Meeri Koutaniemi is a Finnish photographer and a journalist. Her subjects are often minorities or people living in bad circumstances like in warzones or in extreme poverty.
Her work stems from the question and definition of identity and she is focused on the humanitarian side of conflicts, displacement and discrimination. Above all, through her work she highlights the universal ability for empowerment and resistance.
Apart from the compelling photographic work she also makes documentaries and has worked as a cinematographer for various international documentary movies.
In addition to all that, she has published six books from her independent documentary projects.

Koutaniemi’s work extends to over 50 countries and has been exhibited in over 50 exhibitions around the world, and throughout her career she has received many rewards. In 2012 and 2013 Koutaniemi was selected as the Photographer of the Year in Finland and in 2014 she won the Visa D’or Daily Press Award in Visa pour l’Image in France, to name a few.
At the moment Koutaniemi is focused on her long-term project about female genital mutilation in different continents. She lives in Helsinki and Mallorca with her husband, the musician Sami Yaffaa.
Visit Koutaniemi’s webpage