Self Portrait
©2013 Antti Karppinen
ILFORD GALERIE Prestige Gold Fibre Silk figured prominently in this year’s competition for Portrait Photographer of the Year in Finland. Winner Antti Karppinen prepared his entry photographs on Gold Fibre Silk for the competition. “For this competition I decided to use Ilford Prestige Gold Fibre Silk paper,” says Karppinen. “I really loved the quality of the paper, the texture and the overall feeling in the colors the paper produces.”
Antti Karppinen has been taking pictures for a decade and working professionally as a photographer for about 6 years. With a strong background in retouching he has found his own unique style of photography. “I see the photos [finished] in my head before the shoot,” he says, “and I try to find the right means to [capture] my own vision.”
@2013 Antti Karppinen
To enter the Portrait Photographer of the Year competition hosted by the Finnish Professional Photographer’s Association, five images must be submitted that conform to a singular theme. Here’s what Karppinen says about his entries this year:
©2013 Antti Karppinen
“I wanted to create movie poster like images, timeless pieces of art that would work also as individual fine art images. I got inspired especially from Sue Bryce for the images of the small kids. Actually the boy with the dog is my own son, and the princess in the purple is my own daughter. Also my wife was in the pictures as the Ice Queen of Narnia. For the Ice Queen of Narnia world class makeup and hair artist Carita Ahonen helped me to create my unique vision.”
©2013 Antti Karppinen
He has entered for the past four years and received awards each year. This year he says, “I decided to push my self a bit more to make my best for this competition.” Photographer of the Year Finland competition is judged by prints themselves so the printing and paper selections are crucial for success. Karppinen is a certified Epson Digigraphie photographer, printing all the prints himself. He uses Epson 7800 printers and Digigraphie certified papers.
©2013 Antti Karppinen
This competition is not the only one from which Karppinen has won awards in Finland and across the globe. “I’m always looking for new ways of doing [photography],” he says. New ways indeed! Have a look at his own product line called ImagineAnything and you’ll see exactly what he means. He is also partner and creative director for Alias Studios. See portfolios on both websites to entertain and inspire you.
©2013 Antti Karppinen
Congratulations to Antti Karppinen. Give your photographs the winning edge with ILFORD GALERIE Prestige Gold Fibre Silk. Learn more about Gold Fibre Silk and other fine art papers at www.ILFORD.com. And be sure to follow us on Twitter @ILFORDImaging and “Like” us on Facebook at ILFORD Imaging.
Enjoy this multi-media presentation featuring the amazing work of Antti Karppinen. All images are ©2013 Antti Karppinen.
