Dancer Saida Solla with actor Anne Syysmaa in the poster for AINOA KOTINI.

It is always wonderful to be invited to make a poster image for a new play or a performance of any kind. Every occasion is a new opportunity to make an image that will convey the world that has been–or will be–created on stage or on location. It is an opportunity to make something that will speak to the viewer, capture their imagination and invoke feelings in them. And, on another level, it is a chance to work with a team of people that is committed to realizing a specific vision, which is why it is really an honor to be brought in as the photographer to help them do that.

Ainoa kotini (“My only home”), a play based on an autobiographical novel by Hanna Brotherus, was one of the projects that I was fortunate to work on early this year with Oulu Theatre. Brotherus is a dancer and a choreographer and her book deals with her growing up in a Finnish family and aspiring to become an artist. She also describes very personal and difficult matters, such as living with an eating disorder, losing her sister to illness, caring for her children as they go through their own difficulties. As with all of us, there is a public Hanna and a private Hanna and the conflicts and interplay of these two Hannas was something that director Susanna Airaksinen and choreographer Panu Varstala wanted to bring to the stage.

In the show, the character of Hanna is portrayed by actor Anne Syysmaa and dancer Saida Solla. This duality was important to portray in the poster and other promotional images for Ainoa kotini. The brief stated that we will have both of these performers in the same image, wearing identical costumes but representing very different sides of Hanna, as they do on stage. The team had decided on the costume which was a light-blue dress and white heels for both, hair down, similar make up, as well as the set: orange curtain as a backdrop to contrast with the color of the dresses and a 1950’s era sofa and coffee table to imply home. Costume designer Karoliina Koiso-Kanttila and set designer Aino Koski were also there on the day of the shoot and they are not only fun and easy-going people but also consummate professionals.

So, what is there left for the photographer to do when the brief is so clear and exact? The execution seems straightforward: light the set, have the director and choreographer direct the talent and make the picture at the right moment. Five minutes and we’re done, right? Well, there are a number of things to do and decide in the moment, even if the preparation has been thorough.

First, there is the lighting, which is technical but also expressive. You typically have to solve a practical issue or two, which dictate the choices you make to a certain extent. We wanted to freeze Saida in mid-air as she was jumping while Anne was seated on the couch. One character being wild and reckless, other prim and proper. So, you need to have a short flash duration because you are lighting everything with flash and the flash duration becomes your shutter speed. Long flash duration means movement will be visible and we do not want that in this case.

In terms of expression, we wanted to have the set lit evenly to give the poster image a clear visual form. Strong shadows in the image or chiaroscuro-type lighting wouldn’t work here, especially given the vibrant colors of the dresses and the backdrop. So, now you need to have fairly large modifiers to let the light flow evenly across the set.

Second, are you trying to get everything in-camera, in one shot instead of compositing in Photoshop later? In-camera, of course, because that’s where all the fun is! (But I usually do shoot on a tripod so I have the option to composite, if need be. I know, I’m a wimp.) This makes for a nice atmosphere on set. It gets everybody on their toes and concentrated. It ups the stakes a little bit, so to speak.

Saida and Anne were great in providing many different options and we would break every few minutes to see what we already have. These types of shoots I usually shoot tethered (which is another reason why the tripod is handy, no running around with some cord getting tangled up) because it speeds up the process. The director and the choreographer can see the results quickly and can adjust things like body position, expression and so on.

In the end, for the jump shot we only made five or six images before we decided we had it. We had a box for Saida to jump off of to get more air in her jump and clear the couch.

Two large umbrellas camera right and left, right one with a touch more power. You can see there are more pronounced shadows on the subjects’ left side as well as the coffee table. The box cast a shadow under the couch which I removed later in post.

Then we went on to other alternatives, namely a horizontal one. Jumps wouldn’t work here, so we gave Saida a break and had her take it easy on the couch:

It’s not all so serious on set! This was a good time for sure on the shoot even if we were working efficiently and trying not to wear out the talent. You can also see some of the post-processing the images needed, like cleaning up the dance mat and ironing out the wrinkles on the curtain.

And that’s it! AINOA KOTINI premiered in August. In addition to the people mentioned above, there are a number of performers and other crew involved in the production. Performers: Elina Korhonen, Pentti Korhonen, Elviira Kujala, Joose Mikkonen, Merja Pietilä, Aki Pelkonen, Timo Pesonen, Janne Raudaskoski, Ville Sievänen and Tuula Väänänen. Light design by Elina Romppainen, sound design by Jari Niemi, hair&makeup design by Eija Juutistenaho, set design by Aino Koski and costume design by Karoliina Koiso-Kanttila.

Here are a few photographs I made for the programme for AINOA KOTINI.