro, hopp och kärlek” ska beskriva mitt liv just så är det: tron på mig själv, hoppet om framtiden och kärleken för all de fina personer jag får ha i mitt liv och möta i mitt arbete är starkare än någonsin.

Efter en pandemi, år av mental ohälsa, och att ännu till ha brutit benet och därför missat en stor del av fotosäsongen förra året, så tar jag inte något av det här för givet. Jag är så tacksam för mitt liv just nu och känner att jag har så mycket att ge!

Därför är jag glad att ha ett jobb som betyder att jag får träffa många olika personer och göra för dem det jag gör bäst: skapa bestående minnen i form av fotografi och konst.

2024 kommer jag fokusera på att bli ännu bättre på det jag gör, för som konstnär är man aldrig fullärd. Jag kommer satsa ännu mera på att göra upplevelsen att bli fotograferad av mig så rolig och givande som möjligt. Jag kommer också erbjuda ännu fler tilläggstjänster som ger er mervärde när ni anlitar mig. Förutom fotografier kommer ni kunna fortsätta beställa utskrifter och fotoböcker direkt från mig, men jag erbjuder nu även personliga illustrationer och andra former av konstverk inspirerade av era lyckligaste minnen.

Min bröllopskalender för 2024 börjar redan vara ganska full och jag har i skrivande stund endast 2, max 3, lediga platser för bröllopsfotograferingar under maj-september 2024. Under vår och höst finns det ännu lediga datum och man vet aldrig hur min kalender förändras så tveka ändå inte att ta kontakt om ni letar efter fotograf!

Min vana troligen vill jag avsluta 2023 med en tillbakablick på ala fina stunder jag fått ta del av i år som bröllopsfotograf och familjefotograf. I jobbet har jag rest runt hela halva Finland och fotograferat i Åbo, Helsingfors, Borgå, Ingå, Åland, Kristinestad, Vasa, Jakobstad… Jag är så tacksam över förtroendet jag fått och ser så mycket fram emot allt vad 2024 kommer föra med sig!

—-

After the pandemic, and then breaking my leg making me miss most of the 2022 season, I was so excited to get back to photography at the start of 2023. And what a season I got!

Travelling all over Finland, from Turku to Helsinki, Porvoo, Vaasa, Kristinestad, Åland Islands… I got to see some of the best places Finland has to offer, and meet some of the best people. Going through the photos from all the sessions I’ve done wasn’t a small task, but revisiting these happy moments gave me so much. I want to thank all the people that have invited me into their lives this year and say that I am so grateful for your trust. My 2024 calendar is already filling up and I couldn’t be more excited! I only have 2-3 more spots for weddings May-September so write to me as soon as you can if you’re looking for a wedding photographer. I am in a really good place both in my personal life and in my business and feel like I have so much to give. I would love nothing more than to create stories and photos with and for you!

Om du drömmer om ett lika vackert och avslappnat bröllop så är jag fotografen för dig.
Läs mera om de bröllopspaket jag erbjuder och skicka ett meddelande för att kolla om ert datum ännu är ledigt.

Följ mitt fotografi på Instagram, Tiktok & Pinterest.

valokuvaaja Turku fotograf

The post Story of 2023 | Valokuvaaja Turku Fotograf Julia Lillqvist first appeared on Turku Wedding Photographer Julia Lillqvist.

The post The Story of 2022 first appeared on Turku Wedding Photographer Julia Lillqvist.

Photography has been a big part of my life since my early teens, and while I never had any interest in running my own business, I am proud of how much I’ve learned over the past decade.

Especially considering the past two years, when the pandemic reeked havoc on all our lives, I am frankly amazed that I’ve made it this far. At times it has felt like too big of a responsibility and the pressure I’ve put on myself has felt overwhelming. Even when I have  questioned if it’s worth it, I’ve never thought about giving up my storytelling.

Looking through the stories I’ve told during the past decade I feel so humbled and proud. I can’t believe close to 100 wedding couples have trusted me during their big day, and that my work has taken me to countless cities in 4 different countries.

I owe so many people such huge thanks for where I am today, but I also want to take this moment to celebrate my own progress. I am proud of the work I’ve done and with this post I want to show you my journey. These are some my favorite photographs from the past 10 years. I hope this story translates how much this work means to me and how thankful I am for every person who has invited me to get a peek into their lives.

The post 10 years as a photographer first appeared on Turku Wedding Photographer Julia Lillqvist.

Second year of pandemic, spending my entire vacation renovating our new home, starting therapy and medication, a new part time job. 2021 came with many challenges. Truth be told I have never before been so close to giving up my photography.

It’s easy getting lost in the struggle of running a business when there’s so much uncertainty, so many curveballs, so much disappointment. The past two years have been rough and still there’s no telling what’s to come.

Looking through the memories from last year I see it though. I see hope, I see joy, I see life. All the things that so many of us have been missing for two years.

Photography helps me remember that there’s always room for joy, and that’s probably why I keep going. Why I feel I have yet more to give, more moments to capture, more people to meet and celebrate. I’m entering my 10th year as a business owner, and I’m not giving up. I have a look at my calendar and am thankful for the weddings I get to look forward to, and the family and other portrait sessions I know I’ll get to sprinkle in between. If this was 2021, just imagine what 2022 can bring.

___

I am fully booked for weddings in summer of 2022, but have a couple of open dates in the fall. If you’re interested in a family session with me, you can sign up to the wait list and you’ll be the first to know when the calendar opens in March. Just send me an email at info@julialilqlvist.com and we’ll find the joy in 2022.

