ABSTRACT Finnish !eatre Photography and the In"uence of Technology Finnish Theatre Photography !is article is mainly based on interviews with three Finnish photographers’, Kari Hakli, Jalo Porkkala, and Petri Nuutinen’s as well as on the theatre photo- graphs they have taken. !e criterion for selecting these three photographers has and the Influence of Technology been that their work spans a number of decades; therefore, the development of Finnish theatre photography can be studied from this perspective. !e theatre photograph is a photo of the stage image, which is often based on the dramatur- SUSANNA VIRKKI gy of the play script. !e subjects and points of view of the photographer are not generally agreed on in advance with the director or the actors, but they are based on the photographer’s own estimations and views. He/she interprets and trans- mits the performance to the audience with his images, and works in between the theatre and the spectator, but he is not the artistic producer when photograph- ing, the performance is, i.e. he/she has not chosen lights, costumes or set design. !eatre performance is a complex art form. !e per- vious studies on theatre photographs are virtually Technology has had a signi$cant in"uence on the theatrical image and pho- formance, which is presented in the same premises, non-existent.1 tographic equipment. With the development of materials and equipment, the is the same every time and yet it is always unique. !is article starts with some theoretical re"ec- making of theatre photographs has shifted from a static process into a more It happens here and now. It is a unique work of art tions on theatre photography and after that a short dynamic one. Finnish theatre photography has reacted quickly to aesthetic at the time of the performance, but it will never history of Finnish theatre photography is presented trends in both theatre and photography. In the past it was possible to photo- be complete because the atmosphere of the perfor- to provide a context for the following discussion. graph only static or slow-moving objects in a set situation or in a pose. Today, mance changes and interacts with its makers and Finally, the work of the three Finnish photographers the photographer can move among the actors, photograph fast-moving objects the audience, i.e. presence and point of view of is analysed based on the theoretical and historical with a handheld camera using the stage lighting without the need for additional spectator(s) is of the utmost importance. context. lights. !e images look more as if they have been taken by an insider, someone In this article, I investigate theatre photography who belongs to the team, rather than by an intruder. !eatre photographs are and I have tried to answer the following questions: nowadays needed in the same way they have always been needed, as documents how does one photograph a theatrical performance, THEATRE PHOTOGRAPHY of the performance. how has technology changed photography and how !eatre historian Barbara Hodgdon writes the fol- has the function of theatre photography changed. lowing about the theatrical image: “!e theatrical Keywords: photography, theatre, technology, image, performance. !e article is mainly based on interviews with three still is the visible remains of what is no longer visi- Finnish photographers – Kari Hakli, Jalo Porkka- ble, a fragment that steals your theater, stills of it – la, and Petri Nuutinen – as well as analyses of their and dis-stills from it. Considered as performance in theatre photographs. !ese photographers have all pieces, the theater photograph undertakes a visual made signi$cant careers in theatre photography. conversation with performance: the silent, impov- BIOGRAPHY !e criterion for selecting these three has been that erishes, partial, it seizes appearances, violently severs their work spans a number of decades; therefore, the them from original context; inseparable from and Susanna Virkki has been working as teacher and tutor at the Open University development of Finnish theatre photography can be traversed by the lived experience of the theater, it of Turku, Summer University at West- and Pori Art School since 2003, studied from this perspective. Photos of theatrical requires narrative, anecdote, to supplement it.”2 where she has taught art history, aesthetics and art philosophy. She obtained her performances can be said to have moved from their !e theatre photograph is a photo of the stage MA in Art History at the University of Turku in 2008, concentrating on theatre, active use and into a di#erent context. !at is to say, image, which is often based on the dramaturgy of photography, semiotics and visual culture. !e title of her thesis is Image, Word the photos have been transferred to the archives as the play script. !ey are usually taken at the dress and Space in !eatre. !eatre Photographs of the Performance Celebration and their documents and fragments of the past and have be- rehearsal, where stage circumstances are similar to Semeiotics Interpretation. She began her PhD studies at the University of Turku come an essential part of the evidentiary record. To the actual performance, and there are usually spec- in 2013. !e title of her PhD thesis is Illusion is Exposing. !eatre Photographs the researcher of theatre photographs the work will tators in the auditorium. !e photographer moves as Representations of the Performance. Together with photographer Jalo Porkkala, be challenging due to the vast scale and fragmented around on the stage and in the wings, observing. Virkki has published an exhibition programme Light - Space - Time. !eatre nature of the source material. A considerable num- !e subjects and points of view of the photograph photographs of 30 years for Poriginal gallery (Jalo Porkkala, Susanna Haltsonen: ber of theatre photographs are available, but most are not generally agreed on in advance with the di- www.blurb.com, 2009). of them have not been properly archived, and pre- rector or the actors, but are based on the photog- susanna.virkki@utu.%

