Saturday, December 24, 2016

MERRY CHRISTMAS


WREATH LOVE

Time for peace and tranquility. A present for a dear friend.


Filling your soul with beauty. Nourishing your body with delicacies.


Memories to remember.

Dearest and beloved ones around.
 

"It's Christmas time, and there's no need to be afraid
At Christmas time, we let in light and banish shade
And in our world of plenty, we can spread a smile of joy
Throw your arms around the world at Christmas time."


Band Aid 1984
Songwriters
Bob Geldof, Midge Ure



Merry Christmas!

xoxo
Kreetta

Tuesday, December 20, 2016

BEHIND THE SCENES - SHOOTING FOOD

MY STORY


Have you ever thought how to make a perfect food pic? I have. Over ten years ago I learned from the best. I was assistant to talented food and commercial photographer Juha-Pekka Laakio during years 2004-2006. It all began there with food.

food photography photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com

From the year 2006 I made a career as a in house photographer in big publishing house till the year 2014. I made a lot of people photography but I made also food, lifestyle, car, fashion, medicine - you name it - photography during those years. You can find the best of it in my portfolio. We had Finnish big customers like Fazer, VR, Alko, Osuuspankki, S-ryhmä, Volvo, Yliopiston Apteekki and many more.

food photography photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com

In Autumn 2014 I started a career as an independent professional photographer. About two years ago.

food photography photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com

And here I am. I'm focused on food, flowers, lifestyle not forgetting people either. I also can concentrate more to painting and ceramics. I have my own workspace with such a lovely group of people. We have great co-work with talented cook and author Meri-Tuuli Lindström, she is one of my workspace colleagues. We just published a cooking book Pataruokaa - A Book of Stews in English it would be. She is an excellent food stylist, I have to say. Lucky to work with her.

For me our cooking book Pataruokaa came with perfect timing. My mom had just passed away suddenly in the very beginning of this year so luckily we had our book project mainly during winter and spring when I had the most difficult time of my life. I'm so proud of us and expecially the result - the book. First print run is sold out in November so we are going with second at the moment. It has received very good reviews. I'm very grateful of all the lovely feedback.

flower photography photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com

At the workspace - we call it Työhuone ovi 10 - the light is magical and I think the place has a very special feng shui - if you know what I mean and I love to share it with my customers and fellow colleagues.

This autumn I've been organizing flower workshops there and people have had a lovely relaxing moments with beautiful flowers, photography and good food. Students have made so many beautiful flower arrangements and then we have photographed them. You can find a lot of pics from the workshops by following hashtag #kukkaworkshop in Instagram. Planning to continue with workshops next year but thinking a next level - more learning possibilities and more talking about creative work. That means smaller groups with flowers, food and photography. Here you can find a blog post about this autumn's flower workshop.

food photography photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com

I've been telling you a bit of my history as a photographer and about my past year and same time you have been watching the pics from one of the lovely photoshoots during this year I made with Meri-Tuuli. It is part of a huge project we made for keksihylly.fi. It has been a great joy. Meri-Tuuli made recipes and styled the food and I photographed it but before that I planned and collected the props and made backrounds and styled flowers. See the whole pic here. We always try to make our best for customers with unique style. With handmade props and backrounds it's possible with a good taste of style and food styling perfection.

food photography photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com

Last pic is totally behind the scenes. There are never enough words how creative mind works. Usually you don't receive the words at all and you can only see the result - the photo or what ever the creative goal is. Actually that is how it should be - the final work should work without any explaning words. 

I hope you have enjoyed the story and the pics. I wish you a Merry Merry Christmas! 

xoxo
Kreetta

ps. Next post is about - wreaths :0 of course!


Saturday, November 12, 2016

FLOWER PHOTOGRAPHY

UPDATING PORTFOLIO

flower arrangement and photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com


During the last two years I've been photographing more and more flowers. I've always loved flowers but somehow woke up and decided to go more that direction. First I started with natural flowers during summer 2014. Played a bit more during summer 2015. I've made ceramic flower frogs and used them with flowers and my blogger friend Igor Josif from the blog Happy Interior blog also blogged about my frogs last year before X-mas. You can find plenty of flowers in my blog very easily.  

