Alexander Kuznetsov wasn’t born in Finland, but he has lived most of his life there beginning at age 14 when his family moved to the 60,000 person town of Rovaniemi. While he lived in Helsinki for a couple of years he prefers the natural beauty and relaxed atmosphere of the place he calls home and the one he’s built his company around, Lapland.

His company, called Hello Lapland, helps local companies in Lapland create high-quality visual content for marketing. They produce beautiful pictures and videos (shown later in the post) which show off the beauty of the region. As a small company, Hello Lapland relies heavily on social media for the company’s marketing and thus has its own about.me page to provide links to their many social media profiles. They also enjoy the platform because the large background photo gives them a way to directly show off their work.

To get the materials they need, Alexander and his partner, Julia Benzar, have to do a lot of exploring of the land they call home. Which sounds like a lot of fun so it’s no surprise they love what they do.

“Our approach is very personal and every activity we depict in our visual material, we take part in ourselves.”

Which in turn makes them experts on what to do in Lapland, winter, summer, spring or fall. In the winter he recommends you go riding on a sledge led by reindeer or huskies, jump on a snowmobile, head for some ski slopes and take a moment to relax and enjoy the Northern Lights. In the summer the region has just as much to offer with the chance to see the Midnight Sun and enjoy the beauty of nature which is so accessible in this country.

Since Finns enjoy everyman’s right, they are free to roam on public and private land. But with that privilege comes the responsibility to conserve the land, a job they take very seriously. As a result, everyone can enjoy the opportunity to wander and collect berries, mushrooms and fish or hangout at small lean-tos on the land and have a barbecue.

To best enjoy the remote parts of Nordic nature without getting lost or lacking for something, Alexander says to check out the Levi Ski Resort located about 170km of his hometown, Rovaniemi. But don’t just take his word for it, he encourages you to get in touch with other Lappish locals through the Finland’s “Meet the Locals” initiative which lets anyone around the world get in touch with real people living in Lapland and ask them questions related to traveling there.

As you’re talking to the locals, be sure to ask them for their favorite stories about the wildlife, which are everywhere. Alexander says a squirrel once paid him a visit in his old apartment on the 3rd floor of a several story building in the city center! It came through the open balcony door at five in the morning to wake him up. Speaking of animals, one you’re not likely to miss in your visit to Lapland are the reindeer. In fact, there are more reindeer in Finnish Lapland than people!

While Alexander admits the reindeer are quite cute, they can also cause problems when they block the highways or decide to cross one to your surprise. The solution, paint their horns so they glow in the dark! Check out the video he shot, below, to see how it works!