Few words about myself

During my 43 years of existence, I’ve always been into visual arts. I first picked up a camera in my teens, during the late 1990’s even though it took many years until I became rather serious about it.

I have a background in illustration, drawing and painting and I’ve been working as a professional graphic designer for about 20 years. I love everything visual, artistic and creative, but photography is my biggest passion.

I’m not into gimmicks. I love straight photography, whether it’s portraiture or street photography. I want it to be real, not staged or forced. I want my photographs to capture the essence and the very being of the subject, whether it’s a passing moment, emotion or a glimpse of someone’s soul.

In addition to photography, I’m interested in writing and literature. I love to write about art and media theory, photography and visual creativity. I also find non-fiction, essays and short stories very compelling and fun.

I was born and raised in Helsinki, Finland and currently living in the neighbouring town of Sipoo.

Email ➡️ pekka@pekkakeskinen.com

FAQs

  • I don’t have favourite photographers as such, but to name few, I really appreciate the works of Sally Mann and Francesca Woodman. David Lynch is also a very big influence for me, even though he is obviously known for many different artistic endeavours.

  • We had a photography course at school, during late 1990’s, but for whatever reason, I didn’t sign up for it. Two girls from our class did how ever attend and for the rest of the year they wore old Nikons on their necks everywhere they went. It was such an inspiring sight and I really wanted to be like that as well. I regretted that I didn’t sign up for the class, but shortly after I received a Pentax SLR as a birthday present, that launched my journey into photography.

    I was absolutely clueless during the initial years. My learning curve was non-existent. I met my signicant other in the year 2000. She was shooting with a Canon T70 and introduced me to the Canon FD system. I swapped the Pentax for a T70 of my own and together we also purchased a second hand Canon AE-1 (with a 50mm f1.8 lens) that we shared. (We still by the way have those T70 bodies, even though both of them are now toast.)

    After digital came along, I sort of lost the connection to photography. I dabbled with some of the early digital point and shoot cameras and DSLR’s that I borrowed from school, but the magic simply wasn’t there anymore.

    Following a hiatus, I returned to film photography in around 2015 or 2016 after finding the Canon AE-1 from a storage box. I immediately found the magic connection again and started shooting like crazy. The confusion from my early days was now gone and I knew exactly what I wanted to do. I wanted to shoot only black and white film on a 50mm lens. I had a clear vision of the style that I wanted. I basically had to wait ten years before realising what I wanted to do with the camera. After that i’ve been shooting practically every day and being obsessed about the craft.

  • I love collaborating. Some of the most meaningful and best work I’ve ever done, are results of working together with someone.

  • 8 ½ (Federico Fellini)

    Mulholland Drive (David Lynch)

    The Lighthouse (Robert Eggers)

  • Occasionally I draw and paint. Figure drawing is extremely interesting, even though I really struggle with anatomy and poses. Reading and writing are also very important for me. Nothing beats a good book and I absolutely love the feeling of getting an idea for a short story or an article.

    In addition to creative and artistic hobbies, I also enjoy the great outdoors. I love the sea and I’ve been into ocean paddling for about ten years. I also happen to be a certified kayak paddling instructor. Hiking, camping and generally enjoying the nature are great fun too.

    My latest obsession is restoring bicycles. I love riding, but modern bikes just suck, so I got the idea of getting into the the alt bike world and started building my own custom bikes from older frames.

    And if cooking counts as a hobby, then I’ll just mention that as well. 😀

  • Infinite Jest (David Foster Wallace)

    Nausea (Jean-Paul Sartre)

    Galapagos (Kurt Vonnegut)

    Thus Spoke Zarathustra (Friedrich Nietzsche)

    The Unbearable Lightness of Being (Milan Kundera)

  • I don’t listen much mainstream music, but practically everything else. I appreciate music that thrives on individuality and has much expressive power, which is why I gravitate towards good metal bands, classical music and jazz. I also enjoy experimental music and ambient, Italian cinema soundtracks, dungeon synth and sometimes even something like sea shanties. (If that can be catecorized as a genre.)