Finland: To Everything a Season

An ode to Hannu Hautala. I first became aware of Finland's nature through reading an article in BBC Wildlife magazine, in the mid-eighties, illustrated by Hannu Hautala's images. Ten years later I made my first visit and I have been returning on a regular basis ever since. Hannu Hautala is widely regarded as the 'Father of Finnish nature photography'. His distinct style set him apart. While others were concentrating on producing frame-filling photos, Hannu was utilising Finland’s unique landscape and light by placing the, often small subject, within the landscape. I guess you could say he was at the forefront of contextual nature photography. His work has always been a source of inspiration to me and if you are not aware of him, please, do seek out his images on the internet. Better still, buy one of his books! 10 years ago, I had the enormous pleasure of meeting the great man. I guess you could say I was a little star-struck. They say you should never meet your heroes; I'm glad I met mine!