Winter of the Finnhorse, photographer Heidi Immaisi

We saw this photo on Instagram and it made us stop. It touched us and sparked our curiosity: a herd quietly together in the thickening snowfall. Who took the photo? Heidi Immaisi, a 46 year old photographer from Paimio, small town in southwest Finland. “Nature and animals have always been at the center of my photographs, and especially horses and dogs have inspired me. In recent years I have also found great joy in family photography because the genuine moments, expressions and warmth of being together in families with children are wonderful to capture. Children and animals are a real treasure to photograph – spontaneous, honest, and full of life and movement.”

Of course they don’t always just stand around gazing into the distance: sometimes they let the snow fly and chase the cold away! Both the big ones and the little ones join in… The Finnhorse thrives in the Finnish winter. It grows a thick winter coat, and even temperatures below −20 °C hardly bother them.

In 2025 Heidi founded her sole proprietorship, Immaisi Images, as photography requests kept increasing. The decision felt like a natural continuation of a long-time passion. Today she photographs both on location and in the studio alongside her main profession. "Photography is an important part of my everyday life and a creative counterbalance to my technical work with dentists’ hand instruments. It gives me the opportunity to pause, observe, and capture those moments and stories that might otherwise slip by." The horse photos were taken from the herd of Heidi’s friend, Vilma. More from Heidi: Instagram @immaisiimages Vilma´s account @ponitpihassa Yes, the Finnhorse is beautiful, isn’t it? In the photo: mare Elli. Thank you, Heidi, for these pictures!