Aapo Huhta

From the Kainuu project in Northeast Finland 2013

Aapo Huhta (B.1985, Finland) holds a BA in photography from the Lahti Institute of Design and Fine Arts and is currently studying for his Master’s degree at the Aalto University of Arts and Design in Helsinki Finland. He works with various editorial magazines and also produces personal documentary based projects. Aapo was awarded the Finnish Young Photojournalist of the Year 2011. In 2014 he was selected as one of the Top 30 Under 30 photographers by Magnum Photos, was included in the PDN Photo Annual Student Work Prize, and shortlisted for the Leica Oskar Barnack Award. His photographs have  been published in Vice, Red Cross Publications, Photo Raw, Suomen Kuvalehti, Image and Helsingin Sanomat.

About the Photograph:

“This image was made while I was working on our collaborative Kainuu project in Northeast Finland. What struck me about the region is the contrast between rural and urban environments. The area is the birthplace of an old Finnish mythology that everybody learns at school. Together with four other photographers we have been going there to explore these old stories through contemporary photography. For the project I was driving from house to house and meeting people to photograph. Helvi , the lady in the picture told me that she does a lot of puzzles in this summer nest of hers. She decorated the whole bedroom with the puzzles, so I asked if I could photograph her in this room. I like the challenge of making photographs out of the ordinary and trying to find key elements to make something interesting. But sometimes you are just lucky to find characters or situations which make the photographs intriguing by itself.”