60 Nordic Theatre Studies vol. 26: no. 2 Nordic Theatre Studies vol. 26: no. 2 61 rapher’s own estimations and views. S/he interprets void with meaning in which case the lack of signif- acknowledge that as documents, theatre photo- some photographers, to some extent, had already and transmits the performance to the audience with icance would be the place of signi$cance.6 A past graphs express their possible meanings in cultural started to orientate themselves towards the artis- his images, and works in between the theatre and performance is absent, so researchers do not have and symbolic codes. !ese codes include gestures, tic expression of their work. !is was mainly seen the spectator, but is not the artistic producer when direct access to it. To bridge this gap, documents are bodies, clothing, space and the conventions shown both in advertisements for photo studios and, in photographing, the performance is, i.e. s/he has not needed in order to be able to reconstruct and iden- in the images. All these combined a#ect the mean- the case of theatre photography, in the photographs chosen the lighting, costumes or set design. !ea- tify the performance. So, do the viewers and inter- ing of what, how and why. History is a part of the of di#erent theatres and individual performances.14 tre photography can be viewed and used, among preters of theatre photographs automatically have researcher’s process, but the researcher’s understand- In Finnish theatre journals, photographs with the other things, as documentation of the staging and prerequisites for identifying and understanding the ing is tied to the present day. In order to guarantee name of the photographer were used to introduce the theater director’s tool, portrait of the actor, as images? !e starting point, the $rst prerequisite, of the reliability and objectivity of the interpretation, the upcoming repertoire of the main theatres in an independent work of art, advertisement, or the all interpretation is that the interpreter must have the meaning must be returned to the dialogic in- . In these magazines the photos were almost photographer’s own comment. the ability to see something as something, seeing as.7 teraction between the interpreter and the photogra- always connected to the photographer. Contrary to !eatre photography is like a stage, where the !e second prerequisite in the process is that the pher.11 !e meaning can also be returned to the cul- that, in newspapers the publicity photos of plays photographer, the production and its components, interpreter must be able to experience something as tural context in which interpretation takes place. In were often left without a reference to the photog- the viewer and, $nally, the user of the photograph, something previously encountered. William James the study of theatre photography, this could mean rapher.15 A few well-known theatre photographers meet. It is also a stage where the signs and meanings used the term ‘the sense of sameness’ to describe this that a criterion for the interpretations is to be sought noted the inferior status of theatre photographers are in an ongoing dialogue. !e theatre photog- kind of identifying.8 When studying theatre pho- either in the interpreter or in the dialogue between in the production process of the performances.16 In rapher thus works in-between the theater and the tographs researchers face an abundance of possible the interpreter and the object that is being interpret- the 1930s, the photo studios and the photographers spectator. With his camera and photographs, he in- interpretations. While looking at the images, the ed. In cases where the object of interpretation can- hoped to take pictures of artists in character as well corporates, exposes and snatches representations of researcher him/herself is a part of the historical pro- not be clearly explicated (e.g. theatre photographs, as in private, because this would make it possible moments according to his own intentions. He cap- cess of interpretation. !is is a challenge, because which cannot be identi$ed or linked to a particular to increase the e%ciency of the PR-work, as well as tures and seizes the movement of the performance the object of interpretation is the theatre photo- production), the researcher can turn to theatre pho- the value and artistic signi$cance of the photograph in space and time. A theatre photograph is a rep- graph, which is born as a result and on the basis of tographers and interviews with them as well as any and thus enhance the standing of the profession.17 resentation of another event, the performance, and another person’s, the theatre photographer’s, previ- other kind of action or method where the object of In theatre photography, technology has had a thus it is subordinate to its logic. !ere are actors ous experiences. interpretation and its meanings are de$ned. signi$cant in"uence on the theatrical images and and actresses who are present, but they are absent !e starting point of hermeneutics is the Heide- photographic equipment. With the development in their illusory roles. To the actors themselves, the ggerian view that all understanding is based on the of materials and equipment, the making of theatre moment of the performance is the reality in which interpreter’s “fore-structures of understanding”.9 As A SHORT HISTORY OF FINNISH THEATRE photographs has shifted from a static process into they exist.3 !e theatre photographer is also one the interpretation develops this pre-understanding PHOTOGRAPHY AND TECHNOLOGY a more dynamic one. Finnish theatre photogra- of the creators of the reality of the performance. changes and a#ects new interpretations, which in Finnish theatre photography began from dance phy has reacted quickly to aesthetic trends in both !eatre photos are like double images: they are a turn shape new forms of understanding