welcome to wherever I've been

i heart helsinki.

2012-01-25T15:48:00.011+02:00

i'm the first one to admit that more often than not, i'd like to be somewhere else than where i actually am. i want to travel but stay at home, go to amazing parties with the hip and the cool as long as it doesn't take any effort, stay in but feel like i'm outdoors. i'm always sure that somewhere else is better, your food is more tasty than mine AND i constantly feel homesick to places i've never visited. you get to picture by now?

BUT as it happens, world design capital helsinki 2012 open doors weekend got me thinking about all the amazing parties i've been to, evenings when i laughed until my stomach hurt, all the beautiful places that i visit aqnd/or see on my route to work every-single-day, all the happening, events, parks, restaurants, concerts, collectives, openings, galleries, friends and endless cups of coffee i've enjoyed only this year. woppaa!

apparently nothing is better than here and now and nothing beats the everyday.

or how would you have it after flickering through the open doors weekend programme?

to prove my point, i've made some picks of my own for the upcoming weekend.

champagne-shaman dinner by tiia vanhatapio & veuve clicquot ponsardin on fri evening at restaurant ilmatar.
www.ravintolailmatar.fi / www.vanhatapio.fi

annantalo art lab for the whole family, going through all weekend
www.annantalo.fi

disco dislocated by alas
underground club in the kluuvi shopping centre put up by design office TWO & basso media
www.a-l-a-s.tumblr.com

muotoilijat '12 finnish designer awards exhibition @ galleria virka, sofiankatu 1
www.ornamo.fi

laboratory - art space for now.
sneek preview before the actual opening
www.laboratory.fi

sushi workshop @ sushibar on sunday
www.sushibar.fi

how to build an iglo workshop (this MUST BE the hottest ticket in town) @ highlight valaistus galleria
www.highlightgalleria.fi

the butcher's food & culture sauna on fri
they feed you and bathe you, all you have to do is show up and bring your own towel.
www.heltu.fi

open doors at the arabia museum and artist work spaces
they feature one of my absolute favorite artists at the moment, kim simonsson so i'd go just for that
fri 12-18 sat/sun 10-16
hämeentie 135 a

and last but not least, design dog park
lots of dogs, lots of snow and warm drinks.
www.artovanhenki.fi

i reckon that's city life for you at it's best.

stillness speaks.

2012-01-18T17:23:00.002+02:00

was it the dream or the sound of stillness that woke me up, i wouldn't know.
but when i woke up i knew that something had shifted in the universe and somehow my life would never be as it was.
the sky was a different colour than ever before and there was absolute silence everywhere.
the only thing i could hear was the silence.

portrait of a boy.

2011-12-19T13:52:00.005+02:00

'the future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams'

quote eleanor roosevelt, the boy karri

'as the saying goes, i want to be the best-looking corpse there is.'

2011-12-14T14:42:00.003+02:00

'beauty opened all the doors; it got me things i didn't even know i wanted, and things i certainly didn't deserve.'

'i was hot and i knew it and it went to my head.'

'every six months i fly to dallas to get botox and i also get collagen injections.'

'i've been the queen of dysfunction and made every mistake one can make.'

'i did more vogues than vogue did vogues.'

'i lived the stuff that jackie collins writes about.'

-janice dickinson

'my only regret is that I did not drink more champagne.' lord maynard keynes, on his deathbed.

2011-11-06T19:02:00.012+02:00

well, mine surely won't be.

thank you mademoiselle vanhatapio & the widow of clicquot for a night to remember.

if i was a rich man.

2011-10-31T09:35:00.004+02:00

i'd buy a big house to live in and do not much more than drink champers all day long.
but since i'm not and i can't, i'm happy they're doing a champagne sweepstake. all you have to do to enter, is like their facebook page.

four little items of an everyday sort.

2011-10-18T22:54:00.010+03:00

feather earrings that flickr like velvet in the moonlight when she moves.

leather jacket that becomes the dunes of sahara in challenging lighting.

favorite shoes that make her -or anyone for that matter- stop slouching with details that are beyond comparison.

a wad of stray hairs that refuse to stay where they're put.

four little items of an everyday sort that just make the everyday a bit more beautiful.

lights will guide you home.

2011-10-04T12:16:00.003+03:00

as is a custom around this time of year when the summer gone is still a warm and cherished memory but the trees start slowly transform into majestic statues of blazing color that it's time to put on your best dance shoes and head out for a special treat. someone can add another candle to their cake, the rest of us will gladly dance the night away. many happy returns my dear!

songs of lust and fear.

2011-09-30T13:18:00.007+03:00

this project seems to continue. again with the beautiful and amazing umberto with the title cleverly stolen from here.

baker baker.

