Hey there,

I'm Juha, and I've been tangled up with cameras for as long as I can remember. Thanks to my old man, our house was more of a camera shrine. I've been chasing moments my whole life; let me tell you, it's been quite a ride.

I'm all about keeping it real. Documentary, street, and portrait photography are my jams. There's something about the unfiltered chaos of life, the kind that newsreels and magazines showed me when I was a kid. And when I first hit New York back in '87, man, that was a game-changer. It was like the city slapped me awake and said, "This is it. This is how it meant to be."

So, I chase moments. Not just any moments but the raw, unscripted ones that tell the real story. Whether it's a face in the crowd, a silent street at dawn, candid shots, smiles, tears - or the unguarded expressions of folks living their lives. That's what I’m after: documenting those things.

About portraits, then. Well, they're a big thing for me, but not in the way you might think. I'm not “looking into souls” or anything. It's more about the blink, that split second that might spill a secret or two. You know.

I've got my heroes, of course. Sally Mann, Annie Leibovitz, Steve McCurry, Joel Meyerowitz, etc., wrote my playbook. In portraits it's all about Lindbergh, Avedon, Lange, Watson, Penn, Newton... They've shown me what's possible, and in their lights and shadows, the road's mine to walk.

Tech-wise, I swing both ways - color and black and white – what the story needs to hit home. Sometimes, the story needs the Kodachrome vibes; sometimes it’s all bout the fifty shades of grey.

To me, it's a connection, a way to touch lives, share stories, and make people feel seen, heard, and remembered.

So, there you have it. Juha Wikström raw. Just a dude with a camera, lens, and attitude. Chasing the next story worth a thousand words in this wild, beautiful mess we call life.

Catch you in the frame,
Juha

My work out there

I've been fortunate to get my work out in several places. The first photograph of mine ever in the exhibition and a published book is the Photographic Museum of Humanity's Familiar Stranger. You can go ahead and order the book here.

Other features: Vogue Italy, LFI Master Shot Gallery, Photo Vogue, LHSA, Volta ao Mundo (Portugal).

You can read my experiences with the APO-Summicron-M 50 mm ASPH “LHSA” edition here.