The Fantastic World of Atelieri O. Haapala

The Fantastic World of Atelieri O. Haapala
As many of you know, I’ve lived a life split between a love of graphic design and a love of photography. These worlds, with few exceptions, rarely collide. One place they come together is in book form. I’ve seen countless beautifully designed books with lackluster photography and countless poorly designed books with outstanding photography.
My friend Jason Landry, previous owner of Panopticon Gallery in Boston, introduced me to the work of Helsinki-based photo duo Atelieri O. Haapala and let me borrow a copy of their new book, The Fantastic World of Atelieri O. Haapala. Panopticon Gallery was the first gallery in the United States to exhibit the work of Atelieri O. Haapala.
The book is one of the best designed, best produced fine arts photograph books I have seen in quite some time. Atelieri O. Haapala’s work is full of fantasy and the nature of their work is amplified by the meticulous attention to detail in the format and production of the book.
If you are unaware of their work, here is a bit of background on Atelieri O. Haapala from their website:
Atelieri O. Haapala was a portraiture studio and art project active between 2008 and 2016. In that time it took part in over 80 events and photographed over 7000 portraits. The studio also gained international visibility, organized its own photoshoots and participated in exhibitions on three continents. Atelieri O. Haapala was the joint project of visual artist Saara Salmi and photographer Marco Melander.
The duo was inspired by 19th century photography studios and touring portrait photographers. History, for Atelieri O. Haapala, was a source of endless inspiration. Apart from portraits, the studio also produced a series of photographs depicting the wonderful adventures of Mrs. O. Haapala (Salmi) and Mr. Helmut Schweinstein (Melander).
More Information on the book and where to purchase it is posted below.