2011-09-29T10:35:00.001+03:00

'baker, baker, baking a cake
make me a day, make me whole again
and I wonder what's in a day
what's in your cake this time'

tori amos

i am one but not alone.

2011-09-21T13:34:00.005+03:00

last night saw the opening of a group exhibition of five finnish photography giants -and me. when i was asked to contribute for the exhibition and join this group of fine, fine photographers whose works i'd been following ever since i first fell in love with the world through a viewfinder i couldn't believe my ears and had to double check to be sure i wasn't in one of them candid camera situations. the exhibition is themed around food and drink, six photographers, six points of view. i'm truly proud to be one of the contributors and stand my corner in this group. i applaude you all.

'kalle' 60x90 cm, edition 1/5 & 'hiu' 60x90 cm, edition 1/5, price on request.

thank you / nikon finland / paparazzi model management / dialab.

nightswimming deserves a quiet night.

2011-09-21T11:20:00.003+03:00

'nightswimming, remembering that night
september's coming soon
i'm pining for the moon
and what if there were two
side by side in orbit
around the fairest sun?
that bright, tight forever drum
could not describe nightswimming'

berry/buck/mills/stipe

the sweetest blog?

2011-09-19T13:15:00.010+03:00

i find it hard to believe, but thank you for your kind words, i'm deeply flattered.

as the tradition should have it the honor comes with three magical questions -but why not three magical wishes instead?- and i keep wondering should i tell something about myself or should i tell a beautiful lie. you go and figure.

as for my favorite color i cannot choose one, or even several for that matter, but i can relate to w.b.yeates' (whom i've quoted in here) description on some of them; 'the blue and the dim and the dark cloths of night and light and the half-light'.

favorite food is even trickier than color. trying to pick one is a helluva job, so in the footsteps of kings and vagabods, i'll say that as long it's in best company it's best that i've ever had.

being a person who hates to travel but loves being on the road i cannot say where i'd like to go, but somehow i keep feeling homesick to all the places that i've never been to.

as for the sweetest blog, i cannot say, more like half-witted ramblings of a mad man. but what i do know, is that the girl in the photos is like no other in this world, she is the picture of sweet.

when the day is done.

2011-09-07T11:22:00.013+03:00

the task was simple; two covers and in between them everything there was to know about make up. 'in 200 or so pages', she said in a nonchalant manner. visually stunnig from start to finish and comprehensible enough for the everywoman. i was stunned. and more excited than ever. when the beautiful and talentented mariela sarkima invited me for lunch a couple of years ago to discuss 'something she'd been planning' i had no idea what i was getting myself into, but being a person who never says no to free lunch i accepted. and deary-dear-me, had she been planning. for ten years to be exact.

there was to be an amazing journey of discovery and creativity, a team that would work as a team of all teams, endless days and sleepless nights and the most fun ever. raising the bar on a professional and personal level, deciding that mediocre is not enough, trusting not only yourself but the person standing next to you was crusial for success. one heat exhaustion, 18 months, 31 days of shoots, 56 models and some 38000 frames later we were finished. make up bible was finally a reality.

i have nothing more to say but thank you, shine like the brightest light.

SMART HAS THE PLANS, STUPID HAS THE STORIES. (aka bringing the blog back to life with a bang after a long summer hiatus)

2011-08-16T15:08:00.009+03:00

a great big thank you for the lovely folks at diesel for inviting me to the diesel garage at this year's flow festival and asking me to be a part of their tribe of the lost boys. it was definately a weekend to remember and the best party of this summer! also, happy late birthday to emma who celebrated on saturday, you go gurl!

summer night city.

2011-08-08T00:08:00.001+03:00

2011-07-22T17:37:00.008+03:00

don't think of them as thousands of people but as thousands of lights.

i can see you, he said, and we all believed.

distant dreamers.

2011-07-19T17:09:00.006+03:00

my two favorite details of a painting that's made a brief appearance in the blog some time ago.
i love (what seems to me like) two distant dreamers standing high up on the hill looking into the horizon and the oppressing heavy grey sky hanging motionless above the blazing sunrise somewhere far far away.

the painting is by lovely and talented (and luckily for me, a dear friend of mine) marianne nieminen who is being represented by johan s gallery in helsinki at their ongoing 'take away' summer exhibition.

marianne nieminen / galleria johan s 12.7.-29.7.2011

the blue and the dim and the dark cloths of night and light and the half-light.

2011-07-19T12:20:00.002+03:00

house of shattered dreams.