and so on. photography, which interestingly merged various theatre and photography. Photographer Jalo Pork- representation of the situation, but also images of It is only possible to understand the interpreted core areas of the culture of photography. !e history kala recalls in an interview that in the 1920s and absence and presence at the same time. Director phenomenon in relation to the dialogue between its of dance photography began in the 1860s in Hel- 1930s it was possible to photograph only static or Annette Arlander has stated that this ‘double view’ individual elements and the whole.10 !e better the sinki where Finland’s oldest so far identi$ed dance slow-moving objects in a set situation or in a pose.18 is an integral part of the theater audience: the spec- context is understood, the better the importance of photographs were taken.12 Stage documentation Plenty of light was needed because of the slowness tator sees the illusion created by the performance as its components is understood and vice versa. Inter- and theatre photography have continued since the (low light-sensitivity) of the photographic material. well as its conditionality. In spite of this, the specta- pretation can be considered as a process in which early decades of the twentieth century. !e ordinary illumination of the stage was usually tor agrees to play along.4 !e theme of the double is meaning is not situated in a sign system, but in the In the early 1900s, agrarian Finland was still far not enough for taking a photograph. Extra lights also associated with studying theatre photographs. consciousness of the person using the signs. !e from the urbanized and industrialized economies of and sometimes the rearrangement of lights were According to !omas Postlewait, a photograph of meanings are generated in social situations where some European countries. Despite this, links with needed in order to take a single photograph. Due to the performance is complex just because of its dou- the meaning of a particular sign may change. !e the rest of Europe were frequent. Cultural in"uences this, there is a marked di#erence between the the- ble character, which incorporates the points of view meaning of the signs that are being interpreted is spread largely with the help of $lms and magazines, atre photographs of the past and of the present day. of the performance photographer and the viewer of de$ned by the practices of a community and how and photography played an important role here. In Older images seem staged, arti$cial and overacted. the images.5 those practices are understood. In other words, the period of growing prosperity after the Second (Fig. 1) !e researcher, on the other hand, looks at the the ‘truth’ is an interpretation of reality and, there- World War, Finnish photographers could, little Today, the photographer can move among images from a retrospective perspective of a past fore, situation-bound as well as tradition-bound. by little, specialize in di#erent photographic $elds the actors, photograph fast-moving objects with a performance. Philosopher Paul Ricoeur has said According to this logic, a realistic photograph is a (for example advertising, theatre, dance or report- handheld camera using the pre-designed stage lights that detecting absence, a lack of something, $lls the culture-bound convention. !e researcher should age photography).13 Since the early 1920s, however, without the need of additional lights. !e outcome

62 Nordic Theatre Studies vol. 26: no. 2 Nordic Theatre Studies vol. 26: no. 2 63 looks spontaneous and reportage-like. !e imag- were captured on $lm and scanned, so the prints es look more as if they were taken by an insider, were digital.20 !eatre photos were taken mainly someone who belongs to the team, rather than by for marketing purposes, but in spite of that, the an intruder.19 In the late 1960s, the black and white photos were not manipulated. Until the 1990s, photo had its charm in simplifying its object. Co- photographers preferred slides to colour negatives, lour, however, was desired and photographers start- for example in printing originals. Slide $lm had an ed using it as soon as possible in the 1970s. advantage over colour negative $lm because these When using black/white $lm it was necessary to were expensive to develop and print into images, focus on light, shape and surfaces, whereas colour and colour reproduction did not match the level $lm allowed for images as colourful as the perfor- of slide $lm. For a long time, developing slides was mance. Jalo Porkkala mentions as an example Pori cheaper than developing colour paper images and !eatre’s music play !e Steamie (2002), which this is why the slide was the predominant method of would appear stolid and documentary in black/ theatre photography.21 Creating theatre photogra- white, while colour brought sparkle and zest, which phy in the 21st-century is a goal-oriented design in this case was intended both in the play and in and construction process of a complete work of art. the images. !e mood of the play was light and (Fig. 3) Photos are not only authentic records of the cinematic, which emphasized as well the lighting as plays, but also transmissions of impressions. !ea- scenery. !is atmosphere was hoped to be conveyed tre photographs exist to communicate and tell sto- to the viewer in the theatre photographs. (Fig. 2) ries. Photographs are a means to widen the viewer’s In the 1970s and 1980s, however, when black/ horizons, but it is recognized that photos are also white as well as colour photos were taken of the marketing tools. same performance, the available colour technology At the beginning of the new millennium, the did not meet the expectations of the photographers. photographers’ work became completely digital. During the 1980s, photographers moved on to All this happened faster than anyone could have Fig. 2. The Steamie (Pesulan likat, 2002), Pori Theatre, directed by Anita Myllymäki. Photo: Jalo Porkkala. the so-called hybrid technology: the photographs predicted. Digital photography has changed pho- tography dramatically. !e nature of a photograph a passion for it. He has photographed the Finnish has changed from light sensitive $lm and chemical National Ballet and various dance companies for reactions to mathematical data and electrical pix- many years, developing a personal way of produc- els. Digital photographs can be displayed, printed, ing dance imagery based on realism. With a com- stored, manipulated, transmitted, and archived mission from the Helsinki City Museum, he also using digital and computer techniques without photographed Helsinki in the 1960s and 1970s, chemical processing. Digital photography has made especially buildings that were set to be demolished it possible to produce images which have no direct as well as the maritime fortress be- contact with reality. !is in turn raises the valid fore its repair work in the 1980s.22 Hakli received question of the possibility of manipulation and the the State Prize for Photography in 1972 and some authenticity of the image in portraying the world. of his works are in the collections of !e Finnish Museum of Photography in Helsinki. He has also taught architecture and theatre photography at the PHOTOGRAPHER KARI HAKLI University of Industrial Art, Helsinki.23 In 1978, Kari Hakli (born in 1940) has photographed the- Kari Hakli’s theatre photos taken of the opera Boris atre performances since the 1960s. He has made Godunov were presented at an exhibition series in his 40 year photographer’s career in major Finnish the former East Germany (the German Democratic theatre houses: the Finnish National !eatre, Hel- Republic).24 In 1972, Hakli also participated in an sinki City !eatre and the Finnish National Opera. international theatre photography event, Triennale After studying aesthetics, art history and archeology Internationale Novi Sad in the former Yugoslavia, Fig. 1. Elina’s Death (Elinan surma, 1931), Pori Theatre, on stage Emma Väänänen, Thure Bahne and at the University of Helsinki, Hakli began his career where he won a silver medal with black/white pho- Salli Friberg. Photo: Satakunta Museum. as a freelance press photographer, but did not feel tos he had taken of Samuel Beckett’s play Endgame

64 Nordic Theatre Studies vol. 26: no. 2 Nordic Theatre Studies vol. 26: no. 2 65 Fig. 3. Madama Butterfl y (2013), Tampere Opera, directed by Katariina Lahti, on stage Kareh Son as Fig. 4. Endgame (1970), , directed by Jack Witikka, on stage Pia Hattara as Madama Butterfl y, Alessandro Liberatore as Pinkerton. Photo: Petri Nuutinen. Nell, Pentti Irjala as Nagg. Photo: Kari Hakli. 25 (1970). (Fig. 4) Hakli’s images have also been fea- become cheaper in Finland after the 1960s econom- they have been disconnected from the whole of the ements are broken, analyzed and compiled into a tured at the ! eatre Museum in Helsinki 2005. ic recovery. Film cameras became smaller and lighter performance. new order. ! e elements of a theatre photo are the During the $ rst years of the early 1970s, pho- and the $ lm materials’ light-sensitivity multiplied. In Hakli’s opinion, the optimum style of theatre actor, set design, props and lights. Hakli has tried tography was stigmatized due to the experimen- Hakli speaks of feeling a strong normative pressure photography is realism, which means “a document- to arrange all of these elements into an unbroken tation of its working methods necessary in order from both actors and directors: the play could only ed photographing method in which the aim is to re- composition, through which the artistic level or the to overcome its many technical problems. ! e be photographed in a right or a wrong way and the cord a performance as loyally as possible visually”.29 concept of the theatre photograph can be assessed. photographers’ equipment and technic were quite ‘correct’ images were generated in the actor’s terms, ! e aim is a subject-oriented image which is easy A theatre performance can be photographically re- clumsy, but in spite of this, photography in real sit- not through the photographer’s interpretation. to recognize. ! is is possible when photographing produced, but the ‘real’ theatre photos are created uations was considered important. What concerned ! e play was to be photographed as the spec- from the auditorium and using the stage lights so through the process mentioned above. In the opin- Hakli most was the question whether a performance tator saw it from their seat. ! eatre photographs that the tone of the scene does not change. In Hak- ion of Hakli, even though the theatre photograph should be photographed as stopped scenes, i.e. still presented large stage views and mass scenes with li’s opinion, photographers try to $ nd a connection is a seemingly direct document, it must meet all as- lives or in action, without interfering with the per- less focus on the individual. (Fig. 5) Photograph- to the dramaturgical content of the performance. pects of the image creating process.31 A photograph formance. ! e latter was to him a clear option be- ing scenes so that the dramaturgical peaks and the “Otherwise the theatre photograph would be dis- stops the movement and a photo should therefore cause “in my point of view, a set-up and stopped nuances of the actor’s expressions can be optimally connected from the theater performance, and thus be taken before the actor’s body position anticipates photography or straight photography, photograph- captured always requires a tremendous amount of a mere shell without content,” the photographer the movement. (Fig. 6) Alternatively, when an ac- 27 ing in action, remains the crucial question when shots. In spite of this, even the most perfect theatre notes.30 tor’s facial expression is in its purest form, but only considering the status of interpretation in theatre photo or photographic situation cannot include the During his long