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A portrait of a basset hound at Leucadia snowboarder Jussi Oksanen's new Studio Upea. Photo by Jussi Oksanen
A portrait of a basset hound at Leucadia snowboarder Jussi Oksanen's new Studio Upea. Photo by Jussi Oksanen
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Leucadia snowboarder steps behind camera to launch pet portrait studio

ENCINITAS — Elvis is a pretty big deal in the Oksanen house. Elvis the dog, that is, not the singer.

The golden labradoodle inspires his owner’s latest “pet” project: Studio Upea (pronounced ooh-pay-ah and meaning “magnificent” or “gorgeous” in Finnish) creates high-resolution artistic portraits of people’s beloved pooches.

And if you didn’t already know, Leucadia resident Jussi Oksanen isn’t just any old animal photographer. The clue to Oksanen’s past career can be found on the walls of his home studio, which are adorned with custom-made Burton snowboards and memorabilia from his life as a professional snowboarder.

It all began when Oksanen, originally from Finland, started skateboarding at age six. Soon, he gravitated toward snowboarding, learning on a “tiny little hill” near the home he grew up in outside of Helsinki.

Elvis the golden labradoodle served as the inspiration for Olympic snowboarder Jussi Oksanen's new pet photography studio in Leucadia. Photo by Jussi Oksanen
Elvis, the golden labradoodle, served as the inspiration for Olympic snowboarder Jussi Oksanen’s Studio Upea, a pet portrait business in Leucadia. Photo by Jussi Oksanen

By 17, Oksanen had turned professional and represented his native country in the men’s halfpipe at the 1998 Winter Olympics. He won seven X Games medals, starred in various snowboard movies and chased snow from Europe to Japan.

Oksanen also spent a lot of time in North America, which prompted him and his English wife, Zoe, to move to San Diego 20 years ago. The couple has two teenage sons: 17-year-old Gabriel, who plays professional soccer in Finland, and Theo, 16.

Snowboarder to photographer

But where does photography fit into all of this?

“My mom was a photographer, and she worked in the dark room,” Oksanen told The Coast News while sitting on a couch in his open-plan Leucadia living room, with Elvis never too far away. “When I was 13 or 14, I got a camera, and she made all my films. It became my hobby; I loved it.”

So, Oksanen’s lifelong passion for photography was ignited. At first, he took black-and-white pictures of friends and everyday things. Then, he started documenting his experiences as a globe-trotting snowboarder.

Jussi Oksanen, a professional snowboarder and Finnish Olympian, lives in Encinitas, where he has opened Studio Upea, a new high-end pet photography business. Photo by Jussi Oksanen/Facebook
Leucadia resident Jussi Oksanen, a professional snowboarder and Finnish Olympian, opened Studio Upea, a new pet photography studio. Photo by Jussi Oksanen/Facebook

After hanging up his snowboard in 2015, Oksanen co-founded Mizu, a company that makes eco-friendly, stainless steel drinking bottles.

Oksanen used his camera skills to help build the brand’s marketing, opening up another career path for him as a commercial photographer.

Starbucks, Volkswagen, and Thule are some of the big names he has partnered with over the past decade.

So why dog portraits? In a word, Elvis.

“I would be shooting stuff in my studio and Elvis would walk in, and so I’d take a photo of him,” Oksanen said. “Then I posted something and someone asked if I’d shoot their dog, and then another one, and another one.”

Buoyed by people’s reactions, Oksanen’s wife encouraged him to continue his newfound passion and Studio Upea was born.

Refreshing, calming and fun

Part of Oksanen’s office is now a dedicated pet portrait space, complete with a sleek black backdrop, multiple lights and a constant supply of milk bones.

“It’s such a contrast to what I usually do. Dogs are so calm and it’s great to do something for their owners,” Oksanen said.

One such owner became emotional when Oksanen recently presented them with keepsakes of their 17-year-old French bulldog, Lola.

“When I gave them the photos, they started crying,” Oksanen said. “That’s when I realized that these are special creatures and we want to have something that will last forever.”

A pointer poses for a portrait at Leucadia snowboarder Jussi Oksanen's new pet photography studio. Photo by Jussi Oksanen
A pointer poses for a portrait at Studio Upea in Leucadia. Photo by Jussi Oksanen
Lola the French bulldog. Photo by Jussi Oksanen
Lola, the French bulldog at Studio Upea. Photo by Jussi Oksanen

In addition to Lola, his list of clients includes a basset hound, dachshund and pointer.

Oksanen also enjoys getting to know a dog’s individual character and building their trust, especially the nervous or anxious ones. “I shot some rescue dogs, and one of them had trauma, but then you work with them, and they’re special,” he explained.

But as all pet owners are painfully aware, four-legged friends cross the rainbow bridge far too soon, yet another reason why Oksanen feels honored to capture such precious and fleeting moments.

“You don’t want to think about it, but you don’t have these dogs around forever, so you want as many memories as you can,” Oksanen said.

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