2011-07-04T19:06:00.008+03:00

as if ashamed of it's derilict condition and deserted grounds, the house stood silently up on a hill lurking behind some odd trees. and silly us, driving in a hurry, nearly missed it. abandoned and lonely, unwilling to tell anything of it's days of glory and all of it's stories of happier times promtly locked in and tucked away in the misty cellars. long ago shattered windows flickering quietly in the soft summer breeze, once beautiful and inviting doors so battered and fragile that they looked to stay shut with nothing but sheer will power to keep any unwanted visitors at a distance. i sincerely hope that rather sooner than later some beautiful soul would come along and wash away the moss and grime, neatly put the windows up, open the stiff doors and fill the majestic house once again with light and love.

simple as holding hands?

2011-06-28T17:06:00.002+03:00

to celebrate helsinki pride 2011 and love. exhibition opening tonight. come!

'kultapieni' i call him.

2011-06-25T13:48:00.003+03:00

joker and a charmer, alien in two countries (his words, not mine), appointed slave to beauty, visionaire and an artist extraordinaire. caretaker of many and father for a few. an enigma and a riddle. he sees things that no one else can and acts with the greatest kindness in his hands. but most of all and most importantly, a dear friend. and he brought me flowers.

i miss you the second you leave.

2011-06-22T10:41:00.002+03:00

if i could reach the stars.

2011-06-19T17:37:00.002+03:00

i'd give them all to you.

fly, fly, away.

2011-06-08T14:50:00.003+03:00

be back in ten days, if you're in a hurry you can reach me via email.

m

lots of green with a hint of pink aka channelling emmanuelle at the museum of natural history.

2011-06-06T22:44:00.009+03:00

paul smith once wrote that you can find inspiration in everything and i couldn't agree more. flicking through some old photos from the museum of the natural history made me instantly think about a 70's or 80's themed fashion/beauty shoot that i'd love to do as soon as i get a second to breathe and reboot. i find this kind of daydreaming and loitering about crucial to my work and this sort of a 'diary kept' is why i rarely leave the house without my coolpix.

what makes you tick?

and somewhere behind the dark woods i saw this dream-like, beautiful and lonely figure that i'd never seen before yet i already knew him.

2011-05-31T17:20:00.009+03:00

umberto is the latest addition to a series of images that i've been working on.
i think there is a storm brewing somewhere in my head. more will follow.

who's that girl?

2011-05-30T13:58:00.009+03:00

to find out, clickclickclick here.

fashion / gTie & outsapop
make up & hair / piia hiltunen
photography assistant / sara vallioja

a great big thank you to club tavastia for an amazing day, location and for letting me to have a go as real life light technician.

girls on film.

2011-05-24T09:55:00.003+03:00

a candid frame from tiia vanhatapio f/w 2011 collection.
more to come when fall is at hand, now let us enjoy from this beautiful summer!

model / siiri
make up and hair / karoliina kangas

maurice. (the post formerly known as boathouse boy but edited due to newly found inspiration and a little help from a kind reader)

2011-05-18T15:11:00.005+03:00

make a wish.

2011-05-16T13:30:00.002+03:00

the light of love.

2011-05-09T15:01:00.004+03:00

'the light of love, the purity of grace,
the mind, the music breathing from her face,
the heart whose softness harmonized the whole,-
and oh, that eye was in itself a soul! '

-lord byron

druidess / tiia vanhatapio s/s 2011
model / kirsi k. / brand models
hair & make up / karoliina kangas

second star to the right, and straight on till morning.

2011-04-29T10:33:00.007+03:00

i love how the novel explains that the neverlands (or never never never lands like they were first called) are found in the minds of children, and that although each is 'always more or less an island', and they have a family resemblance, they are not the same from one child to the next. john darling's 'had a lagoon with flamingos flying over it' while his little brother michael's 'had a flamingo with lagoons flying over it'. the novel also broadens the subject by telling that the neverlands are compact enough that adventures are never far in between and it says that a map of a child's mind would resemble a map of neverland, with no boundaries at all.

well, i've always imagined my friend's beautiful summer house to be one. it's never short on adventures, looks like the map of her mind, one never never never has to grow up and you can stay up for as long as you want, or in my case, sleep for as long as you want.

vihrea talo for the may 2011 issue of divaani magazine.

everyday items of an unuseful sort.

