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Amazing Aerial Photos of a Finnish Island Across Four Seasons

By Jessica Stewart on April 24, 2018

Autumn

Photographer Jani Ylinampa has the good fortune to live in one of the world's most scenic areas—Finnish Lapland. And he takes full advantage of his surroundings, photographing the colorful Northern Lights and all the beauty that the environment has to offer. But it's the changing dynamic of a small island that has really caught his attention.

Kotisaari Island is a small landmass, accessible only by boat, in the town of Rovaniemi. Nestled into the Kemi River, the island was a lumberjack stronghold in a time when the waterway was used by the logging industry. Now, the idyllic island is the protagonist of a set of photos by Ylinampa, which shows the changing seasons. Winter, spring, summer, and fall—Ylinampa's photographs show the remarkable beauty of the island year-round.

“The first time I took the photo of the island was in summer 2015 and I published it on my Instagram account in spring 2016,” Ylinampa tells My Modern Met. “It went viral soon afterward and was shared on countless accounts on social media. That’s when I got the idea of taking photos of each season.”

While the idea seems simple, Ylinampa's execution captures the light and color of Kotisaari Island from an emerald green summer to the snowy white winter. In fact, the local photographer hopes that his pictures demonstrate that Lapland is more than just a winter wonderland. “There’s so much to experience especially during summer and autumn, with the midnight sun and the autumn northern lights; they’re better when there is yet no snow on the ground to reflect light.”

Ylinampa's photographs certainly prove the power of nature and that all we need is the right setting to make photographic magic happen.