HELSINKI: The Tuomas Uusheimo Exhibition
New exhibition by Berlin-based photographer Tuomas Uusheimo http://www.uusheimo.com opened in Helsinki this week. Uusheimo travels extensively on commercial assignments all over the world and has also spent longer periods in one place on artists’ residencies, in Tunisia recently. He trained as an architect first, which shows in the way he observes the built environment. The photographs showcased at the Lasipalatsi Film and Media Centre form a story of observations from different locations across the globe.
There is a meticulousness in the way Uusheimo captures light and architectural forms in his compositions. A great example of this is the image we used for the cover of Grand Tour Helsinki guide: a view with four landmark buildings. Uusheimo is experienced working with the cool Nordic light, but says it can be tricky: “Maybe just the lack of it really. And that is a good thing too” he said, “I shoot a lot in the mornings and at nightfall when the light is scarce, it often creates more interesting atmosphere than direct sunlight and blue skies”.
Uusheimo uses mostly a Canon 5D Mark III, which he says has a great selection of lenses. Even on commercial assignments he prefers natural light and rarely uses additional light equipment. One of the most spectacular, although challenging, moments he has encountered was in Hämeenlinna in Finland a couple of years ago: “It was the darkest time of the year when the sun hardly rises above the horizon, which makes the gloom of twilight last longer. There was fresh snow on the ground from the night before. The temperature was around -25C and the weather was crystal clear with tiny ice snowflakes in the air. The setting was perfect in terms of light.”
The exhibition space is housed in the 1930s Lasipalatsi building, a key example of Nordic modernist architecture, which has been recently restored. The young Viljo Revell was one of the architects behind its iconic form.
http://www.lasipalatsi.fi/info-en
http://www.lasipalatsi.fi/tapahtumat/event/444—souvenirs-matkamuistoja-tuomas-uusheimon-valokuvia