Staying to Look

The story behind the photo: A Quiet Beach and an Unexpected Portrait

I’m Beata Lepistö, a twenty-year-old photographer from Raahe, Finland. Outside of photography, I spend my free time with my family and friends, hiking, browsing flea markets, or reading a good book.

I love traveling and spending time in nature.

When I’m photographing, my favorite thing is to combine beautiful landscapes with people. Portraits taken outdoors — or in unusual environments — are my greatest passion. I love playing around in the editing room with double exposures, colors, and cropping. Beautiful images are like food for my eyes.

I’ve loved taking photos and being creative for as long as I can remember. As a child, that meant setting a timer on my phone’s camera and running in front of it to do a backbend or the splits. Eventually, I began shooting with my parents’ DSLR.

I didn’t get my first proper DSLR until last summer. I had dreamed of owning one for a long time, and finally found a great used one on an online marketplace.

Since I was young, I’ve always felt a huge sense of joy when I create a successful photograph. I transfer the images from my camera as soon as I possibly can, just so I can start editing and see them better.

Editing and viewing photos puts me in the same kind of flow state I get while reading books — deeply focused and genuinely happy.

This particular photo was taken on a girls’ trip in Southeast Asia. We were exploring the beautiful beaches of Nusa Penida. I tend to see the world as if through a camera lens — and that day was no different. I spotted a beautiful location and asked my friends to step into the frame. I rarely plan my photos in advance; instead, when an idea comes to me, I simply ask my friends to pose. They always agree, and at least to me, they claim to enjoy it. The picture was taken on a quiet beach on a beautiful day. The sun was still high, and the air was warm.

The photos were shot on my beloved Fujifilm X-T30II with an 18–55mm lens. This image was later edited into a double exposure. I love double-exposure photos, and even though my camera can create them in-camera, I prefer doing it afterwards. That way, I can experiment more freely and find the images that match best.

For these photos, I used my favorite custom recipe, which gives them a slightly film-like, warm atmosphere. I shoot most of my images using my own recipes, and then edit them further afterwards — as I did with this one. I do most of my editing in Lightroom. In my photos, I aim for an old-time, film-inspired aesthetic.

My dream is to one day work professionally as a videographer and photographer. After all, what could be better than getting paid to do what you love?