career, Hakli has considered visible in the blink of an eye. (Fig. 7) After all, the 26 photography,” Hakli states. In an interview, Hakli whole performance but it will always be a fragment di# erences of photography and art and the essence essence of all theatre photographs is to maintain the remembered the 1970s when Finnish cultural life of it. According to Hakli, it must remain as such, of theatre photography. ! e photographer’s resourc- atmosphere of the scene. Paying attention to this was dominated by a strong awareness of social is- because “the performance is a rhythmic entity, lim- es are time, direction and distance. Photographic art discreet connection between the spectator and the 28 sues. Photo journalism had experienced the rise of ited in time”. ! e image must show that it is a is a matter of changing a language of expression into performance is, together with the technical aspects, documentarism, as well as the golden age of the part of the whole and not just a random shot. ! at another language. In a theater performance, this the factor that regulates the photographer’s work the reported image, and theatre photography followed is why posed theatre photographs seem too arti$ cial means that Hakli, as well the other theatre photogra- most. suit. Furthermore, the photographers’ equipment since they have no continuity. ! e poses are made phers, has changed the language of the performance had changed radically during the century and had for the image and their rhythm is broken because into the language of photography. Photographic el-

66 Nordic Theatre Studies vol. 26: no. 2 Nordic Theatre Studies vol. 26: no. 2 67 Fig. 5. Die heilige Johanna der Schlachthöfe (1972), Helsinki City Theatre, directed by Eugen Terttula. Fig. 6. Othello (1978), Helsinki City Theatre, directed by Arto af Hällström, on stage Pekka Laiho as Photo: Kari Hakli. Jago, Esko Salminen as Othello. Photo: Kari Hakli. PHOTOGRAPHER JALO PORKKALA the opportunity to re-experience or to recall what that there will be a lot of unsuccessful shots, but Jalo Porkkala (born in 1950) studied photography at they had seen in a play. then the successful ones are ‘authentic’ performance the Lahti Institute of Industrial Arts. In addition to When Porkkala graduated as a photographer, images or attempts to show more or less not manip- his 30-year career as a theatre photographer, Pork- he was fascinated by theatre photography, where he ulated samples of what happens in the play”. (Fig. 8) kala has worked, among other things, as a newspa- could use all the basic skills of a photographer such Porkkala has mentioned how, while photographing per photographer and photography teacher as well as processing light, space and time. In the theater, ! omas Vinterberg’s Celebration (2003), he tried as at the Art Institute of Kankaanpää and Satakunta he was especially interested in challenging condi- to pick up ‘decisive moments’ supporting the play’s University of Applied Sciences where he specializes tions such as rapidly changing situations, scenery content from the movements of the actors, their ex- in alternative photographic processes.32 Like Hakli, and the photographic problems related to these. In- pressions and gestures. a few photographs of Porkkala are in the collections terestingly, the photographer is faced with the $ nal ! eatre work is busy, so the only normal proce- of ! e Finnish Museum of Photography in Helsin- interpretation of the director and actors and he is, dure of the theatre photographer of the past was to ki. He was appointed the $ rst theatre photographer therefore, not able to change the setting of these as process the images himself. To have the photographs at the Pori ! eatre in 1979.33 In the fall of 2009, he would do in other circumstances. ! is was an processed somewhere else was too time- and mon- when Porkkalas’ career as a theatre photographer at important aspect for him as a photographer, basi- ey-consuming and the photographer was not always the Pori ! eatre came to an end, the team ‘Porkkala cally a documentarist rather than a set designer.35 able to control the quality of the images. “Often, & Haltsonen’ organized a theatre photography ex- Porkkala’s aim has always been to photograph in there was not enough time to select the photos and hibition at the Poriginal gallery. ! ey also created action because stopped and individually construct- negotiate the selection, so in many cases the solu- an exhibition programme and a type of background ed situations, ‘falsi$ cation’, can be easily detected. tions were the responsibility of the photographer,” audio to the exhibtion. ! e working title of the ex- ! e energy and rhythm of the actor’s work and the Porkkala recalls.37 hibition was 30 Years of ! eatre Photographs, and it continuum of the photographer’s instinctive actions Now, with modern technology, the photogra- featured Porkkala’s photos from the plays of Pori should not be broken.36 Capturing " eeting mo- pher can send all the shots to the director half an ! eatre from 1979 to 2009.34 ! e team sought ments brings its own di% culties, for example incor- hour after the rehearsal and the $ nal choice of im- Fig. 7. Danton’s Tod (1977), Turku City Theatre, di- to create a comprehensive exhibition experience in rect timing. ! ese di% culties often accumulate in ages can be agreed upon via the Internet. It is much rected by Ralf Långbacka, on stage Esko Salmin- which theatre photographs, texts and the ‘theatrical’ low light and in high-contrast light photography. easier to share responsibility between the members en as Danton. Photo: Kari Hakli. background audio was intended to give the viewer Because of this, Porkkala states, “we must accept of the team, but in this case there will be more com-