My calendar for 2022 is fillin up fast so if you want me to document your life and loved ones, get in touch. 

The post The Story of 2021 first appeared on Turku Wedding Photographer Julia Lillqvist.

Just writing that title made me laugh since it’s obviously impossible to summarize this year into a single blog post. I won’t even try. I will however, do what I usually do, and that is look back at the sessions I’ve done during the year and share my favorite photos.

These photos now feel more important than ever, since they’re a clear reminder of the happy moments of this trying year. They clearly show that there’s always room for joy, even in 2020.

I want to say a big thank you to all the people I got to meet this year. Looking back at the celebrations I got to attend, the happy memories feel all the more important as I also clearly remember how many hurdles were in the way. While 2021 is still an open book I am thankful for the weddings I’ve booked and cling to hope that they will be held as planned. If you’re looking for a photographer for your wedding in 2021, know that I have 7 spots left for the entire year, and that you can send me a message with any questions you might have and we’ll sort it out together.

While postponed celebrations left my calendar wide open, I was glad to have the chance to fill these spaces with family sessions this year. Being invited into these families lives and homes for a day was such a joy and I now look forward to many more of these documentary family sessions next year. Booking calendar for family sessions in 2021 will open in February, and as I’ll have a limited spots for the year, you can put your name on my waiting list so that you’ll be the first to know when the calendar opens. Just send me a message and I’ll add you to the list. Entering is not binding, it only me means I’ll send you an email with details family sessions so you’ll be first in line with the chance to book once the calendar opens.

With all that has happened in the past year, you can’t know what to expect from the next, but after being reminded by all these happy memories I feel hopeful and open to anything that’s to come. Thank you for your support this year and hopefully we’ll see each other in the next. 

I am currently booking weddings for 2021 (7 spots left for the entire year) and you can sign up to the waiting list to be the first to know when the booking calendar for family sessions in 2021 opens. Just send me a message.

The post The story of 2020 first appeared on Turku Wedding Photographer Julia Lillqvist.

After a year that has taken me far outside my comfort zone as I’ve ventured into an entirely new creative field, I want to make this post a simple, yet big, thank you to all the people who has supported me and my art in 2019.

If you follow my instagram you know that I have spend the last year exploring, as I’ve expanded my creative work into textile and embroidery art. I haven’t written about it here since I want to keep this portfolio only for photography, and truth be told I still don’t know how I am to combine these two passions of mine. That there a people who follow and support both my photography and my embroidery makes me trust I will find the missing link if I just keep going, so that’s what I’ll do. Even if there’s a lot of uncertainty I can already say however, that my experiments in other creative mediums has only strengthened my first love, photography.

Going through the wedding stories I created in 2019 fills me with a calm and humble joy. Having worked on deepening the art and craft of wedding photography for 10 years now, I am overjoyed by the fact that telling the stories of others still feels inspiring and important, a work that I am excited to continue in the years to come.

As for 2019, I think I got the best of it since I between full day wedding days had enough time to rest so I could go into every day giving it my all. The people I got to meet and the trust they had in me made my work pure joy. I travelled all over the coast, documented colorful celebrations in Ostrobothnia, sunny days in my hometown Turku, and unforgettable days in Helsinki and Mariehamn.

I am excited to give this whirlwind of a job yet another go in 2020, knowing I now have 10 years of experience, plus a load of new inspiration to carry me.

***

If you or someone you know are planning a celebration in 2020 or 2021, send me a message and I’ll get back to you with my updates wedding packages as well as an offer. I know my couples usually value ordering extra portraits and prints, so that’s exactly what I will be giving you for free if you book within January. Simply get in touch and I’ll tell you more.

I still have a couple of dates open for weddings in 2020 and am also now booking for 2021, so if you’re curious about having your story told by me, send me a message. In January I also have an offer, giving what people usually ask for (and pay extra for); a portrait package, free of charge. Simply get in touch and I’ll tell you more.

If you have any questions you can hopefully find the answers in my FAQ, or by reading an excerpt from the information package I offer all the couples I work with.

The post The story of 2019 first appeared on Turku Wedding Photographer Julia Lillqvist.

I’m sorry, but there’s just no way I can get the story of 2018 down to a reasonable blog post length. These twelve months, and equally many weddings, have truly felt as overwhelming as the selection (!) of photos in this post. This post, like the past year, is not for those faint of heart.

The story of my 2018 is not one fit for a blog because despite the excruciating pain of loss and sorrow I’ve experienced this past year there is no way I would ever take away any part of it. Especially not one kitten, sheep, loving couple, kid, hen, cow or dog – so I just threw them all in here.

This post in all it’s overwhelming glory is probably the best answer I could give of how it is to work as a documentary photographer. These are the people, moments and places I carry around with me, sometimes making my mind feel like it’s crumbling under the heavy load of all the memories I want to hold onto. Still, as already mentioned, I wouldn’t give up any of it.

Dive in on your own risk and take see how far you come. I promise to be better at sharing stories during the year to come, because all of these people obviously deserve one of their own. I’m just flabbergasted as usual by how much every person one meets carry with them and what a privilege it is to be the one honored with documenting all of it. I mean all of it, I haven’t left out the father of the bride dressed out as Gandalf, the barefoot Kenyan dance lesson under the blood moon or the hilarious kids making my job a pure joy.

Thank you. You give me more than I can process in a year and I’ll carry all of you with me into the next. 

The post The Story of 2018 first appeared on Turku Wedding Photographer Julia Lillqvist.