A studio visit with Osma Harvilahti
photographs by Johannes Romppanen
Where is your studio exactly and how long have you been working there?
My studio is located at the district of Kamppi in Helsinki, Finland. I live literally across the street so it’s not unusual for me to spend the whole day at work and only use my apartment as a place to sleep. I started working here last year.
What are the pros and cons of your studio?
I must say there aren’t many downsides here, maybe I could squeeze out one thing and it would be the lack of natural light during the winter months but then again it’s the same everywhere here in northern Europe. Oh well, it gets a bit cold here on winter and quite warm during the summer. I really like the space and it’s good for any kind of projects since it’s spacious, clean but also cozy. Also the studio feels like 1 big space even though it’s divided in 3 sections so there’s enough room and privacy even for bigger amount of people & big productions. There’s a supermarket and a nice japanese restaurant close by so can’t complain.
How many hours do you usually spend there per week?
Sometimes a weekly average might turn out to be 60-70 hours. I travel a lot and this obviously changes my routine but while in Finland I really try to stick to normal hours. It’s specially hard while working on both personal and commercial work at the same time and it’s also difficult to tell the difference between work and free time since I really enjoy what I’m doing.
Do you have your own daily routine within the studio? For exemple, do you usually start by answering your emails then get to work etc?
Usually and during the week I start with having a cup of coffee and maybe some breakfast. The second thing to do is going through my emails and trying to prioritize the ones that require a quick response. Emails have turned to be an ever growing work load and it takes a lot of my time to keep everyone happy. Then, depending on if I’m having a shoot or not, I’ll spend some time editing or planning future projects. Usually I prepare my lunch at the studio and it’s about 2 o’clock at this point. A big part of my routine is going through magazines and favourite blogs & websites and I do this almost daily. Before I leave the studio I usually take another snack or prepare a small dinner. During the weekend it’s good to grab a couple of beers or watch a movie with friends here.
Are there things you deliberately forbid yourself to do/have within the studio in order to be more productive?
Not really, it feels natural to mix things together but sometimes it feels a bit dangerous to spend too much time here as things might get too comfortable. It’s good to get out of the space to get some fresh air but then again filling the fridge with food allows me to keep working with less breaks and interruptions caused by lunch & coffee breaks etc. If there’s a lot of work I try to stay late and even work overnight as that seems to be the most productive time for me.
Do you sometimes wish you had your own studio? What are the pros and cons of sharing your workspace with someone else?
It’s really good to share the studio with some of my best friends and there’s always someone to give you an advice or a hand. I think it’s nice to have people around but if it gets noisy I usually just turn up the volume a bit. Music is essential to keep me focused and happy.
What is your favorite track to edit photos to?
for more of Osma’s work, please visit www.osma.fi
A studio visit with Shen Wei
photographs by Amy Lombard
Where is your studio exactly and how long have you been working there?
My studio is in the Financial District of Manhattan, a few blocks north of Wall Street. I have been living and working here since 2007.
What are the pros and cons of your studio?
The location is very convenient, easy to get around the city. My studio is also a part of my apartment, so it is also very convenient to get to work, but that also means sometimes I can get distracted easily.
How many hours do you usually spend there per week?
I spend most of my day here. If I am not out I am either on my computer or at the drawing desk. My photography work is mostly shot on location and I love to travel. I am on the road for almost 4 months every year.
Do you have your own daily routine within the studio? For exemple, do you usually start by answering your emails then get to work etc?
I am truly a night person. I work the best at late night, usually until 4 or 5 in the morning. So I wake up quite late in the day and then I have my breakfast tea while answering emails. In the afternoon I usually arrange to meet people, go to museums and galleries, and make phone calls, etc. My real production hour starts after dinner.
Are there things you deliberately forbid yourself to do/have within the studio in order to be more productive?
I am a super neat person so I can’t work in a messy environment. Everything has to be placed properly in my studio. I always clean up my desk after a night of work.
Do you sometimes wish you shared your studio with one or a few other artists?
I used to share a working studio with another artist in Tribeca. But right now I prefer to have my own space. I often invite artist friends over to my place for gatherings, to exchange ideas, and to discuss each other’s work.
What is your favorite track to edit photos to?
Most of the time I either listen to classical music or French Chanson when I am working.
This month, in our annual Photo Issue, The FADER is publishing a feature on the epidemic of youth violence in Chicago, photographed by Daniel Shea. It’s no exaggeration to say this has been one of the most fulfilling projects that Daniel and I have ever worked on.
The feature is live online today. Over the duration of the week four extended edits will be posted along with conversations between Daniel and I.
This essay was a deviation from past photo issues. Instead of publishing preexisting work we decided to commission one large essay with ambitious goals. Our choice to shoot on the ground in Chicago stemmed from the idea that the violent rhetoric that permeates contemporary rap music has a human cost that is too often overlooked. The FADER and many other magazines covering new music feature musicians that propagate cultures of violence (like Chief Keef, who Daniel shot for The FADER’s cover less than a year ago). With the magazine’s audience of young people in mind, we wanted to face that head on.
What resulted is 16 pages of photographs and a Q&A with veteran Chicago reporter Alex Kotlowitz. We aimed to depict what life in the South Side is like for young people, through individuals affected by violence, those participating in it and the grassroots effort to curb the spread of retaliatory crime which seems to have no end.
I would like to personally thank Daniel, my friend, for his incredible effort and determination working on this project, as well as the staff and publishers of The FADER for believing in it and to the men and women of CeaseFire who opened countless doors for us. Please spread the word and consider donating to their incredible effort.
Reblogged from geordiewood with 1,248 notes
“The picture from Denver was different, as far as investment. I spent a cloudy afternoon with the small group. As we walked the woman explained that she had travelled with the last of her savings from Ohio to Colorado in search of her estranged mother. When her journey ended on the doorstep of her mother’s home she was refused entry, and in the process her mother renounced her. Afterward, she walked the streets of Denver until she found consolation in the company of strangers. That’s when I came across them. Coincidentally, the crying man in the background was dealing with the death of his mother, who had passed that very same morning.”
Esquire Russia published my series Missing to accompany an article on kidnapped people, all I have to do now is finding someone who can translate the article.
ETWM guest curates ‘Another Escape’ Volume 1
Hello, Samuel here. It’s been very quiet here at ETWM for a while now but we are pleased to announce that we recently collaborated with Another Escape Magazine.
Myself, Sam. A. Harris and Alex Catt selected a photographer each to feature in a dedicated ETWM section of the magazine. I wrote a short introduction about us and put it all together in some spreads which then got sent off to the guys at Another Escape.
A big thank you to our chosen contributors Brendan Barry, Pauline Magnenat and Louis Perreault.
We couldn’t be more pleased with how everything turned out. Things are slow here, but still active and there will be a second volume of ETWM and some updates in the future.
We hope you continue to enjoy everything we have put out so far. Please check in every now and then and remember we are still accepting submissions via our flickr group.
Reblogged from escapetowhichmountain with 93 notes
