Meeri Koutaniemi
Meeri Koutaniemi (born 1987) is a Finnish photographer and journalist. Koutaniemi is known for her reportages and portraits on issues concerning human rights, minorities and empowerment.
Meeri Koutaniemi
Petri Virtanen / Finnish National Gallery · Kansallisgalleria / Finnish National Gallery · CC BY-SA 3.0
- Name
- Meeri Koutaniemi
- Born
- 1 November 1987
- Birthplace
- Kuusamo, Finland
- Known for
- Photography.
- Nationality
- Finland
- Occupation
- photographer · cinematographer · actress
- Education
- University of Tampere · Sibelius Upper Secondary School
- Languages
- Finnish
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Meeri Koutaniemi (born 1987) is a Finnish photographer and journalist. Koutaniemi is known for her reportages and portraits on issues concerning human rights, minorities and empowerment.
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Note VALÉORINE
Meeri Koutaniemi (born 1987) is an actress, cinematographer and photographer, of Finnish nationality. The actress was born in Kuusamo. Meeri Koutaniemi was educated at Sibelius Upper Secondary School and University of Tampere. Languages used include Finnish.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 26 September 2026
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wikidata · Q16300104 · wikipedia · Meeri Koutaniemi
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Meeri Koutaniemi • Born — 1 November 1987 • Birthplace — Kuusamo, Finland • Alma Mater — Tampere University • Known for — Photography.
Biography
Biography
Koutaniemi was born in Kuusamo. After completing comprehensive school, she moved from Kuusamo to Oulu to study theatre in upper secondary school. After living six months in Oulu she moved to Helsinki, where she studied music and dance at The Sibelius Upper Secondary School. She has studied photojournalism at The University of Tampere. Since 2011, Koutaniemi has been travelling and working around the world, such as in Southeast Asia, Africa and Latin America. Koutaniemi is a founder member of an Italian Photo Agency Echo and Finnish Collective 11. Koutaniemi is partly of Romani descent, and according to a DNA test she took in 2018, she also has Central Asian and Eskimo ancestry.
Personal life
Personal life
Since March 2016, Koutaniemi has been dating the rock musician Sami Yaffa. They announced their relationship in July 2016, got engaged in July 2017 and married in September 2017 on Majorca, Spain.
Books
• 2020 Vahvaksi rikotut, Siltala • 2017 Sami Yaffan Maailma, LIKE • 2017 Ilopangon naiset, LIKE • 2016 Fintiaanien mailla, WSOY • 2015 Sisu, PS-kustannus • 2015 Riisuttu Suomi, Docendo • 2013 Oasis, Musta Taide
Acknowledgements and criticism
Koutaniemi has won several awards in Annual Press Photo Competition by Finnish Press Photographers’ Association. In 2012, she won the portrait of the year award. In 2013, Koutaniemi won six categories in Annual Press Photo Competition: photographer of the year, multimedia of the year, photo of the year, foreign reportage of the year, portrait of the year and people's choice. In 2014, she won in two categories: photographer of the year and foreign reportage of the year. In 2014, Koutaniemi won the Visa D'or Daily Press Award in Visa pour l’Image in Perpignan, France, and Freelens Award in Lumix Photo Festival in Hannover, (Germany) with her reportage about female genital mutilation of two maasai girls. Reportage was published in a Finnish newspaper Helsingin Sanomat in 2014 and it provoked a lot of discussion. UNICEF Finland was among those who criticised the publishing of the series in the media, but the photographs received an honourable mention at the Photo of the Year competition organised by UNICEF Germany. Reportage was also published in Time article.
Awards
• 2017 The Maker of the Future, Culture Gala, Finland • 2017 People's Choice, Photo Journalist of the Year, Finnish Press Photos, Finland • 2015 2. Price, Best Photostory, Siena International Photo Awards, Italy • 2015 Winner, PDN, The Marty Forscher Fellowship Professional Award, USA • 2014 Honorable Mention / Pictures of the Year, UNICEF, Germany • 2014 Shortlisted Winners, VIPA international Awards, Austria • 2014 Winner, Visa D'or Daily Press Award, Visa pour l’Image, France • 2014 Winner, FreeLens Award, Lumix Photo Festival, Germany • 2014 Winner, Photographer of the Year, Annual Press Photo Competition, Finland • 2014 Winner, Foreign Reportage of the Year, Annual Press Photo Competition, Finland • 2013 Carina Appel Memorial Award, Finland • 2013 Winner, Photographer of the Year, Annual Press Photo Competition, Finland • 2013 Winner, Multimedia of the Year, Annual Press Photo Competition, Finland • 2013 Winner, Photo of the Year, Annual Press Photo Competition, Finland • 2013 Winner, Foreign Reportage of the Year, Annual Press Photo Competition, Finland • 2013 Winner, Portrait of the Year, Annual Press Photo Competition, Finland • 2013 People's Choice, Portrait of the Year, Annual Press Photo Competition, Finland • 2012 Tim Hetherington Memorial Award, USA • 2012 Winner, Portrait of the Year, Annual Press Photo Competition, Finland • 2012 Honor Mention, Foreign Reportage, Annual Press Photo Competition, Finland
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Ala-Risku, Päivi. Meeri Koutaniemi koulukiusaamisesta: "En voinut olla heittopussi". HS.fi. 9 October 2014.
- 2.Meeri Koutaniemi.
- 3.Kallionpää, Katri. Sitkeä kuvaaja haluaa nähdä vaivaa. Helsingin Sanomat. 25 March 2013.
- 4.Karhu, Lea. Meeri Koutaniemi voitti Vuoden lehtikuva -kilpailussa lähes kaiken. Helsingin Sanomat. 20 March 2013.
- 5.Wallenius, Sanna. Palkittu valokuvaaja Meeri Koutaniemi: "Koulukiusaus jätti syvät arvet". Me Naiset. 13 April 2013.
- 6.Tainola, Rita. Meeri Koutaniemi teki DNA-testin ja yllättyi tuloksista – "Todella mielenkiintoista". Ilta-Sanomat. 17 May 2018.
- 7.Meeri Koutaniemi on taas Vuoden lehtikuvaaja – parhaan lehtikuvan otti HS:n Heidi Piiroinen. 7 March 2014.
- 8.Archived copy.
- 9.Valokuva: Valokuvaaja Meeri Koutaniemi palkittiin taas. Helsingin Sanomat. 4 September 2014.
- 10.UNICEF: Hänet silvottiin suomalaisten lukijoiden edessä sunnuntaina. unicef.typepad.com.
- 11.Saksan Unicef palkitsi Meeri Koutaniemen ympärileikkauskuvat, jotka Suomen Unicef tuomitsi. Helsingin Sanomat. 16 December 2014.
- 12.Sami Yaffa ja Meeri Koutaniemi Koillissanomissa: Rakkaus iski ensitapaamisella. Iltalehti. 20 July 2016.
- 13.Vehmas, Ilona. Sami Yaffa ja Meeri Koutaniemi Koillissanomissa: Rakkaus iski ensitapaamisella. Iltalehti. 20 July 2016.
- 14.Meeri Koutaniemi ja Sami Yaffa naimisiin henkeäsalpaavissa maisemissa – upea morsian asteli vihille paljain jaloin.
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 16 August 2026.
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