On 13 May ‘Vacay Travel Photography Expo’ brought a piece of Finland and the northern lights to Singapore. Famous Finnish photographer Mr Martti Rikkonen showed his artwork, accompanied by the All Finns choir and some Finnish treats.
Amateurs with budding interests are welcome to attend the expo as a gateway to a world of travel photography, and professionals can seek to advance their skills and network, all in one place.
This was Singapore’s first travel photography event that brought together travel and photography enthusiasts to hone their ‘picture perfect’ skills. The event targets all people interested in travel photography, where attendees experienced diverse activities ranging from informative open talks, educational and practical workshops, a photo exhibition corner, a lucky draw, a photo competition, and sales of camera gears and accessories by Cathay Photo.
As part of the celebrations of the centenary of independence of the Republic of Finland, the Finnish Ambassador, H.E Paula Parviainen, opened the event and a performance by a Finnish choir based in Singapore followed. World-known and award-winning Finnish photographer Mr Martti Rikkonen had been invited to exhibit his masterpieces of the northern lights for the event. He also attended a ’free open talk’ about Northern Lights.
Next on was a brilliant performance by the ‘All Finns Choir’, directed by Päivi Aalto. The choir sang two Finnish folk songs, “Sininen ja Valkoinen” and “Oi kaunis kesäilta”. It was their first official, public gig and the public appreciated the excellent performance.
The exhibition from the Finn showcased about 20 masterpieces of the Northern Lights, all pictures taken in the great outdoors of Lapland, in Northern Finland. During his presentation in the afternoon, he revealed to the audience that a very sensitive sensor of the camera is essential and that eclipse days or full moon days are very good to immortalize Aurora on pictures. According to Mr Rikkonen, the best time to capture the Northern Lights is from September to November, but chances to get a good shot are high from the end of August to the beginning of April.
An award-winning Finnish photographer, Mr Martti Rikkonen is an expert in wildlife photography and is based in northern Lapland, Finland. In 1993, Mr Rikkonen won the Wildlife Photographer of the Year, the most prestigious wildlife photography competition in the world. He has judged Finland’s top nature photography competition, which is held in Helsinki each year, himself being a winner in 1995 with a picture, of course, of the northern light.
Sources: Embassy of Finland in Singapore, Suomi Finland 100 Singapore