Because I want to learn more I decided to do something about it. I have started to organize flower workshops this autumn. I have talented florist Hanna Piippo teaching the flower arrangement and I am teaching and helping students to take a good photo of their arrangement. When people takes the arrangement home it might not be in same condition anymore. A lot of people have only iPhone or other smartphone but you can make quite nice pic with phone too. The light and location just have to be very well chosen and light have to be quite soft.  

flower arrangement and photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com


When you are making a flower arrangement it depends on the purpose how you should make it. For example if you only take a photo of it, you don't have to make it look good from every angle. You can cheat a bit but it is always good thing to keep in mind that you don't learn if you cheat. If you make it as a table decoration then you really have to think that it looks good from every angle. If the arrangement is in front of a wall you can also cheat a bit and not to use so many flowers in backside I think. So it is important to think where and how you are going to use your flower arrangement. Of course it is always better if you make it look good from every angle. Then you have alternatives how you want to show it. I made this arrangement to look good from both sides. It is my first one (I can show you) and managed to do so but this is very much learning by doing. Actually I like the second side (the first pic) better than the first side I made first. 

These photos I updated my portfolio. There are other flower photos too and you can find them all here.

Next weekend we are going to have Christmas flower workshop. It is already fully booked but you can follow how I build the photography backround and props for it in my Instagram @kreettakreetta and of course there will be #instastories and pics from the workshop too.

I hope  you a very calm and lovely weekend !

xoxo
Kreetta

Sunday, October 23, 2016

COOKING FROM PATARUOKAA BOOK

COTTAGE WEEKEND

cottage weekend photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com
Weekend at the cottage was pure slow living. Finnish cottages are often very basic. This time - no running water in the kitchen. The cottage was very old house where we could enjoy of fireplace in the kitchen. Such a cosy feeling it made for us. I was so happy that finally we had time to begin to cook from the book I have made with Meri-Tuuli Lindström. The book is called Pataruokaa, A Book of Stews. Stews are THE best on a cold autumn evening in the middle of nature in the candle light.

cottage weekend photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com
We made two stews during our stay in the cottage. Here you can see roasted Jerusalem artichokes. We made lentil stew with Jerusalem artichokes. We made also very hearty stew - chorizo beef stew. They were both so good.

cottage weekend photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com
 Our little Haruki also enjoyed the stay and she was very interested about the birds :)

cottage weekend photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com
Chorizo beef stew was made with tomatos. It took 4 hours to cook and worth to wait, I have to say. The meat was so tender. I ate it again next day with bread and it was so lovely. Rich and thick taste.  It's easy to imagine that after a very cold day outdooring this kind of food is heaven.

cottage weekend photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com
We are having grey days and the light is vanishing very early. I love the greyness I have to admit. I've learnt to love every season. It makes life very rich because every season has a very special atmosphere. After warm summer it's great to enjoy the darkness, candle light and warm woolly socks on the cosy sofa.

cottage weekend photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com
This is not my knitting work, it's my husbands. Yes, I have my camera and my husband has his knitting.

cottage weekend photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com
I've been thinking to photograph birches...so long time. But every time when I see a very good birch forest we are driving somewhere and we just don't stop only for photographing except today. Gorgeous burnt orange color from the leaves behind the birches.

cottage weekend photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com
 I admit. I took my own table cloth and two plates with us to cottage because I knew I wanted to photograph the food we make and you can't do it with ugly plates, can you?

cottage weekend photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com
We also brought with us these preserved pears and made delicious dessert from them. These ones are actually Finnish pears. We are going to make them again. They are in season now so have to be quick. They say also that we are going to have snow fall next week. I guess winter is knocking on our door. 

xoxo
Kreetta


Saturday, October 15, 2016

KUKKA WORKSHOP

ARTIFICIAL LIGHT - CAN YOU USE IT WHEN PHOTOGRAPHING FLOWERS?

flower workshop photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com

Familiar things. Comfort zone. For me going after artificial light with flowers was a big big question mark. For me flower photography has been all about natural light. But as I live in north - Finland - we really don't have much of the light during November, December or January either and I have to photograph then too. Yesterday we had the flower workshop at our workspace in the evening so I needed to try other options than natural light. I rented led light and here you can see the results.

