Brian Kainulainen – Photography

I was born and raised in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. We moved a lot when I was a child and that probably feeds my constant need to get on the road and explore. With camera in hand I travel all across the Great Lakes State capturing its energy, its tranquility, its beauty, and its soul. Whether on the shores of Lake Superior and the rugged U.P. wilderness where I grew up, or on the shores of Lake Michigan in the beautiful Ludington area where I currently reside, I never tire of the gifts that this land offers up. Every journey reveals something new about the land, about me, or both. Photography has completely changed my life, giving me a deeper

appreciation of what is in and around me, and how precious life truly is.

I love creating images that make me feel alive. I start with subjects that are visually or emotionally interesting. I then look for environmental conditions that have the potential to create interesting light. Once the conditions are right, I agonize over the strongest composition and the best way to capture it–a rewarding harmony of artistic vision and technical competence. The resulting image is what I refer to as “Impressionistic” photography, not in the manipulative sense, but in the emotive and gestural sense. The composition must provide the

immediacy of the moment but, also, be compelling enough to want to stick around and explore.

The viewer should see the world as I do and feel like they are right there experiencing it with me. My photos are visual representations of the world, but are not exlusively literal. Through compositional decisions, the viewer is presented with my interpretation of the scene; what I chose to focus on and what captured my emotions.

Compositional technique, color, and familiarity are all catalysts for an emotional response.

I post-process my images in Adobe Photoshop, which consists mainly of simple color balancing, contrast adjustment, and increasing the sharpness. On occasion, though, I do have images that require more advanced tonal adjustment. I would not say my images are “photoshopped”–whatever that means–I do not paint color or grossly exaggerate the saturation of color–I wait and search for great color to reveal itself in the world and try to capture it in the best way possible.