68 Nordic Theatre Studies vol. 26: no. 2 Nordic Theatre Studies vol. 26: no. 2 69 the laborious printing job in the darkroom?” Jalo re" ection on the theme of posing. He asks the actors’ documents, not independent images. ! ey re" ect Porkkala wonders.39 He thinks that digital technol- for permission to take close-up photos and, accord- the performance and its spirit and “good theater ogy has contributed to the fact that colour is used ing to feedback received, Nuutinen’s way of photo- photographs will reconstruct the performance”.45 too much to highlight the commercialism, glamor- graphing has led them to live better in the moment Today, in Nuutinen’s opinion, the situation is dif- ous nature and impressiveness of the performance.40 while acting because at the photographic moment, ferent. ! e photographs are taken of un$ nished But colour is a natural element in the image. Many the intensity of the scene is directed freely to the performances only because the schedules in theatre modern photographers don’t have a perception of camera. Photographing actors’ close-up in front of are tight and the marketing material is needed early. colour use, because it comes directly from the dig- the camera reveals facial expressions and emotions Due to this, in the future, one will not be able to ital camera and it can be inde$ nitely processed in that the theater audience may not see during the go back to the performance by using these images. Photoshop. “In some way, today’s theater photos theatrical performance due to the distance between According to Nuutinen, theatre photographs are are no longer faithful to the photographed object in the actor and the spectator. Nuutinen has received in a category apart from photographic art.46 ! e- the same way they were at the time of black/white excellent feedback from actors on these intensive atre images highlight documentarism since taking $ lms,” Porkkala ponders and continues, “black/ photo sessions because the photographer is familiar theatre photographs is photographing theatrical white $ lm material has its own expression and will, and reliable as well as a part of the team, the actors performances. Nuutinen does not regard theatre which had to be learnt”.41 Digital colour images are have felt more relaxed, “doing theater in earnest”.43 photography as art because the theatre performanc- easy to modify and combine, producing special ef- Like Hakli and Porkkala, Nuutinen also thinks that es are not his own visions. Instead, the outcome is a fects. In Porkkala’s opinion, this has led to the fact theatre photography should take place during live combination of many factors. A play is a collective that the theatre photograph is now di% cult to dis- productions, seizing the moment. Even if the lights performance in which the photographer has a role tinguish from other images.42 on the set may be challenging, the photographer of his own. In this regard even though the theatre should make the most out of the prevailing con- photo is not considered art, it does not reduce the ditions.44 ! e performance is not changed or im- value of the image. On the other hand, Nuutinen PHOTOGRAPHER PETRI NUUTINEN proved because it is the theatrical photographer who admits that even a single photograph can be art Petri Nuutinen (born in 1955) studied photography adjusts his work to the performance. ! e photos are or have artistic signi$ cance. For example, the pro- at the Lahti Institute of Industrial Arts, graduating in 1977. He is a freelance and $ ne art photographer Fig. 8. Celebration (2003), Pori Theatre, directed who has photographed theatre productions since by Olli-Matti Oinonen, on stage Vesa Haltsonen the 1980s and continues to do so for the Tampere as Christian, Marko Honkanen as Michael. Photo: Opera, among others. (Fig. 9) He was $ nalist in the Jalo Porkkala. Foto$ nlandia competition in 1994 and some of his works are in the Finnish State Art Collection. In promises. In Porkkala’s, as well as the other inter- addition to his work as a freelance photographer, viewees’, opinion, this has led to the fact that the he has worked as a photojournalist, a press pho- photographer’s personal vision may no longer be tographer e.g. for Soundi Magazine, picture editor seen in the $ nal result the way the photographer and graphic designer since 1978. He has also taught 38 himself had thought. Digital technology, of course, photography and worked as a lecturer of photojour- facilitates and speeds up the work. ! e $ nal result nalism at the University of Tampere. of a photography session is quickly veri$ ed. Similar- Nuutinen has been an assistant to several foreign ly, one can easily make images for press, advertise- photographers during their visits to Finland. He has ments and newsletters by using the same original held group and solo exhibitions since 1977. Since $ les. ! e images can also be processed in a variety of 1997, he, together with $ ne art photographer Marja ways. Photographers produce the raw data, images Pirilä, has created action-based works of art, which which can be dealt with endlessly. However, despite are based on the principle of the camera obscura. the easiness and speed of digital photography, the While considering his own theatre photographing di% culty of meeting deadlines has not disappeared. method, Nuutinen notes that he prefers report- “Where is the saved time, which was previous- age-like close-up photography, where he tries to get ly used in manually developing black/white $ lm, close to the actors, ‘in their skin’. ! is method re- Fig. 9. Tannhäuser (2012), Tampere Opera, directed by Vilppu Kiljunen, on stage Richard Decker as making contact sheets, selecting and $ nally doing quires more presence in rehearsals, but also serious Tannhäuser. Photo: Petri Nuutinen.