flower workshop photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com

Not bad. But not exactly the same at all. All these things are matter of the taste for sure. Many times there are not enough natural light or you really have to think where and when to photograph. With artificial light you are not depending at all from the giant big lamp above us. But still...

flower workshop photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com

For us in kukka workshop it is important that people get a pic of their work before they leave the workshop. That is because of many reasons but the one is that the arrangement might not survive in it's beauty to student's home door.

flower workshop photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com

It's also important to document the arrangement that you can get back to it and see how you develope your skills. By comparing pics of the flower arrangements together - it's easy to see. You don't need any high end camera. With this light you can shoot with smart phone too...ok, it's pro photography light and too expensive in home use and some troubles always with smart phones with right exposure but you can do it!

flower workshop photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com

I just love to see student's work so it's very helpful to use certain hashtags and they are much easier to find like we use #kukkaworkshop

flower workshop photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com
Beautiful textures, tones, lines, scents, colors, shapes, thickness, airiness, diagonals, contrasts and many more. When making a flower arrangement you are like an artist who just happen to paint with flowers. Sounds tempting? For me? Yeah!

Next flower workshops will be on 19-20th of November during the weekend and they are all about Christmas. We will be at Työhuone ovi 10 and we will use natural light as much it is possible.  So if you are planning to use camera take your tripod if you have one. I will make a biggest ever background for you with different shades of white. More information here in FB event.

Teachers: Florist Hanna Piippo @piippohanna Photographer and Artist Kreetta Järvenpää @kreettakreetta  Food: Health Coach Maia Söderlund @maiasgreenmedicine

Any questions?

See you there!

xoxo
Kreetta

Sunday, October 2, 2016

KUKKA WORKSHOPS COMING UP IN OCTOBER

LEARNING NEW SKILLS


If ever - it's now.

After a very busy week I finally had a chance to play with these cuties. I bought them during this week and I was a bit of afraid they will be wilted before I have time to make something out of them.  I'm always a bit unsure when I begin with my flower arrangement. How about you?

flower arrangement photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com

But getting started makes my creative soul sing. It's flower therapy.

flower arrangement photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com

In love with details. Odd textures and forms. Colors and tones. Mixing them all together.

flower arrangement photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com

Just can't remember all the names of the flowers and plants. That is a bit annoying. Don't know if it's only my problem, haha.

flower arrangement photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com

Surely it takes sometime and I took pics while building the arrangement and went to computer few times to see if everything is just in the right place. Many times they weren't but now I think they are - surely could do better. I  was building the arrangement for the picture only so one side mattered.

flower arrangement photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com

I think the moment when you can say this arrangement is ready - no changes anymore - is the most hardest moment of all. I know I'm only on the way because it is still very hard to say: It's ready. But you know what they say 10 000 hours practise is needed to be a professional. Well, I hope it's less though...and do I have to be a pro? Anyway it is very very relaxing to work with flowers that is for sure and when you do it only for the camera you can break a lot of rules - that is so cool. Well, that is another story.

But if you like to learn how to make a luxurious,modern and relaxed flower arrangement, you should come to our Kukka workshop at työhuone ovi 10. I have invited talented florist Hanna Piippo to teach you the most beautiful flower arrangement on 13-14th of Oct and I will teach and help you with photographing the arrangement. Teaching is in Finnish. You can find more information about the workshop in Facebook event you can find here.

Come along!

Have a lovely Sunday! 

xoxo
Kreetta


Friday, August 26, 2016

FLOWER WORKSHOP AT TYÖHUONE OVI 10

WE LOVE FLOWERS

flowerworkshop at työhuone ovi 10 photo by Kreetta Järvenpää

I have been planning this for two years. Flower workshop at out workspace. Finally it has come true but not too late at all or early either. 

We are planning now new flower workshops - two different ones. Another with only flower arrangement and documentation of it and the other one will be flower arrangement and flower photography workshop. You will find information about them here in my blog,  Facebook Kreetta Järvenpää Photography, Instagram @piippohanna @kreettakreetta. They will be held at our workspace Työhuone ovi 10. 

