The Light Painting Photographer Who Lights Up Finland’s Polar Night

Starting in December of each year, Finland’s northern region has a period of about 50 days in which the Sun never rises above the horizon. Photographer Hannu Huhtamo embraces the prolonged darkness of this “polar night,” turning it into the canvas for his beautiful light-painting long-exposure photos.

Here’s a 2-minute video by Great Big Story on Huhtamo and his photography:

Based in Helsinki, Finland, Huhtamo has built up an impressive collection of light painting photos created in a range of locations, from abandoned buildings to forest landscapes.

After drawing sketches of what he’d like to create, Huhtamo grabs his camera gear and flashlights and goes out to shoot. With patience and skill, Huhtamo brings light and color to dark and forgotten places, creating surreal artworks without any digital manipulation in Photoshop.

You can find more of Huhtamo’s photos on his website, Flickr, 500px, and Facebook.


Image credits: Photographs by Hannu Huhtamo and used with permission

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