About me
My name is Petri. I was born in the 20th century in Finland where I got my MA degree from the University of Art and Design Helsinki (now known as Aalto University).
I have lived half my adult life in France, half in Finland. Heavily influenced by both Western European culture and the secret world of the Little People I am a poor soul who is stuck in limbo between France and Finland waiting the happy hour of deliverance.
My first attempts on practicing photography
Henri Cartier-Bresson: “Your first 10 000 photographs are your worst.”
I hope my first 10 000 photographs were the ones I took with my first camera that I won in an art competition when I was 14 years old. The camera was an Agfamatic Pocket, a technical wonder with the famous “Ritsch-Ratsch-Klick” principle – an open and slide mechanism.
I must have taken thousands of photos with that camera, all terrible. It took a while to understand that what was wrong with my first photos was the nut behind the viewfinder. Nothing much has changed since then. Exept that the camera technology has evolved considerably.
My style / philosophy on photography
My main principles in photography are much the same as in the French Nouvelle Cuisine:
- Small portions of the finest and freshest ingredients
- Unusual combinations and pairings of flavours and garnishes
- Elimination of heavy flour‐thickened sauces
- Simply and imaginatively prepared (raw or only lightly cooked ) food served in an attractive way
My photos: the right, psychotic, schizophrenia-like mix of ingredients. The aftertaste may be nutty, hazy or angular. Once you have tasted the picture, you can choose to spit or swallow.
Photo titles
William Shakespeare : “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”. I’m not saying that all my pictures smell sweet, on the contrary…
Some photographers refuse to give titles to their photos. Or if they do, the title should only function as a basic «identification tag» (date, place, serial number…), not as a source of meaning for the viewer. According to them, telling the viewer what the work is «about» will interfere with her/his ability to connect to it and leave less room for viewer participation.
I need to give a title to my every picture. Giving a title to a photo can sometimes be a very complicated process, sometimes not. A title for me sometimes even comes before the photo. The title is a part of the photo and hopefully a part of the viewer’s experience. I hope people may look closer at the photo to find the significance of the title. I have no problem with a viewer seeing something very different than what I intended.
My motto
The viewfinder is useless if you don’t find the view.
Accomplishments
My biggest accomplishment, without apology or hesitation: 1st prize in writing contest of the National Association of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism in my elementary school (Raittiuskilpakirjoitus).
Word of warning
Beginning to shoot in your early teens is associated with an increased risk of aggressive behavior and may put you at greater risk of developing alcohol problems later on.
Danger – long-range shooting in progress!