Riitta Toro, BA (Hons) Fine Art Photography
MA Media Arts Photography

Portrait photography

I was born in Finland in the 1960's. My career as a photographer started at the age of seven, when I picked my first camera. It was my mother's Golby Menisque and I still have it in my studio.

Later I was trained in technical photography, but I spent my first thirteen working years making page lay-outs in the biggest newspaper in Finland.

1991 I decided to follow my dream to study art and enrolled to art foundation course in Liminka Art School, in Oulu, Finland

1992 I moved to UK and in Southampton I studied BA (hons) Fine Art in Solent University specialising in alternative media; video, performance and photography. I graduated in 1995.

1995 I was accepted in Master of Media Arts course in the same university, which I completed and graduated in 1998. My specialities were analytical media, research techniques, photography and photoshop manipulation.

After my graduation I lernt to dive, trained as PADI diving Instructor and teacher of underwater photography. I was teaching underwater photography and diving until 2005.

1998 I moved to Surrey and learnt stone carving, spent time mastering the skill of hand crafting stone and wood and exhibited in Surrey. I was founder member of sculpture group in Wrecclesham in Surrey, which still has active sculpture studio in there.

2005-06 was a period that I wanted to return in education and I started art-therapy degree in Goldsmith University in London. I did not complete that, as I changed my studies to tv- and video production.
2006 I completed a full teacher training before I settled in Seale, Surrey, where I opened my photography studio on June 2007.

With life long photography, fine art and media studies experience, I can combine the knowledge of colour with the techniques of painting and sculpture, resulting in a unique perspective in photography.

I have travelled and exhibited widely around the world, had total twenty three solo exhibitions and I have had many community projects in mental health and in art therapy sector, the most important of them as an art-therapist in Charity organisation 'MIND' in Southampton and in Hampshire county council mental health sector in Hampshire.

I have earned International recognition and my work can be seen in numerous online galleries worldwide. I have work in private collections in Scandinavia, France, United States, Holland, Germany and in England.

1st of October I closed my Seale studio to pursue more personal projects in Europe and to get further training.


I am still taking portraits in appointment basis, Please contact me by using contact form on this website.

Since closing my studio in Seale I have expanded my International recognision and partisipated in International projects and developed my personal work. In the link page you can follow my progress and learn more about my exhibitions and my current new training projects.