I am Juhani Seppovaara, photographer, videographer, writer and journalist, born in Helsinki in 1947 and splitting my time between Berlin and Helsinki at the moment.
I strayed into studying economics and worked as an economist in the Bank of Finland for a quarter of a century. I also worked as the director of a chicken coop.
During my last years at the bank I published my first books, which are about the culture surrounding traditional wood building, and after the mid-1990s I have published books and worked as a freelance photographer full-time. In the past couple of years I’ve also worked with video.
On this website, the 20 covers of my photography books, which are also narrative tales, are presented with the back cover texts in English. Some of the books were made in collaboration with others. Four of these books have been translated into English, one into French, and three into German: Under the East Berlin Sky, By Moped through Finland and Sights of a Life.
There are also a number of short films on the website and the documentary about the Berlin café Kohlen Quelle has English subtitles. It has been presented in the Turku Aboa Vetus and Ars Nova art museum, among other places.
Besides Finland, my photographs have been on display in Paris, Madrid, Berlin and St. Petersburg. My website leans especially towards Finnish-themed photographs as well as photographs from Berlin, starting from the GDR era in East Berlin. The photographs on my website are only the tip of the iceberg, however, especially of the themes I deal with in my books. There are thousands of more photographs on these subjects, as well as of European metropolises.
If you are interested in using the photographs or short films please be in contact with me via email:
juhani.seppovaara (at) kolumbus.fi
I also appreciate all feedback.