Mikko Lagerstedt

I create atmospheric landscape photographs that exist in the quiet space between reality and memory. Fog, night, winter light and open horizons are recurring elements in my work. I am interested in how a place feels, not only in how it looks.

I see them as invitations to pause, to breathe, and to reconnect with a sense of stillness that is easy to lose in everyday life.

An early moment

Photography was never part of my original plan. Art was present in my life through my grandmother’s paintings, but I did not expect to become a photographer.

In 2007 I was driving through the Finnish countryside after a rainstorm when I saw something that made me stop. Fog was moving across the landscape, shifting gently with the light. I took a photograph with a small point and shoot camera, and realised I had captured more than a scene. I had captured a feeling.

That simple moment changed everything. A year later I bought my first DSLR and started to explore light, composition and mood with intention. Photography became a way of understanding the world and a way of being present in it.

Recognition

My work has travelled quietly into many contexts. Over 1.6 million people follow my photography across social platforms, and the images have been widely shared and exhibited.

From editorial features and book covers to visual identity systems for premium brands, the work is used where a sense of mood and visual stability is required.

• Featured by BBC, Nikon, Adobe, Business Insider, and other international publications.
• Exhibited internationally and collected by private clients around the world.
• Used in editorial projects, interior spaces and considered brand campaigns.

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