Dissertation in the field of photography, M.Sc. (Eng.), Photographer Pekka Luukkola

The study deals with technical and artistic quality in photographic art and asks, how can we define quality.

Pekka Luukkola will defend his dissertation Laadun taika. Valokuvan teknistaiteellisen laadun tekijälähtöinen tutkimus on Friday 12 February 2016 at Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture.

Opponent: PhD, Photographer Leena Saraste
Custos: Professor Merja Salo, Department of Media

The discussion is in Finnish.
 

ABSTRACT

The study deals with technical and artistic quality in photographic art. The production chain from the scene to be recorded to the completed photograph consists of many stages, each of which has an impact on image quality. The aim has been to find out how these stages affect quality and how it is possible to improve the quality at various phases in the process.

The experiments carried out and photographs produced during this work demonstrate that technically excellent image quality can be achieved by paying careful attention to quality at all stages of the image processing and by combining analogical and digital technology. Also as a result of the research, a set of image quality diagrams has been produced that analyse and summarize in a new way the factors contributing to the quality of both image processing and the finished photographs.

In addition to the written thesis, the doctoral submission also includes three artistic productions, i.e. photography exhibitions held at the Retretti Art Centre, Gallery Heino and Tampere Art Museum in 2010–2013 and the photography book Maiseman aika – Sense of time published in 2012. These creative parts of the work were prepared and executed using knowledge, skills and methods that arose or were discovered in the course of working on the thesis.

The main results of this work as a whole lie in these artistic productions and various new series, including a total of about 70 artworks. One measure of the quality of the photographs and the results of the research may be taken to be how the works have been received or appreciated by artistic institutions and in competitions. Works created during this period of study have received recognition or awards in the Fotofinlandia and Ars Fennica competitions, for example, and some have been acquired by major Finnish art museums.