2011-04-27T11:58:00.009+03:00

for the past twenty years my life has been assessed, bound, limited, and somewhat defined by the fact that i've had a pair of glasses on my face. until resently, that is. it's not that i ever minded having to wear glasses but when the lovely folks at espoon silmasairaala offered me a chance to get rid of them i pretty much jumped with joy and excitement.

a bit scared but overcome with excitement i dragged my doctor teemu (bless him) to hell and back with my endless questions about the laser surgery and how it would affect my eyesight.

once he got me convinced that no, the surgery would not leave me paralysed, bald, color blind or blind (or dead) i decided to go ahead with the procedure.

the operation in itself was not a big deal, it was over way before i thought to myself that i propably should start panicing right about now. and the lovely staff would bring me fresh coffee and sandwiches to the recovery lounge -where i would stay just a little bit longer than needed 'cos i knew they had chocolates as well.

all in all, things did go welll and i haven't regretted for a split second having the surgery done. what i HAVE been doing instead has been having fun-fun-fun, doing sports without being semi-blind or bumbing into walls, wearing sunglasses and still been able to see and most of all, doing work being able to trust my own eyes for the first time ever. i'd run out of fancy words on going on and on about how happy i've been and all that so i won't even start. but. if you are looking into having the laserlaser on your eyes, visit the site where you can find my story along with couple of other ones and a hefty bunch of general information regarding the operation and how it's done. go now.

return to innocence.

2011-04-20T15:12:00.005+03:00

a simple outtake from a tiia vanhatapio shoot we did today.
one manic week is coming to a close and i'm off to the country side tomorrow.
take care all of yous and have a relaxing easter weekend.

model / kirsi k.
hair & make up / karoliina kangas

let's hear it for new york!

2011-04-17T11:20:00.006+03:00

the story gets me every time; legend of a beautiful, all loving and all forgiving angel bethesda (for some reason i've always imagined her to be the most beautiful of all angels) who came down from the heavens during the time of the second temple and as her toe touched the ground the court yard parted and water would burst out. quite scandalously for the time, everyone was allowed to come to the fountain and if you'd drink from it or wash in it, you'd be healed from all illness and heart ache. despite everything that new york has to offer -and that's A LOT, especially this summer- the bethesda fountain in central park is my single most favorite place in the city. just like centuries ago, everyone is welcome with their joys and sorrows of everyday life and the most beautiful angel of all angels is silently overlooking the hustle of people coming and going, having coffees, taking photos, playing with their children and then carrying on with their lives. silently and lovingly, all forgivingly.

when the mist comes creeping in. (also introducing a new tag 'what's the haps')

2011-04-07T23:44:00.005+03:00

tell me what you see.

say hello, wave goodbye.

2011-03-31T14:10:00.004+03:00

she.

2011-03-23T16:06:00.004+02:00

may be the song that summer sings,
may be the chill that autumn brings,
may be a hundred different things,
within the measure of a day.

and so she was.

did i mention?

2011-03-16T12:51:00.002+02:00

THAT I LOVE SPRING !!!

in a submersible i can hardly breathe.

2011-03-16T11:55:00.003+02:00

as it takes me inside, so the light sings
answer me truthfully, do the clouds kiss you?
with meringue-coloured hair, I know they cannot.

hair & make up / mariela sarkima
model / sorella

and she manages to out-beauty almost everyone.

2011-03-14T16:45:00.009+02:00

i was 4 and she was 5, she showed me hers and i showed her mine, and that was it, we've been a-sort-of-family ever since.

she shields me from assholes and tells me when i'm wrong, she doesn't take 'no' for an answer and comes close to being a force of nature. she's a devoted mother of a beautiful three-year old, rock star, car collector, carpenter, designer and a diva who'd rather not walk. love her.

shapes, forms and angles. and a little mojito on the side.

2011-03-02T08:20:00.004+02:00

more often than not, I tend to focus on the things that are less than important to others. the first time I had a lovely little drink over at the ever so beautiful hudson hotel I couldn't keep my eyes off the amazing floor at the bar. oh well. you can find the picture over at the kuvapankki site as well.

celebration of love, life and diversity.

2011-02-26T12:52:00.007+02:00

the beautiful and brave men of msc finland for / nhl

in the memory of david kato and every single man and woman who have had to die an early and pointless death because they believed in equal rights for everyone.

back to basics.

2011-02-24T17:39:00.004+02:00

back to basics for / nanso

style / sofia oksanen
make up & hair / leena waggoner
model / nina r.

tread softly.

2011-02-23T22:59:00.004+02:00

had I the heavens' embroidered cloths,
enwrought with golden and silver light,
the blue and the dim and the dark cloths of night and light and the half-light,
i would spread the cloths under your feet:
but i, being poor, have only my dreams;
i have spread my dreams under your feet;
tread softly because you tread on my dreams.

w.b. yeates

breathe with me, when the lights go out.

2011-02-22T11:37:00.011+02:00

'don't be afraid
you are safe with me'

'don't turn away
don't try to escape'

'don't try to explain now
I know how you feel'

'but it's not the truth'

'I'll take my time to prove you wrong again
you don't belong in here nomore
I'm trying to find the place called home again
you don't belong in here nomore.'

old friends, new friends, long-lost friends. short friends, tall friends, newly found friends.
silly friends, forever friends. i don't need to look any further for i have come home.

music and lyrics manboy.

melissa.