70 Nordic Theatre Studies vol. 26: no. 2 Nordic Theatre Studies vol. 26: no. 2 71 gramme lea"et of the play !e Black Love, which camera. “Technology has developed immensely, stage as a whole, that is to say, its scenery or lights. capture "eeting moments of the performance and is based on the novel of Väinö Linna, was full of but I think the function of the photographs is still !e director can see the performance in a new way the actors’ work. !e photographer has the power artistic solutions that Nuutinen could actually in- the same. Advanced technology allows for a more by looking at theatre photographs, but this requires and the opportunity to recreate the performance so "uence.47 (Fig. 10) So the image could be the pho- versatile use of images in, for instance, advertising,” a photographer who has the time to get involved that it has its own story to tell. tographer’s opinion or creative interpretation about Bragge notes.51 Pori !eatre set designer Teemu in the performance. Today’s “tight schedule” thea- the performance. At this point I have to say that the Loikas is of the opinion that a good theatre image tre photos are in Hurme’s point of view, “cheap ad- exception proves the rule, because Nuutinen’s thea- describes the genre, the visual world and the at- vertising aesthetics that come near to ridiculing the tre photographs have been exhibited in a gallery. In mosphere of the performance to the viewer.52 It is a viewers”.56 Photographer Leena Saraste’s view is that 1991, he joined up with the other photographers to truthful account of the performance and it does not anyone is able to take proper pictures with modern create a theatre photography exhibition called New give the audience faulty perceptions or expectations. cameras, but then the visual and communicative !eatre Photography in Tampere.48 Images may be the only tangible documentation level of the image is of secondary importance. “!e of a set designer’s work.53 !e director-writer Juha images are cheap raw material, which is modi$ed Hurme also considers theatre photos to be a part of according to the situation and need. !ere is no CONCLUDING REMARKS the documentation of the performance as they show longer a guarantee of content and quality, because Belief in the possibility of reconstructing the thea- the viewer how time has changed. “!e images are theatre images have changed from documents into tre performance by using the preserved documents like a collective consciousness of the performance individual advertising images, in which case pre- seems to be almost lost in looking at today’s theatre in which time has been caught.”54 Hurme believes senting the plot of the performance with the help of photographs.49 In the opinion of Reino Bragge, di- a good photographer reveals moments of the per- images becomes impossible.”57 rector of Tampere !eatre, theatre photographs are formance, which the director himself may not ac- !e photograph has a liminal status; and that nowadays needed, “in the same way they have always tually perceive. Because Hurme is “’a blind’ director is especially true of the theatrical photograph in been needed, as documents of the performance”.50 of movements and words, he needs a photographer which the usual rules and practices of photography Currently, performances are captured in motion who shows what has been done”.55 He focuses on are denied. !e performance disappears from time with either one or sometimes even more than one the actor and the text of the play rather than on the and space, but theatre photos are evidence of what has happened on stage. !ey are visible remains of what is no longer present. Despite the ever in- creasing capabilities of manipulation, photography and the technology of image capture generally o#er a record, a (unstable) proof that “that something was there”. !e pictorial representation of theatre photography constitutes an in-between betwixt $ne and commercial art. !eatre photographers do not consider the set-up or arti$cially constructed photo as genuine theatre photographs because they lack the photographer’s own vision. !e staged image is only a snapshot, in which the awareness of being photographed a#ects the self-control of the people who are posing. According to the photographers, such images are misleading as to the visual truth of performance; it does not have any correlation with the visuality of performance. In an authentic theatre photograph, an actor brings into the image his own personality, intensity as well as a connection to the other actors, spectators, and the whole space. !e photographer must have instinctive insight into the situation of the drama. !us, the photographer will Fig. 10. The Black Love (1988), The TTT-Theatre, directed by Juhani Niemelä, on stage Katja Kiuru as be able to take pictures that portray the power of Marjatta Salmela, Matti Rasila as Pauli Haantie. Photo: Petri Nuutinen. presence in the performance. !e photographer can

72 Nordic Theatre Studies vol. 26: no. 2 Nordic Theatre Studies vol. 26: no. 2 73 NOTES AND REFERENCES in a conscious mind, but rather it refers to the conditions munication, 16 January 2014. the prevailing institutional conception of art, art is what 1 In Finland, theatrical photographs are archived, among of actual understanding and the shaping of the content 25 Kari Hakli, interview with the author, 31 October 2012. is made by the artist and intended for the presentation other places, in the !eatre Museum, !e Finnish Muse- of understanding in human disposition. 