Suvi Ruotsi: C as in CROW photography exhibition

Suvi Ruotsi is a versatile freelance journalist, photographer and non-fiction author based in Helsinki. Over the years she has been photographing countless spontaneous encounters with urban nature, especially with the crows visiting her garden plot. Some of these crows have nested year after year in the trees of Suvi’s former home yard and in the nearby woods.

“I have come to know crows as playful and observant intellectuals with an excellent memory. With the help of photography, I have been able to look at birds very closely. A murder of crows is not just a faceless mass of black and gray birds. There are many different individuals in the group, both in terms of appearance and personality traits.

I can recognise some of the familiar crows based on their flight style alone. I also know that the birds see me whenever I approach my garden plot. Sometimes we observe each other from a long distance. Sometimes we walk together and explore the winter beach. In the summer, we may take a rest close to each other in the middle of a sunny, hot day. Our meetings are always calm and uplifting.“