2011-02-20T20:40:00.007+02:00

troubled beauty, goddess, enigma, question that needs to be answered. she made me really fall in love with photography.

wherever you might be dear, i hope all is well and life is treating you kindly.

this is my church.

2011-02-15T09:31:00.007+02:00

the rest of my little sanctuary is featured in the latest issue of trendi magazine out now.

the gospel of saint marco.

2011-02-13T15:07:00.004+02:00

marco - madman, visionaire, artist extraordinaire, muse, mirage, miracle, hotness incorporated, vagabond and a king.

most of all and most importantly, a dear friend.

queen of the underworld.

2011-02-10T20:49:00.008+02:00

queen of the underworld for lustwear

production / ilona virtanen

make up and hair / timo karvinen

model / hanna

COLOUR!

2011-02-09T13:09:00.006+02:00

a fairly vague project, one of the most talented designers in the country, totally incomprehensible brief, mirrors, coloured plexiglass and off you go.

now which way do we go?

2011-02-08T12:02:00.004+02:00

lions, and tigers, and bears! oh, my!

hello.

2011-01-30T14:44:00.006+02:00

do i know you from somewhere?

i'm spinning around.

2011-01-30T12:55:00.001+02:00

king of abstract painters.

2011-01-26T13:30:00.004+02:00

don't think of them as thousands of people,
think of them as thousands of lights.

standing on the edge of forever.

2011-01-24T16:37:00.005+02:00

mert & simon.

incredibly charming and talented boys well on their way to take over the fashion world by a storm.

on the road again.

2011-01-21T15:16:00.004+02:00

i'm off to stockholm for the weekend.
stay safe and have fun all of yous.

'cause we were never being boring.

2011-01-19T12:51:00.008+02:00

I came across a cache of old photos
And invitations to teenage parties
"Dress in white" one said, with quotations
From someone's wife, a famous writer
In the nineteen-twenties
When you're young you find inspiration
In anyone who's ever gone
And opened up a closing door
She said: "We were never feeling bored"

one two three, testing testing testing.

2011-01-16T19:26:00.004+02:00

maryam / modelboom
first frames with the new tilt & shift.
i'm in love.

for auld lang syne.

2011-01-04T02:40:00.005+02:00

I was in tallinn for the new year's a few years ago with some friends and the lovely people who hosted a party for us, not only made me feel more welcome than i had ever felt before but taught us that when you let go of the old and ring in the new year you should always have some change in your pocket for good finance, a yellow or a golden string around your finger for marital luck and you write a personal wish on tiny piece of paper, burn the paper and drink up the ash with champagne to make sure that the new year treats you kindly. i wish a had enough change, gold thread and champagne to hand out to all of you but i have to leave with my best wishes to each and everyone of you and the images above will have to make up for the rest. happy 2011 everyone, stay safe and remember that you are beautiful.

some are like water, some are like the heat. some are a melody and some are the beat.

2010-12-20T09:22:00.005+02:00

anonymous, dec 17 2010 9:49 pm.

this blog is awesome.

it provokes thoughts, feelings, makes you stop for a while every now and then. it's like taking one deep breath before moving on again into the hectic. I enjoy the peace in your photographs.

I like the originality and the familiarity of your ideas.
(evaluating is for professional people, not my forte.)

more! hot boys and dancing girls, dancing boys and hot girls.

I'll stay for the time being.

calimero, dec 16 2010 10:17 pm.

"Muumimamma sanoo, että elämän tarkoitus on elää niin, että jokainen päivä on juhla ja hakea kellarista hillopurkki. Kun elämästä ei voi tarkkaan tietää, täytyy yrittää olla onnellinen tänään"

taikku, dec 15 2010 4:47 pm.

CLEMENTINE
I'm Clementine. Can I borrow a piece of your chicken?

JOEL
And you picked it out of my plate before I could answer and it felt so intimate like we were already lovers.

taru, dec 11 2010 6:51 pm.

More action, less talk!
More talk, worse ideas!
Better ideas, less photos!
More photos, less action!
Great ideas, worse photos!
Less action, great photos!
More great, less more!

eerodaddy voodoodaddy, dec 11 2010 2:03 pm.

thank you all. each and every comment read, appreciated, loved and will be forever cherished.
you five readers above, please email (mikko.rasila@gmail.com) your postal address and I'll send out a little gift.

and last but not least, the lovely people at nikon promised to throw in one of their demo cameras and that goes out to your perfect enemy who said (on dec 16 2010 1:23 pm.)

