Nelli Palomäki

Book excerpt: Young Finnish photographer Nelli Palomäki (born 1981) is a graduate of Helsinki's renowned Aalto University School of Art, Design and Architecture. In her work, she aims to recapture the lost magic that was once inherent in photography. Even 50 years ago, having one's photograph taken was a special event; people donned their Sunday best and gazed, unmoving and serious, into the camera. Palomäki's models likewise tend not to smile, looking steadfastly at us with the kind of openness and attention that could be said to characterize the work of their photographer. This volume gathers Palomäki's black-and-white portraits, mostly of children and young people. The photographer says she wonders what her models will look like ten years from now; her contemplative photographs provoke a like sense of wonder in the viewer.