Welcome to experience an immerse nature photography adventure in Kuusamo!
Kuusamo Nature Photo has been bringing people together amidst the magnificent autumn colors of Kuusamo for several decades now. The event was born in 1996, inspired by Hannu Hautala.
Kuusamo Nature Photo XXXI – Nature Photography Festival
Towards Nature
This year, the Kuusamo Nature Photo Festival will be held near Oulanka National Park. The park’s 70th anniversary provides a timely framework for reflecting on the significance of nature in the Finnish relationship with the natural world—its conservation, history, and what we wish to preserve for the future.
Over the course of the weekend, activities will take place between the research station and the surrounding nature. Presentations will bring people together, but the festival continues beyond them—in the field, along the river, and on excursions. Saturday morning will begin with a shared canoeing trip on the Oulanka River.
The festival brings together researchers, writers, artists, and photographers whose work is rooted in a long relationship with nature—through research, observation, and experience.
This year, the festival is centered around the Oulanka Research Station. The number of participants is limited, and the weekend offers a more compact and immersive experience than before.
The program consists of presentations, exhibitions, a photography competition, and excursions. On Friday, exhibitions will open and the photography competition awards will be presented at Kuusamo Hall, while Saturday and Sunday will be spent near Oulanka National Park, surrounded by the colors of autumn foliage.
Festival speakers include Elisa Aaltola, Ulla-Maija Alanen, Taneli Eskola, Ingá-Máret Gaup-Juuso, Jyrki Kallio-Koski, Tauno Kohonen, Riku Paavola, Jenni Räinä, Teemu Saloriutta ja Esko Valtaoja. All the presentations will be held in Finnish.
The festival is part of the Oulu2026 European Capital of Culture program.
A warm welcome to experience and connect with nature.
Jonna Kalliomäki & Ari-Matti Nikula
Artistic Directors
Site image: Taneli Eskola