You can find pics from our first flower workshop in Instagram with hashtag #huilikukkaworkshop 

We had also delicious catering by talented cook and writer Meri-Tuuli Lindström.  

flowerworkshop at työhuone ovi 10 photo by Kreetta Järvenpää

It looks like a candy store. I found talented florist Hanna Piippo from Stockholm to work with us. I arranged this workshop together with ecological lifestyle magazine Huili. 

It was great to work with Huili team. I hope you can get to know the magazine. It's worth to read.

Friday, July 15, 2016

STILL LIFE SERIES 4

FOREST WALK PLANTS AND FLOWERS

still life flowers photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com

This day has been rainy and dark. I've been a bit sick even though it's my first day of summer vacation and then saddest news from Nice. What ever we people do we should start to care more about - everything. 

We decided to take a short peaceful walk in a forest because the whole day inside the house with the crazy news doesn't make you feel better. On the way I picked few plants and flowers because I felt I needed to. Nature is beautiful in every sense, actually I kind of like the rain if I just have proper clothing and that means - my rubber boots. 

This still life is about all the sadness of killing that happens in the world every day. For us it is shown expecially on the days like this. This day stays in my blog as a sign of human nature. I hope we can all work for more peaceful world. 

Enjoy your weekend!
 
xoxo
Kreetta


Saturday, July 9, 2016

STILL LIFE SERIES 3

GARDEN FLOWERS IN JULY

Flower arrangement photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com This year summer has surprised us. It begun in May and flowers have been blooming quite early and rapidly. In spring I decided to try grow anemones, because they are one of my favorites. I did it as I could and I am so happy I have few blooming at the moment. White, blue and fuchia. 

I gathered flowers from our garden this evening. I also borrowed few from our upstairs neighbour's flower bed. I just wish summer would stay longer with us and these flowers too. The vase is from my mom's home and I remember it from my childhood. I remember huge garden with strawberries, different kind of berries like red currant, apple and plum trees with lines of carrots, peas and potatoes. Lots of flowers. I remember I said that I never will have a garden because it is so huge work! We use to help our mom with garden - she paid us a little money for it. But never say never - now I have a garden and I love it.

xoxo
Kreetta

Monday, June 13, 2016

STILL LIFE SERIES 2

GARDEN FLOWERS IN JUNE

still life series 2 photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com

I'm totally in love with these beauties. The scents, the way they look, how they show their nature. I planted a lot of anemones in spring and finally I have one blooming and you can find it from this arrangement. So happy about it. This is second post of my summer still life series. I will make flower arrangements from the flowers and plants in our garden. 

still life series 2 photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com

On Wednesday I will travel to Gotland. My dream comes true and I will take part in Dietlind Wolf's workshop. I love her work. She is THE stylist I've been following and I just can't wait to meet her and be her student. This is something I have waited for so long. If you don't know her work, please go and see it - right now ;) 

I will be posting IG pics from the workshop. You will find me @kreettakreetta

Have a lovely week! 

xoxo 
Kreetta

Saturday, June 4, 2016

MY DIY FROM A BOOK by Laura Iisalo and Melanie Dower

HELSINKI - PEOPLE MAKE THE CITY

a book photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com

A very new book of the local life in Helsinki. There are lot of interesting places, people and their stories. I was interviewed in January among other makers and doers.

diy photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com

Laura asked me to make a DIY for the book and so I did this: a keep-safe for small metal things - that are always lost like scissors, needles, vintage wine bottle opener ( surely you have one) pins and what ever you can imagine - the keep-safe made from a traditional wooden distaff.

When people got married around 200 hundered years ago, grooms had to carve this kind of wooden precious item to demonstrate their skills to girl they wanted to marry. Well nowadays the meaning is purely decorational. But I guess they aren't so hip at all. That's why I got the idea. They look beautiful but still would you hang it on your wall? I thought these handmade beauties needed a second chance - or life. So I made my magnetic keep-safe DIY.

orange tree photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com

Before I go to the DIY I want to tell you a bit of the pic above and my January. There you can see a huge plant and it is from my mom's home. It just arrived few weeks ago to our workspace Työhuone ovi 10.  It's an orange tree she planted in the 1965. She had bought an orange from a grocery shop and thought why not to try to grow an orange tree from its seed and well, here it is - still after almost 50 years. It has always been at our childhood's home and now it will be with me. It's over 2 meters high and I hope I don't kill it. It's my mom's legacy and I really hope I can keep it alive at least another 50 years.