26 Kari Hakli, interview with the author, 24 October 2014. of art. !e photo is the photographer’s subjective inter- um of Photography, National Board of Antiquities, Kuo- 10 Hanna Meretoja, “Itseymmärryksen kulttuuris-histo- 27 A photographer who has set himself high standards takes pretation of the external, a reality that has existed at least pio Museum of Cultural History, theatres and photogra- riallinen välittyneisyys Gadamerin ja Ricoeurin herme- many more photos than the employer expects of him. momentarily. In a way, the photographer acts between phers, i.e. Kari Hakli’s large collection is in the !eatre neutiikassa” in Kohtaamisia ajassa. Kulttuurihistoria ja Hakli may have used 7-20 rolls of $lm to photograph this reality and tradition. Museum. tulkinnan teoria, Cultural History - Kulttuurihistoria 3, one performance. One $lm roll consisted of 36 photos, 47 Ibid. 2 Barbara Hodgdon, “Photography, !eater, Mnemonics; Sakari Ollitervo, Jussi Parikka, Timo Väntsi, eds., k&h, so photographing one play may have resulted in 252-720 48 Petri Nuutinen, e-mail to the author, 3 March 2014. or, !irteen Ways of Looking at a Still” in !eorizing Turku 2003, p. 58. photos, all of which had to be handled by the photogra- 49 Kari Hakli, “Teatterivalokuvauksen nousu ja rappio” Practise: Rede%ning !eatre History, W. B. Worthen and 11 Rauhala, op. cit., p. 35. See also Hans-Georg Gadamer, pher. Kari Hakli, interview with the author, 24 January [!e Rise and Fall of !eatre Photography] in Teatteri, Peter Holland, eds., Palgrave Macmillan, London 2003, Hermeneutiikka. Ymmärtäminen tieteissä ja %loso%assa, 2014. no. 7, 2011, p. 48. p. 89. See also Rebecca Schneider, “A Small History (of) Vastapaino, Tampere 2004. (Original articles included in 28 Ibid. Comparing opera arias as separate self-presenta- 50 Reino Bragge, e-mail to the author, 6 February 2014. Still Passing” in Dynamics and Performativity of Imagi- Gesammelte Werke, Parts 2 and 4, J. C. B. Mohr, Tübin- tions. 51 Ibid. nation. !e Image between the Visible and the Invisible, gen 1986 and 1987.) 29 Ibid. 52 Teemu Loikas, interview with the author, 12 February Bernd Huppauf and Christoph Wulf, eds., Routledge, 12 Valokuvan tanssi. Suomalaisen tanssin kuvat 1890–1997. 30 Ibid. 2014. New York 2009, pp. 256-7. Dance in Finnish Photography, Hanna-Leena Helavuori, 31 Ibid. 53 Ibid. 3 I liken actors in role to people in hypnosis. !e actors’ Jukka Kukkonen, Riitta Raatikainen, Tuomo-Juhani 32 Jalo Porkkala, Köyhä dagerrotyyppi – alternative photo- 54 Juha Hurme, interview with the author, 9 February consciousness in role is like ‘another scene’. S/he is a Vuorenmaa, eds., Pohjoinen, Oulu 1997, p. 170. !e graphic processes, Satakunta University of Applied Scienc- 2014. scene on which things are represented, but it is possible $rst theatre photographs that were taken without addi- es, Pori 2012. 55 Ibid. that s/he does not perform to the audience? tional light and shot during the performance date as far 33 Jalo Porkkala, interview with the author, 1 August 2009; 56 Ibid. 4 Annette Arlander, Esitys tilana. Acta Scenica 2, !e !e- back as the 1920s (for example in Germany). e-mail to the author, 29 January 2014. Porkkala’s last as- 57 Leena Saraste, personal communication, 16 January atre Academy, Helsinki 1998, pp. 23, 62. 13 Ibid. signment for Pori !eatre was !e Canine Kalevala in 2014. 5 !omas Postlewait, “Historiography and the !eatrical 14 Ibid. At $rst theatre photographs and portraits of actors 2009. Event: A Primer with Twelve Cruxes” in Näkökulmia were taken by the leading studio photographers of the 34 Jalo Porkkala and Susanna Haltsonen, Valo - tila - aika. menneeseen. Teatterihistorian kirjoittamisen perusteita time. Teatterivalokuvia 30 vuodelta, programme for the photo ja käytännön sovellus: Uusi Teatteri 1940–1941, Pirkko 15 Ibid. exhibition in the Poriginal gallery, www.blurb.com, Koski, ed., !e !eatre Museum, Helsinki 1997, p. 12. 16 Ibid. Well-known photographers were, for instance, 2009. 6 Ibid., p. 13. Jukka Kuusisto (KuvaSampo), Heinrich I'and and A. 35 Jalo Porkkala, e-mail to the author, 29 January 2014. 7 Henry Bacon, “Tulkitsemisen taito: Paul Ricoeurin kaksi J. Tenhovaara. 36 Ibid. hermeneutiikkaa” in Mediatutkimuksen vaeltava teoria, 17 Ibid., pp. 171-2. 37 Ibid. Tuomo Mörä, Inka Salovaara-Moring, Sanna Valtonen, 18 Jalo Porkkala, e-mail to the author, 29 January 2014. 38 Ibid; Petri Nuutinen, interview with the author, 23 Jan- eds., Gaudeamus, Helsinki 2004, p. 326. !is is the no- 19 Ibid. uary 2014; Kari Hakli, interview with the author, 24 tion of the philosopher Marcus B. Hester. Hester depicts 20 Ibid. January 2014. the two aspects of a metaphor: imagery as well as seeing 21 Wikipedia, http://$.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dia$lmi (ac- 39 Porkkala and Haltsonen, op. cit. as. Ricoeur has used the notion of seeing as in his book cessed 1 February 2014). 40 Jalo Porkkala, e-mail to the author, op. cit. La métaphore vive, Seuil, Paris 1975. 22 Kari Hakli, Aika. Valokuvaajan Suomenlinna. En photo- 41 Ibid. 8 Seppo Sajama, “Identiteetin ajallisuus” in Aika, Sami graf ser på Sveaborg. Photographers Suomenlinna, Musta 42 Ibid. Pihlström, Arto Siitonen, Risto Vilkko, eds., Gaudea- Taide - Finnfoto, Helsinki 1998. 43 Ibid. mus, Helsinki 2000, p. 75. In his article “Identiteetin 23 In 1973, the name changed to University of Industrial 44 When $lm sensitivity increased su%ciently, the ideal ajallisuus”, Sajama has translated the notion of the sence Art Helsinki. !e School of Art and Design, which was of ambient light superseded illumination. !is started of sameness into Finnish as samuuden tunne. founded in 1871 as the Craft School, has grown into to take place in the late 1960s. Leena Saraste, personal 9 Lauri Rauhala, Hermeneuttisen tieteen%loso%an analyyseja one of the most international universities in Finland. It communication, 7 March 2014. ja sovelluksia, Yliopistopaino, Helsinki 2005, p. 35. !e became a part of the Aalto University in 2010 and the 45 Petri Nuutinen, interview 23 January 2014. extract has previously been published as Eksistentiaalin- name merged to form Aalto University School of Arts, 46 Saraste, Leena. Valokuva. Muisto, viesti, taide, Musta en fenomenologia hermeneuttisen tieteen%loso%an me- Design and Architecture. Taide, Helsinki 2010, pp. 146 and 152. According to netelmänä, Tampereen yliopisto, Tampere 1993. Accord- 24 Some of the images are in the collections of !e Finnish Leena Saraste, previously top-rated photographs and am- ing to Rauhala, pre-understanding is not understanding Museum of Photography. Leena Saraste, personal com- ateur works were highlighted as art but now according to

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