Sodankylä

Esko Männikkö makes portraits of people living in the remote region of Finland located between the Lapland forests and the countryside of Ostrobothnia. The area is sparsely populated, and many inhabitants have moved to the cities. Those who stay have only themselves, for the most part, to depend on. Generally speaking, these are men: hunters, fishermen, lumbermen or men without work who often live in primitive and makeshift housing. Männikkö maintains a very precise balance between detachment and involve-ment. Thanks to a considerable degree of trust between the photographer and those placed in front of his camera, the resulting photographs have a remarkably uncontrived appearance.