But why I have it?

My mom died suddenly in the beginning of the year and I'm still having a hard time but January was the hardest time ever for me. Unreal, sad, unbalanced and hopeless. So it was wonderful to have a short joyful photography moment with Laura. Most of these photos in this blog post are photographed by her (...and yes I've cropped them, sorry Laura ;) But you have to go and see the whole book - maybe even buy one! It's just lovely combination of interesting stories, places in Helsinki and great photography and it is in English! You can find it here. I can notice I've missed writing - so much to say ;) but now let's go to the DIY.

MAGNETIC KEEP-SAFE DIY

You need: 

a wooden distaff or other beautiful wooden item
a drill - a bit with the flat head with same diameter as your magnet
epoxy glue
piece of leather or thick fabric
something for hanging like metal hanger, hanger made of the leather - use your imagination

photo by Laura Iisalo

First drill the holes. Be careful - measure how deep you can drill without going through the wood. Holes should be quite close to each other.

photo by Laura Iisalo

Mix your epoxy glue.

photo by Laura Iisalo

Put some glue in the hole and put the magnet in it. It doesn't matter which side is up or down - negative or positive. They will try to stick together so take a piece of cardboard or something else to cover those that are drying in place. You have to be quite quick because epoxy is ready in five minutes. So plan first - then do.

Kreetta photo by Laura Iisalo

After magnets are dried in their places glue a piece of leather or fabric on them because small magnets are dangerous for animals and small kids. Magnets stays under the leather if any of those magnets got loose.

Then the last task is to make hanger for your keep-safe. You can make one from metal wire, leather, strong cord or just buy one. Use epoxy to glue that also and after that keep-safe is ready. Time to have a good cup of coffee and let the piece of art dry.

coffee at työhuone ovi 10 photo by Laura Iisalo

I wanted to make this magnetic keep-safe for my favorite scissors because they are always lost. 

DIY photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com

I hope you got a very good creative ideas from this. I love to see if you make one. You can find me in Instagram @kreettakreetta so it's easy to just tag me when you do this.

Let's enjoy the moments we have now. Have a creative weekend!

xoxo
Kreetta

Sunday, May 29, 2016

STILL LIFE SERIES 1

GARDEN FLOWERS IN MAY

garden flowers photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com

Flowers are in my heart more deeply. 

I love all the things they are and what they give to us. Yesterday when I walked in our garden and smelled the scent of lilacs I felt I need to photograph all these beauties before they are gone. This is how I decided to make my summer series: still life series. 

Have a lovely beginning of the week!

xo
Kreetta

Sunday, May 15, 2016

HANAMI HOT DOG

WELCOME TO OUR GARDEN

hanami hot dog photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com
I love this our tradition. Hanami Hot Dogs. We started 2014 so it's not so old tradition at all but I can already see how we will make these hot dogs year after year every spring when cherry and plum trees are blooming. My husband made them today - that makes it perfect :) Maybe it's my turn next year. We had gluten free bread, tasty wiener, chili mayonnaise, fresh cucumber salad and coriander, red onion, salad from our own garden, mustard and coleslaw to go with hot dogs. 

hanami hot dog photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com
It's now. Important thing to remember. All the beutiful spring flowers are around us and I already miss them. I know, I should not think so but still can't avoid it. But year after year I enjoy them even more. I'm happy with the day we are living - not the day we are waiting to come.

hanami hot dog photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com
I will save some flowers for later use. I will freeze some of these beauties in ice cubes. They will be waiting for a hot sunny summer day and then we will use them in cooling drinks. 

Have a lovely week, I hope the sun and warmth will stay with us! 

xo
Kreetta 

ps. Here you can find our Hanami Hot Dog from the year 2014.
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