Photographers challenge pristine nature ideal in Juva exhibition

A photography exhibition in Juva questions why nature images are expected to show only beautiful, untouched landscapes. Yle reports that the Juva Camera Club’s “Unnatural Photography” exhibition is on display at the town’s library in South Savo.

Juva photographer Sigrid Munnukka once felt that a building visible behind the cherry blossoms she was photographing spoiled the picture. Her view changed after members of the camera club began discussing why nature photography should always look perfectly beautiful and separate from human life.

Munnukka’s photograph of a cherry tree, taken on the campus of Juva’s comprehensive school and upper secondary school, is among the works in the exhibition. Other images show nature alongside the built environment, including photographs by Jake Kukowski titled “Pasila” and “Tokmanni”, as well as a stack of logs.

Photography lecturer Pasi Räsämäki, who selected the images, says the exhibition aims to help people notice nature in their everyday surroundings. There is no need to travel to Lapland to see or photograph it, he says.

Räsämäki suggests looking for small details close to home, such as a leaf crushed on the ground, and practising framing and composition to bring out leaves or moss even in an urban setting. He says nature photographs often feature animals in harmonious, beautiful landscapes, partly because photographers seek the kinds of images people want to see.

Munnukka says it was initially difficult to find subjects for her “unnatural” photographs. She wondered whether a rusting car in the forest could be a worthwhile subject, but gradually began to see nature in places where people might not expect it. The process increased her appreciation of nature, she says, and led her to question whether people can decide which forms of nature are valuable.

She says social media reinforces the dominance of beautiful images, and worries that rougher or even ugly photographs may be quickly passed over because they take longer to understand. Räsämäki says beautiful images can offer an illusion that everything is well in a difficult world, but that rougher pictures can reveal the beauty of everyday life.