Kuvat ja niihin liittyvät tekstit kertovat kauneuden näkemisen lahjasta arjessa - elämä on kaunis jos osaa avata silmät ja katsoa. Ja sinä Mikko osaat. Heijastuksissa, väreissä, vauhdissa, valossa, hetkissä, ajassa, liikkeessä.
Tunnelmallisten kuvien lisäksi blogissasi tuntuu olevan iloa ja aitoa onnellisuutta - tulee hyvä mieli ja hymyilyttää.
Kiitos. jatkathan?

kiitos. jatkan.

love,

m

portrait of a dancer.

2010-12-15T16:18:00.005+02:00

eric / paparazzi

don't forget to leave your comments on the post below either.

how far down does the rabbit hole go?

2010-12-11T12:41:00.006+02:00

yes? you like? you don't like?
six months, give or take a few days, 37 posts this one included.

puoli vuotta blogitusta. hirvee homma. 37 postausta tämä mukaanlukien.
nyt rakas lukijani sana on vapaa. kerro kerro kerro.
jätä kommentti tähän postaukseen ja lauantaina 18.12. arvotaan jouluyllätys.

overall comments?
thoughts?
discuss?
you trying to seduce me?
ideas?
evaluate?
would you like me to seduce you?
more?
less?
none?
hot boys and dancing girls?
stay forever?

please leave your comments on this post by sat Dec 18th.
yes, there will be a christmas giveaway.

love,

m

forever yours faithfully.

2010-12-09T16:24:00.004+02:00

Tiptoe through our shiny city
with our diamond slippers on
do our gay ballet on ice
bluebirds on our shoulders.

fast and furious.

2010-11-25T09:34:00.003+02:00

like an angel passing through my room.

2010-11-23T22:32:00.007+02:00

when talent meets talent meets talent and the outcome is presented in a location extraordinaire you know you're getting more than you ever bargained for. the beautiful and yes, talented, dancers are maryam nikandish & sophie augot. i love.

same same but different.

2010-11-15T02:26:00.003+02:00

i miss barcelona. i reallyreally do.

like an old fashioned piano party.

2010-10-30T16:30:00.005+03:00

when details speak in volumes. it's all coming back to me as if it was only yesterday. smells, bus routes, people and places. 'don't think about them as thousands of people, think about them as thousands of lights'.

bella.

2010-10-29T09:45:00.002+03:00

molto bella.

of life & love.

2010-10-23T18:48:00.013+03:00

my mother's strenght slowly faded and as life seemed to disappear from her eyes, the ilness took over more and more of her fragile being. a year ago on this day she finally gave in and quietly and calmly as the night itself when it happened, she took her last breath, only 13 short months after my father's passing. I felt that I was being cheated by life and that I was left complitely alone with nothing but nothingness and grief. many dark and lonely months followed, many dark and lonely months passed.

on one day, no particular, or different from any other day I woke up and felt as if I saw the sunlight for the first time in my life. it came to me that it had come time to move on. my parents were no doctors or presidents but common people. they rarely understood what I wanted to do or where I wanted to go. or why. but none the less the were always my parents and I was always their son. they taught me that I should always choose for myself and wherever I went or what ever I did, I should do so with elegance and grace. and whoever I met, I should always meet them with kindness and respect. especially my dear mother, who on her last leg with us taught me that there is light even in the darkest places. most of all and most importantly, they taught me to love. not only myself, but life, everything it has to offer and those who are deprived of it, those who are being shut out or are unable to speak for themselves.

against this backdrop, on this day when I commemorate those who are no longer with me, it fills my heart with great joy that we get to celebrate love and continuity of life in a wedding. not mine, but dear friends who have promised to love and cherish each other for the rest of their lives. I truly feel that there is still much to be seen and experienced in the world and that nothing embarks the legacy of my parents better than tonight's festivities.

love,

m

silent towers.

2010-10-11T12:53:00.010+03:00

as the day was folding away the fog surrounded everything into it's silent embrace. the street lamps shone their stale yellow glow, the trees stood still and the towering buildings were like silent guardians overlooking the party getting started down in the basement. lucky me, I happened to pop up to the corner shop to get some more crisps and witness how the horizon disappeared and everything seemed to float in the air. once again, happy birthday dear and many happy returns!

secret history

2010-10-07T19:14:00.005+03:00

maria / editor in chief / nhl

just like cotton candy.

2010-10-05T17:40:00.002+03:00

cotton candy, candyfloss, pashmak or fairy floss, call it what you wish but the clouds on my way home last week served the most beautiful and peaceful setting to reflect upon the perfect weekend spent with beautiful friends, old and new alike, i thank you all and hope to see you soon. all my love.

somewhere over the rainbow.

