Lapland on Film. Part 1
It was late November 2023; and it would be the first of two trips to Lapland over the following couple of months. This first trip was going to be cold enough, with the start of the winter snow already falling, and the average temperature around about -18°c.
It was late November 2023; and it would be the first of two trips to Lapland over the following couple of months. This first trip was going to be cold enough, with the start of the winter snow already falling, and the average temperature around about -18°c. I decided I would take my Pentax on this trip, with both the 50mm and the 135mm lenses, but what would be my choice of film to bring? As much as I love the look of black & white, I decided I was only going to bring colour film, specifically Kodak’s Portra in both 400 and 800 form.
We began with an early hours flight into Helsinki. The weather was quite grey and overcast, and although it was cold, we didn’t feel it right away. After being used to the sort of cold we have here in England, namely damp, this felt much more fresh and didn’t bite straight away. I stepped off the train from the airport to the city in just jeans and a jumper, while everyone around us where wearing coats and high quality snow shoes. We brought the right clothing with us; base layers, jumpers, snow trousers/coats, but didn’t feel we needed them at that point. How wrong we were! We just had the day in Helsinki before getting onto the overnight sleeper train to Rovaniemi, in Finnish Lapland, and thought that it would be easier to keep everything packed away until we got on the train. Unfortunately, we hadn’t expected the cold weather to hit us so hard! We enjoyed walking around the city, and the sun setting so early made the cold, dark city seem so different to what I was used to, but not having the right clothing on turned it into a tough day! Quite often we would need to seek shelter in any shops we could, just to give our frozen bodies the chance to warm up again before we headed back out into the cold.
The big wheel in Helsinki -
Taken on Kodak Portra 800 with the Pentax K2
Our train would be in the station at 11pm, and after a full, cold day wandering the streets of Helsinki, we were ready to get on and get settled. We had booked two rooms, with each room housing a bunk bed and a sink, with a communal toilet and shower room further down the carriage. We got into our rooms, got everyone ready for bed, and settled in for the night, with the gentle rocking of the moving train mixed with the long day of travelling, sending everyone to sleep pretty quickly.
The train was due into Rovaniemi station at around 10am, but we woke up around 7am to start getting ourselves ready, and this time, suitably dressed for the cold weather. Looking out of the window was unbelievable, we had woken up in a winter wonderland. The sights were amazing, and I spent too much time looking out of the window and taking pictures. I couldn’t believe just how stunning the landscape was; incredibly thick, untouched snow and so many trees, with the occasional wooden lodge. As cliché as it sounds, it really was like something out of a movie. Before I knew it, we were close to our final stop so needed to finish getting ready and make sure all the bags were packed and nothing was left in the room.
Snow covered home in Lapland -
Taken on Kodak Portra 400 with the Pentax K2
Looking out of the train window -
Taken on Kodak Portra 800 with the Pentax K2
Stepping out onto the platform at Rovaniemi was an experience. Everything was completely covered in snow, and the cold was like nothing I had felt before; it was fresh and easy to cope with now that we had the right layers on. I had booked a hire car, so leaving the family and the luggage out on the platform I went to go and get it. The car itself was buried in snow, so after loading it up and getting everyone inside, I left it running to warm up while I cleared the snow and checked for any damage. Before long we were ready to go, but I realised I had carried out absolutely no research into the driving laws of Finland. I usually have no issues driving abroad, but with the snow completely covering the roads I found myself driving around the train station car park unsure of how to even get on the main road! I also quickly learned that they don’t use grit outside of the main cities! They do plow the main roads, but when it snows so frequently it just builds up again, and you find yourself just driving on fields of white.
Rovaniemi train station -
Taken on Kodak Portra 800 with the Pentax K2
We couldn’t check into our apartment that early, so our first trip was to go to Santa Claus village. I must confess, I have never been a massively Christmassy person, even after having children, but this place really brings the magic to life. The forest setting and the snow certainly helped, although we were quite lucky as the winter snow can’t be guaranteed at that time of year; usually the first permanent snow falls in December. There were plenty of open fires and reindeer hides dotted around the village to help you to warm yourself up, and the smell of people cooking sausages on the open flames filled the air.
Our apartment was in the city and had heated, underground parking. This was great as it meant we didn’t need to waste any time warming the car, or removing any snow. The apartment itself was lovely, with double-double glazed windows and underfloor heating making it extremely warm. In fact, coming in from outside while still wearing all our layers was a mission and it became a bit of a necessity to get some clothes off as quickly as possible! Once in the apartment it was easy to forget how cold it was outside, but I had a stark reminder when I opened the window quite late at night to try and get a picture of the sky. Needless to say, it didn’t stay open for long!
Choosing Portra 400 and 800 to shoot with was a good decision, as at that time of year there was not a lot of sunlight in the day. While we were there the sun rose at about 10am and had set again by 3pm. It created this really magical feeling, as although the sun had set, the white snow meant that it never really got that dark. It did stay cold though, and although we were comfortable in our layers we definitely felt it on any exposed skin. My beard and my eyebrows all froze, and if you needed to take your hands out of your gloves for any reason you would soon regret it!
On one of the days we visited Father Christmas himself, in SantaPark. This is an underground cavern with lots of activities and shows, including making your own gingerbread, and going to Elf School, as well as the opportunity to meet the big man himself. No need for layers in here, so we left them in the car, although temporarily regretted it when we realised we had arrived about ten minutes before opening time! We must have looked a bit odd, stood outside in minus 18°c wearing just jeans and sweatshirt, while everyone else was wearing snow trousers, snow shoes, and heavy winter coats.
