Marko Vesterinen is a photographer based in Gothenburg with strong connections to Asia and Japan which he frequently visits for exploration and photography. Marko pictures both urban and nature landscapes, sometimes in a combination. He is looking for lines and shapes that ties man made and nature's owns together. The photos are very balanced and with a strong geometrical layout, often full of colour and shapes.
Contrasts
Contrast in colours, shapes and motifs, is a key in Marko's photos. They are intensely black and saturated but also cointains pure white. The darkness in the pictures creates a strong contrast to the light that is enhanced by the dark setting. Marko is looking for patterns in what might seem as chaos, or chaos in what might seem to be perfectly structured. A lot of pictures from urban environments are snapshots but is a documentation of something contstant or universal, like a feeling or a human state. On the other hand, his pictures of landscapes gives us just a snapshot of what seems to have been, and will be, there forever. His portfolio is full of these contrasts.
There is an austerity and a sadness resting in his photos. Often, he is showing man's hard work and struggle, and at the same time illustrating our short time on earth. Maybe the sadness comes from Marko's way of putting our lives in perspective, reminding us of our mortality.
Marko's formal training is at Fotoskolan (School of Photography) in Gothenburg. He is working with art photography but is also available for commercial assignments.
Marko about his work
A good photograph for me, is when not all is visible at first glance, when I keep finding new details or content over time. I am attracted to symmetry and especially when man made and nature's lines interact.
Lately I have been working a lot with urban snapshots and it has created hunch in me, I can almost sense when the right moment will come, making it possible to prepare the camera and catch that one frame I am looking for.
I like to illustrate and show people the beauty in their daily life, places or moments passed often or without notice.
Japan is very special to me, it has influenced me a lot as a person. It is hard to explain but the first time I set my foot on Japanese ground, I felt a serenity, like being back home. Everything was new but still very familiar to me.