2010-09-20T10:46:00.003+03:00

somewhere over the rainbow
skies are blue
and the dreams that you dare to dream
really do come true.

what would you do?

2010-09-17T11:03:00.010+03:00

a small editor's (that being me) note; in the past couple of weeks I've had more and more visits from abroad and being the always-charming-always-polite me that I am, I thought about swapping into english to include everyone on these little stories of mine. I sincerely hope this change suits everyone and nobody feels left out or otherwise mistreated. love you all more than rainbows.

anyway.

a few weeks back I was lucky enough to hear those sweet words in a meeting with a (then yet to be) new client.
"what would you do?"
honestly? I would tell a story of an 80-year old family business with an incredible amount of talent, craftmanship, heritage and a house full of people with love and respect to their craft. how? I had no idea, but this is what I came up with.

pertti palmroth / made in finland since 1918

going inside.

2010-09-14T08:33:00.004+03:00

kiasmassa on huippunäyttely järjestetty juttu jossa minut hurmasi jacob dahlgrenin nauhainstallaatio johon ihmisiä kehoitettiin astumaan sisään. mitä siellä tapahtuu ja miltä se tuntuu kannattaa selvittää ite, tältä siellä minun mielestäni näytti.

colour like no other.

2010-09-13T11:34:00.003+03:00

kaksi asiaa.

2010-09-02T18:07:00.013+03:00

toinen loppui pari tuntia sitten, toisesta on vierähtänyt jo viikko, molemmat ovat jättäneet sydämeeni muistijäljen, joka ei lähde kulumallakaan.

bachin E-duuri viulukonserton viimeiset sävelet viipyivät vielä ilmassa kun temppeliaukion kirkko puhkesi myrskyäviin suosionosoituksiin, vieressäni istunut rouva pyyhki poskeltaan kyyneleitä, huomasin, koska tein itse samoin. helsingin barokkiorkesteri antoi parastaan ja reinhard goebel luotsasi orkesteriaan kuin isä lastaan, varmasti ja rakastavasti. mutta se, mikä sai ajan pysähtymään ja ympäröivän maailman katoamaan oli viktoria mullova ja viulu. viulu, joka soi ja soi ja soi. ai että miten se soi? HERRANJUMALA MITEN KAUNIISTI SE SOI! se soi koko ihmiselämän tunneskaalan kirjolla. ja kun soitto lakkasi, taisin hetken aikaa koskettaa tyhjyyttä.

ja se toinen taas, se vasta olikin aikamoista. legenda peikosta ja hohtavasta ritarista garmarnan kertomana, näytöksen ensimmäinen malli laskeutui alas vanhan vankilan rappusia ja minä tunsin nousevani arjen yläpuolelle, olevani osa jotakin paljon suurempaa, kuuluvani aikaan ja paikkaan. olin osa tarinaa, jonka tiia vanhatapio halusi jakaa. ideasta luonnokseksi, langasta kankaaksi. luovat kädet jotka koskettaa kangasta, tunnustelee ja miettii arvioivasti, muovaa ja muokkaa pelottomasti. vaatteeksi joka pakottaa katsomaan. lahjakkuus, joka on vertaansa vailla.

se mullovan viulu, se soi vielä uudestaan ylen radio 1:ssä 3.9.2010 klo 19.03

ja se näytös, toivon että alla olevat kuvat tekisivät sen kauneudelle edes vähän oikeutta.

tiia vanhatapio / five years of dark couture

style / minttu vesala

make up / karoliina kangas & crew

hair / kristel tamm & crew

models / brand model management / paparazzi

models casting / nora ojala

taajamajuna 975.

2010-08-24T12:05:00.004+03:00

reppu ja reissumies, taustalla pimenevä loppukesän taivas.

lovers of the arctic circle.

2010-08-13T16:26:00.006+03:00

suomen kesä oli kauneimmillaan, ystävät ympärillä ja valokuvaajan kauan odotettu vapaapäivä käsillä.

kaikki oli juurikin niin täydellistä kuin legenda kertoo, kunpa aina voisi olla näin.

mitä heille kertoisin, kysyjille vastaisin?

2010-08-10T15:05:00.001+03:00

this ain't no place for the weary kind.

2010-08-02T13:32:00.005+03:00

how wonderful life is now you're in the world.

