Hi! I'm Oana Badiu, a wildlife and landscape photographer
I am a self-taught photographer and a software engineer who lives in Espoo, Finland. All the pictures you see on this website are taken by myself, unless it is stated otherwise. I also designed and created the logo you see, Wild Planet Blog, which is based on my own image of a puffin in Faroe Islands. I also implemented and designed this very website :)
If you would like to buy an image, work together or just want to say hi and ask some questions don't hesitate to contact me.
Ever since I was a little girl living in the country side with my grandparents I loved animals and I loved nature. I am originally from a small city in Romania, I finished my university studies in Bucharest and I moved to Finland in 2011. After I discovered all the nature that Finland has to offer I decided to stay and enjoy it as much as I can.
My favourite animals are birds and I could just watch them for hours and hours and never get bored! What better way is there to enjoy nature than to capture it on camera and relive the moment every time you look at a photograph?
I have always been drawn to photography and a couple of years ago I decided to take my hobby to the next level and I purchased my first DSLR camera. Ever since, this is all I can think of and I keep updating my gear, reading blogs and trying to master the art of photography.
This is such a versatile subject, it has so many branches and there is always something to learn and to explore. What I love the most is wildlife photography and landscape photography, however I always like to push my limits and try something new. Working with people is also something that I enjoy, so naturally portrait photography is one of my interests too.
Being a software engineer by day, I am also a bit of a "nerd" and I really enjoy technology and gadgets. I am always impressed by the latest cameras and lenses and really admire how the cameras are working nowadays. In order to take good pictures you have to know your equipment.
Life at work and in a city (even one the size of Helsinki!!) can be quite challenging sometimes. You wake up early, take a shower, get dressed, spend 45 min to get to work, spend 8 h or more at work, spend another 45 minutes to get back home, maybe go to buy some groceries, make some food, eat, crash on the couch to watch some series and then you go to sleep just to wake up and do the same thing all over again. Somehow with this routine you are supposed to also find some time to do some sports (one has to stay in good shape), so really there is not much time for anything else. Whenever I get my holidays I try to always make the best out of them and travel somewhere with lots of nature and landscapes, where I can break free from the routine, see new places every day and enjoy the nature around me as much as I can. I used to travel to cities when I was younger, however the older I get, the more I want to get away from the crowds and just enjoy the nature as much as I can while it's still here.
I created Wild Planet Blog to share my own experiences and photos from the amazing places I have the opportunity to visit. I still visit some cities from time to time, however Wild Planet Blog focuses on nature and destinations where you can enjoy a lot of landscapes and wildlife! I hope my blog will help you find a great nature destination for your next trip!