Inside Santa Park -
Taken on Kodak Portra 800 with the Pentax K2
Our days frequently included heading back to Santa Claus Village, as it is very much a local hub and a really nice place just to have a coffee or to play in the snow. On our last day we decided to drive out to Ranua, to visit the local zoo. This was about an hour’s drive to the South West of the city, and it wasn’t the drive I expected. I had heard that there isn’t as much traffic in Finland as we are used to in the UK, but I was surprised by just how quiet it was. The issue I first had with this, is that the roads were completely covered in snow. They had been plowed at some point, but as the snow was coming down heavy they were completely covered again while we were driving on them, with poles placed into the snow the only indicator of where the edge of the road was. This was an 80km/h road, and although I was anxiously doing my best to keep up with that, I was still being passed by the occasional driver that came up behind me. The scariest part was when the lorries came the other way, dragging up a snow cloud as they go by.
The weather got worse the further away from Rovaniemi we drove, and as we had a train to catch that afternoon, I was getting concerned that we would get snowed in at Ranua and not be able to get back in time. Eventually though, we got there and the zoo was incredibly quiet. It looked amazing with so much snow, as if we were just out in the wilderness, but I couldn’t relax as much as I would have liked as all I could think about was getting back in time for the train. There was a nice mix of animals, some that we don’t usually see in the UK like the Arctic Fox, and Moose, but the main attraction would have been the Polar Bear. I say ‘would have been’ as unfortunately he didn’t want to make an appearance for us, which was a shame but it’s given us another reason to go back again in the future.
Before long, it was time to get going, and I found some unexpected confidence on the drive back. I’m not sure where it came from as the weather was still poor, with snow hammering down and the road surface completely invisible, but I was no longer being passed by other drivers. The car was squirrelling around a little, but I was a lot more relaxed and we made good time getting back to the city. We were back at the train station with plenty of time to spare, and I couldn’t believe how immaculate the car was, considering the miles (kilometres?) we had put on it, but I guess that shows just how clean and powdery the snow is.
Being back on the train and settled into our rooms gave us mixed feelings; it was such a shame to be leaving this wonderful place, and we definitely wanted to stay forever, but it was still a relief to have made it to the station in time and get our luggage packed away, allowing us to properly relax. Again, it didn’t take long for everyone to fall asleep, the low drone of the wheels clicking over the tracks and the rocking of the train as it made its way south through the country is an experience that I really want to have again. By the time we awoke, we were back in Helsinki.
Santa Claus Express -
Taken on Kodak Portra 800 with the Pentax K2
This time we made sure we were dressed a bit more appropriately, and dropped our luggage to a storage facility in Helsinki airport, allowing us the freedom to roam the city for the rest of the day. The city centre isn’t huge, so other than a train ride from the airport we managed the rest of the day on foot, and although walking around with two young children in the cold and the snow wasn’t always easy, we did manage to see everything we wanted to, and it looked so good with a covering of snow.
So how did the camera and film cope during the cold..? Really well actually! A lot better than it would on our next trip, it turns out. I had no issues, and the film developed absolutely fine when I got back to the UK, even after going through the X-ray machine at Stanstead! (Finnish airport staff seem to know a lot more about film than the staff at Stanstead, that’s for sure!)
After a long day of wandering the streets, burning through another roll of Kodak’s Portra 400, we were ready to head back to Helsinki airport, and after an extremely long delay (about four hours, some of it in the terminal, but most of it in the plane) we were finally heading home, unaware that in a few months we would be on our way back…
Helsinki in the snow -
Taken on Kodak Portra 800 with the Pentax K2
Why Choose a Film Photographer?
So what?!
That’s the question I often get. Not usually from potential clients, but from other photographers, and people learning about my business for the first time.
So what?!
That’s the question I often get. Not usually from potential clients, but from other photographers, and people learning about my business for the first time.
It’s not necessarily the most tactile question, but it is a valid one. So what? Why should you choose a film photographer for your wedding. Shooting film isn’t cheap, nor is it quick, and camera technology has moved on in leaps and bounds in the last 20 to 40 years. You can take snapshots with your phone, and let it do all the hard work for you. Or I could take thousands of frames with a pro digital camera and pick out all the nice ones from the comfort of my own home.
My first reaction of ‘because I want to do it’ isn’t the response that most people expect to hear, or really appreciate, but the truth is; I do want to do it, and it really is a good reason. Let me explain…
Everybody is different, and as photographers, we can’t be all things to all people. If you have seen a certain style of photography you like, and that is what you want for your wedding, then you need to find someone that shoots/edits in that style. If you want hundreds of highly edited, razor sharp, modernist images, then I am certainly not the photographer that you would want to hire. It would be a disaster for you, and a disaster for me. However, if you want hand selected, very real, in the moment, classic style images; then I really could be the photographer you need. Or why not have both? I am happy to work with another photographer, either one you already have planned, or I can help you find one. And if I’m not the primary photographer, you can get my services for a lot cheaper.
Emily + Jon at Euridge Manor; Taken on my Leica M6 with Kodak Portra 400
For me, photography is very much about creating art from a moment in time. I prefer to create that art in the moment that it is happening. I appreciate the skill and the talent to create stunning images through editing software, but that has never been my passion. Which leads me back to my point; if my style of photography is something you like, then I am the best person for you. It doesn’t need to be any more complicated than that.
Takara + James at Royal William Yard; Taken on my Pentax K2 with Ilford HP5
Film has a look, and a style of its own; but more importantly, it has a feel. It has character. When you aren’t focused on the clinical clean lines of a digital image, you can look more at the subject and the memories it rekindles. When you spot the grain in the image, it reminds you that the picture was created not with ones and zeros, but with bits of silver, crystals and chemistry; actual, touchable things.
It is real, and I love it.
Emily + John at Euridge Manor; Taken on my Leica M6 with Kodak Portra 400