2010-07-25T17:33:00.006+03:00

perjantaina joku itki ensimmäistä kertaa. 'mikä sillä on?', kysyi kolmevuotias, silitti hellästi pientä päätä ja peitteli lämpimästi kippuraiset jalat. minä näin lauantaina vilahduksen vielä sinisistä silmistä ja tunsin pienten sormien tarttuvan omaani. tänään nyytti ja äiti ovat kotiutuneet ja totuttelevat rakkauden täyttämään yhteiseen arkeen. kun minä olin pieni ja nukahtelin sinne tänne, äitini varmisti aina ensimmäiseksi että minulla oli peitto päälläni, itse ajattelin tehdä ystävän pienokaisen kanssa samoin. tervetuloa seikkailuun lapsonen, maailma on huikaiseva paikka, eikä vähiten siksi että sinä liityit seuraamme.

'cause nothing compares, nothing compares 2 u.

2010-07-20T13:15:00.006+03:00

manboy tänään bar kinossa, menkää te onnekkaat jotka olette porissa, minä hikoilen töissä.

as long as it's pink.

2010-07-19T17:48:00.009+03:00

maito ei ole ikinä maistunut niin hyvältä kuin näistä kaunokaisista, omani ovat finnish design shopista.

I go round and round just like a circle.

2010-07-14T18:43:00.004+03:00

kiireen keskellä studion rappusille unohtunut kahvilasi teki itsensä tiettäväksi.

saariston sinistä.

2010-07-05T08:24:00.003+03:00

it's friday I'm in love.

2010-07-02T11:10:00.003+03:00

"too much of anything is bad, but too much Champagne is just right."
-F. Scott Fitzgerald

hey mister DJ put your record on I wanna dance with my baby.

2010-06-29T23:12:00.003+03:00

mr sami montell

kaupunki kesäasussa.

2010-06-29T19:19:00.001+03:00

a midsummer night's dream.

2010-06-26T12:27:00.004+03:00

kuvat parin viikon takaiselta piknikiltä, jossa tunnelma oli kuin keijulaaksosta. minä olen vihreässä talossa ystävien ja koirien ympäröimänä, niistä kuvia myöhemmin. hauskaa ja rauhallista keskikesän juhlaa kaikille.

beauty in an unlikely place.

2010-06-23T15:11:00.005+03:00

laulu tulipunaisesta kukasta.

2010-06-22T17:40:00.005+03:00

Maria I, The Vixen Queen of The Scene.

2010-06-21T19:24:00.006+03:00

maria seppälä / editor in chief / NHL
make up & hair artist / maisa korhonen

tie, tie my darling.

2010-06-21T15:53:00.009+03:00

gTIE 2010

models / jenni / jukka / stella / karo / emilia / katja / jussi / monna / thank you all, I love you more than rainbows

pitkän päivän ilta.

2010-06-20T23:10:00.008+03:00

Lucellino kylpee laskevan auringon kultaisessa valossa.
kädet tuoksuu rosmariinilta ja timjamilta, tähän on hyvä nukahtaa.

san sebastian

2010-06-20T19:38:00.009+03:00

sebastian / fondi

introitus.

2010-06-20T17:03:00.005+03:00

en tiedä miksi muut kuvaavat mutta minä kuvaan koska minun on pakko. valokuvaus on minulle tapa tallentaa ja muokata todellisuutta, kertoa tarinoita ajasta ja paikasta, määrittää maailmaa ja neuvotella omaa paikkaani kaiken keskellä. rakastan työtäni ja kuvatessa tunnen oloni täysin vapaaksi. minua kiehtoo se miten demokraattinen ja samalla niin haastava formaatti valokuvaus on, aina ei tarvita maailman monimutkaisimpia välineitä hyvän kuvan ottamiseen, joskus taas yksinkertaisinkaan visio ei onnistu ilman parhaita välineitä. olen kovin onnellinen reissatessani pienen ja pinkin tyttöpokkarini kanssa ja vain räpsiessäni menemään, töissä taas hikoilen ison ja raskaan rungon ja tuhottoman painavan linssin kanssa. kamera on minulle kuin peto, joka pitää kesyttää. se vaatii eikä jätä rauhaan. pitää olla asioista mieltä ja päättää miltä haluaa niiden näyttävän. mieleisensä kuvan saaminen on kuin pala taivasta ja sitä seuraa euforinen olo, joka ohimennessään jättää tyhjäksi ja pakottaa aloittamaan alusta. tämä blogi syntyi tarpeesta saada kommunikoida asioita nopeammin ja vapaammin kuin lehtien sivuilla tai kuvastojen julkaistuttua. toivon että ihmiset katsoisivat kuviani vilpittömin mielin ja avoimin sydämin. antaisivat niiden kertoa omaa tarinaansa ja liittäisivät niihin myös omiaan. ja jos joku innostuisi myös katsomaan omia kuviaan uudella tavalla, tai ottamaan itse kuvia, olisin maailman onnellisin poika.

rakkaudesta valoon ja varjoon.

mikko