Peki a.k.a. Aki-Pekka Sinikoski is represented in the States by the Wonderful Machine. The people working there for him are huge fans of great photos and it has been really nice for him to be represented by the people who truly love his pictures. And guess what, the last two months of 2010 was fully booked already by the end of October so it seems that also his clients love his photos.
Year 2010 was superb for the citizens of Korea. We really managde to extend our client base. We did wonderful job with clients like The New Yorker, Veikkaus, Telia Sonera, Ruukki, Global Blue, Universal Music, Suunto, Sanoma Magazines, Aalto University and Polyvinyl Records. But of course we didn’t forget our old loyal clients either. For example during the last six months of the year Peki shooted four covers + cover stories for Suosikki, which is the biggest youth magazine in Scandinavia. It is also a client who has been using Peki’s photographic skills for more than 10 years now. That’s what we call a loyal customer relationship!
Suosikki made a cover story about juvenile delinquents trying to make their way back from the shadows to the brighter side of society. Suosikki ended up running a close up photo of one of these guys as a whole page opening photo for the story. On the cover shot the same guy was arrested by the cops. Afterwards Peki got feedback from the magazine, its readers, and even from his collegues that these were “great images with a strong emotional feeling”.
Technical qualities like good light and composition can make a good photo but if you are looking for a great one – it’s not enough. Like Mark Murrmann, photo editor at Mother Jones, puts it “What makes a great photo is an image that not only conveys some kind of information, but also works on an emotional level. It can be punch-you-in-the-gut direct, it can be more subtle, something that pulls you in slowly and allows you to wander around the image, keep coming back to it even if you aren’t sure why; it can be funny, witty, wry; it can be something that elicits a feeling of remembrance, something that reminds you of your own life; it can be horrifying, or gratifying. But it has to do something; it has to connect with the viewer.”
Most of Peki’s clients want to make their voice visual and they want their voice to be heard. They contact him because they are chasing great photos that stands out from the constantly growing flood of photographs. Even though we might sound like American TV Shop: It doesn’t matter if you don’t know what kind of photo are great for your business. It’s enough that you know that you need the great photos and you know where to get them. And hey, you should know it by now. Baby, welcome to Korea!
P.S. Peki is still shooting somewhere in Denmark, but don’t worry – he will be back next week so more truly great photos is available really soon.