Photography
Q. Who are your artistic influences?
A. These are mostly painters and pinup artists. My main influences in the pinup genre are Gil Elvgren, Alberto Vargas, Patrick Nagel, Olivia de Berardinis and Luis Royo. They encompass a century's worth of artistic mastery of varying styles, aesthetics, and techniques.
Outside the realm of interpreters of female form, I rank my mother highly. She is an accomplished and exhibited watercolor and oil painter, and has taught me a lot about the fluidity of interpretation of color. Here is her website. Close behind come Pablo Picasso and Andy Warhol.
Q. Who are your photographic influences?
A. By far the most influential for me is Richard Avedon. His portrait of Marilyn Monroe remains the most intimate and beautiful photograph of a woman I've ever seen. With the brief click of a shutter, he immortalized the Hollywood bombshell's vulnerability. Other influences include Herb Ritts's era-defining fashion photography, Helmut Newton's unabashed imagery, and Gregory Crewdson's meticulously staged scenery.
John Paul Caponigro continues to be a major influence: his understanding and use of color theory has had a profound impact on my photography. Joe McNally is a wizard at lighting anything—especially people—and he has taught me a lot on how to light my models through his books and lessons.
Film has also been a big influence on me. Foremost are Ridley Scott (especially Alien), James Cameron (his two Terminator movies) and Oliver Stone (Natural Born Killers) in their portrayal of female protagonists breaking taboos and stereotypes—and creating new ones! Further, Yimou Zhang's generous cinematic color usage demonstrates how it can be manipulated to tell a story, and most recently Denis Villeneuve has thoroughly impressed me with his visual language in Blade Runner 2049.
But the piece that really got me into photography was the music video for George Michael's Freedom. When it came out, it was a life-altering experience for my fifteen-year-old self: Christy wrapped in angelic white, her poised entrance fit for an empress, Naomi sensuously mouthing the lyrics, and Cindy's steamy bubble bath still represent the epitome of beauty to me.
Q. What makes your prints "fine art"?
A. The rigor and the intent. My shoots are planned in detail; all my prints are exhibition quality. Every step from capture to printing is executed by top craftsmen, using the finest materials and processes available.
Nevertheless, I only claim to produce fine art prints. In the end it is up to you to decide whether the prints you get are fine art. Note that you have my generous one year no questions asked return policy, so you have plenty of time to reach your verdict!
Prints and ordering
Q. Are your prints pigment, inkjet, carbon or giclee?
A. Yes, all of the above. The terms are the same thing. I prefer "pigment ink on paper".
Q. Do you offer other products than what is listed here?
A. Possibly. I have kept the choice of products limited on purpose, as I feel paper and canvas prints match the subject matter best. But if you have something else in mind, please contact me for details.
Q. What payment methods are accepted?
A. Major credit cards, and other local payment methods varying by country.
Q. Is my Credit Card info secure?
A. Yes. I don't actually receive your Credit Card information. It is authenticated by a trusted, secure third party (Stripe) just like vast majority of websites.
Q. How long does it take for me to get my print?
A. It varies, but typically you will get your print within 7-14 days within Europe and North America, and within 10-30 days in rest of the world.
About Me
A. I was born in 1975 in a small city in central Finland. My hobbies include reading non-fiction books, listening to music (from blues to metal), watching lots of movies (mostly action, sci-fi and fantasy, although pretty much anything goes), lifting weights, playing video games, cooking, and riding my Harley. My favorite drink is a gin & tonic made with Sipsmith gin and the all-important lime wedge. I'd have a cat if I didn't travel so much. I've lived abroad since 1997—including the US and Hong Kong—and currently reside in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Q. How long have you been photographing?
A. I got my first camera when I was a teenager, a disc camera which I put to good use in taking snapshots. I got "seriously" into photography when I bought my first SLR, a Canon EOS 50E in 1999. I reluctantly moved to mostly digital with Canon 30D, although I've continued shooting film with medium format Mamiya C220 and large format with my Gowlandflex. I started with travel photography, and added portraits and glamour into my portfolio around 2005.
Q. Do you have formal photography or art education?
A. I don't have a degree in photography, but I have taken numerous workshops as well as online courses. I've been taught in person by Playboy photographers Jarmo Pohjaniemi and Byron Newman, and fashion photographer Josh Ryan best known for his work with Guess, among others.
Q. Are you on Facebook/Twitter/Myspace/Bebo/etc?
A. Only social media I use is Instagram @darkdays.photography