Impi

On a random day I happened to pass the Elias Lönnrot statue and noticed that someone had placed a boquet in Impi's hand [Quite a contrast to the statue when covered with snow]. Why is Impi in such a diminutive position on the statue when she is the creator, Väinämöinen is her son and Lönnrot is just a man? I'll guess that the year 1902 and a male sculptor had a lot to do with that.

And, a few links I've been collecting on my post-it pile...

• Helsinki by Bike with pictures and map.
• HS correspondent rebuffs US political party solicitation, hilarity ensues.
• Gen-X Leica Slacker which includes a look at the new Leica-H prototype!
• Photojournalist Michael Hintlian documents the Big Dig with his Leica M's and a lot of chutzpah. The Big Dig also has a photo gallery with hundreds of photos over the duration of the massive project that has screwed up traffic in Boston for over a decade. An interview with Hintlian had one particularly good response:

Q: Did the Central Artery Project present any new technical challenges? Did you use any new techniques for the project?

A: The Artery project is probably the most hostile environment in which I have ever worked; mud, clouds of dust, splashing concrete, an oily mist in the air, subzero temperatures in winter, and summer heat. As far as technique is concerned, I work simply and I changed nothing about the way I approached this project. I normally work with two Leica rangefinder cameras and 3 lenses (one on each body and the third in my pocket). When I shoot I am trying to make the space between the subject and me as simple as possible, and these cameras are perfect for that.  I carry 15 or 20 rolls of film - 10 or 12 rolls of Tri-X and the rest T-Max P3200. And sometimes when I don't think I'll be shooting a lot in the dark I'll bring all Tri-X and rely on a flash to help when needed.

Why black and white?  The Big Dig is a black and white project; there is very little color.  When I shoot color I really want to go for color, I think that's what a photographer is compelled to do...the palette becomes available and, thus, becomes an important consideration.  I tried shooting color of the project and was disappointed.

More important than technique or equipment has been approach, it has not been an easy subject to penetrate.  My access to the sites has been self-granted.  I started shooting the project in 1997. For the first two years I was usually chased out of the sites and told to leave.  To my advantage, the project was so big that I could walk a block or two and enter another totally separate and unconnected site and continue to work.  I got used to it. Then, after several years, supervision got used to me and grew tired of shooing me out.  I made sure I brought 5X7's to pass out on some regular basis, which helped break ice, and after a while I was able to work almost unnoticed.  That was what I worked for and it's made a big difference in the kind of photographs I have been able to make.  Officially I have no status...I don't belong there and never have.  But then, I do, actually.

• The lensbaby, the new fad for those without a Lomo, but even lomo people can get tunnelvision for their Lomo. The effect is a novelty only briefly and quickly replaced with a optical nausea.
• updated Mignon page with translations of 2 informative pages about the Mignon eggs and how they are made.

20 May 2004 at 13:53, Helsinki