STREETS OF HELSINKI
A lot of the attention devoted to Helsinki, and Finland, goes mainly towards its great icons such as Nokia, Formula 1 driver Mika Häkkinen, the rock band Nightwish. While that attention is deserved I think there is much more to the city, and the country, that slips under the radar.
With this ongoing project I want to present the day-to-day of Helsinki: the people and architecture are the main subjects you will find.
I hope that the photographs I make will, not only, bring Helsinki and Finland to more people but also show the real side of the city beyond tourist brochures and TV programs.
As is the case with almost all European capitals, Helsinki is very diverse in its population. With the biggest minority being of Swedish speakers plus a growing population of foreigners, and don't forget the Finnish speaking Finns, a mix of styles, faces and interests gives a lot of depth in all the characters you will find on the street.
The people originally from Helsinki are called Stadilainen. Since the majority of the inhabitants of Helsinki are from outside of the city, and even the country, perhaps we can extend the concept of the Stadilainen to reflect all inhabitants of Helsinki region (I am looking at you Espoo and Vantaa).
In this project I aim, not only to take portraits, but to document snippets of their stories and the brief connection I had with the subjects. I was amazed by the reception of the people when I asked them to take their photo.
It is as if the myth of the shy and reserved Finn never existed and people mostly have something nice and interesting to say.
