Toivo Tenno on Tartus resideeruv tänavafotograaf, kes käib ringi uitamas avatud meelte ja silmadega. Ühtlasi on ta MTÜ Eesti tänavafotograafia juhatuse liige ning aitab asju vedada Tartu poolt.
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Rääkisime Toivoga nii tänavafotoni jõudmisest, selle olemusest, tema loomingust, Tartus pildistamisest ning natuke ka fototehnikast.
Kuidas leidsid enda jaoks tänavafotograafia?
Oh, see võis olla mingi 4–5 aastat tagasi talvel, kui hea sõber, kes tol ajal oli huvitet tänavafotograafiast, mind nii kaugele viis, et pidime kohe öösel, kella 23 ajal sõitma Tartust Võrru, et seal Statoili tanklas käest kätte Canoni kaamera osta.
Seega minu esimene kaamera leidis tee minuni võrdlemisi hilja. Kuigi jah, mind ümbritsesid lähedased, kes olid kaameraga sina peal juba palju aastaid enne seda. Kui juba kaamera oli ja sõber mind lisanud ka tänavafoto gruppi, siis saabus aeg mil minu esimene üllitis samuti tee antud gruppi leidis. Ja nagu enamus liitunuid teavad, et saabub päev, mil keegi esitab sinu foto all esimese kommentaari, mis kõlab umbes nii: ”Miks sa arvad, et tegemist on antud foto puhul tänavafotograafiaga?”. Minul oli selle kommentaari esitajaks Airi Leon. Teadmata kes on Airi ja mis on üldse küsimuse mõte, käis mu meeltes hele sähvatus. Mida asja? Kes julgeb üldse kahelda? Kas ei ole märgata, et ”Daddy is back in business”.
Oli kuidas oli, aga paaritunnise messengeri vestluse järel tekkis vastupandamatu huvi, kes on Airi, mis asi on üldse tänavafotorgaafia. Hiljem saabus ka päev, mil Tartus tuli tänafoto jalutuskäik. Seal selgus, et Airi on väga tore ja üleüldse on tänavafotohuvilised ülimalt toredad inimesed, kelle hulka ma tahaksin kuuluda. Sellest ajast hakkasin ka omal käel sellesse teemasse süvenema ja seda maailma avastama. Ja siin ma nüüd olen.
Mida tänavafotograafia sinu jaoks tähendab?
Küsimus tundundub esmapilgul lihtne, aga vastata on oi, kui raske. Mida tähendab tänavafotograafia minu jaoks? Öeldakse, et fotograaf on kui jahimees, kes varitseb kaameraga saaki. Mina arvan olevat muinasjutuvestja, kes käib siin ja seal uusi jutte kogumas ja räägib siis need edasi. Ja need muinasjutud on ju elust enesest.
Sul on ikka ja jälle huvitavaid märkamisi ja ühiskonnakriitilise sisu või sõnumiga pilte. Kuidas need sünnivad, kas need on juhuslikud märkamised või ongi see sul kindel teema?
Tänan märkamast. Ma ei ole ise mõelnudki, et minu puhul on tegemist sellise ”vinguva vanamehega”, aga kui nii on, siis nii on. Usun, et valetaksin, kui ütleksin, et tegemist on juhuslike kokkulangevustega. Kindlasti on siin ka juhuslikkust, aga seda vähesel määral.
Eks ikka alateadvus on see, mis suunab ja siis tekivad märkamised asjadest, mis meeli köidavad. Inimesed on erinevad, nende maailmataju on erinev. See on tore! Küll võiks igav olla, kui kõigile meeldiksid kassid ja orhideed. Ja ainult neist fotosid teeksid. Fotograaf võiks olla vaba ja julge selles, mida ta jäädvustab.
Keegi on öelnud umbes nii, et ”90 protsenti minu fotodest on puhas pask, aga pildistada on vahva”. See käib ka minu kohta.
Kui sa tänavale lähed, mis on see, mida loodad leida? Kuidas tavaliselt tänavatele lähened?
See tänavale minek ei ole päris nii, et astun üle lävepaku ja hakkan klõpsutama. Iga minek on erinev. Kõige tähtsam on siin aeg. Mitte keegi meist ei taha, et meiega suhtluseks või koosolemiseks vastaspool aega näpistaks. Nii on ka tänavale minekuga. Ka tänav vajab 100% sinu tähelepanu. Sa pead olema kohal.
Ma ei loo suuri ootusi ja lootusi uksest välja astudes. On juhtunud, et jah, mõtlen eelnevalt valmis mida ja kuidas, aga tänaval on omad reaalid. Proovin olla avatud meelte ja silmadega. Ei väldi neid kohti, kus juba käidud on, vaid proovin avastada sealt uusi vaatenurki. On tore lasta ümbritseval ennast kõnetada.
Mis sind enim inspireerib fotograafias?
Hea küsimus. Arvan et ikka ja jälle sunnib fotoaparaati kätte võtma vaevu aimatav side reaalsuse ja mängulisuse vahel. Pildistan küll reaalseid asju, aga lõplik foto võib olla hoopis ebareaalne ideaalmaastik.
See on nagu parfüümi hõrk aroom ruumis. Me tunneme seda, aga iial ei saa teada, kes selle siia jättis või kes siin ruumis viibis.
On sul mõni lemmikkoht, kus pildistada meeldib?
Otseselt ei ole. Ja antud ajahetkel meeldivad piltlikult öeldes tänavad, kus on üks maja, pink, puu, koer ja inimene.
Arvatavasti on see sellepärast, et mul ei tule hea kaadri leidmine rahvarohketes kohtades välja. Naudin täiega neid fotograafe, kes oskavad sealt oma foto leida. Mina ei oska.
Küll aga on mul oma unistuste võttepaik. Tegemist oleks “kaduva maailmaga”. Paigaga, kus vanamemmed, heledad rätid peas, istuvad valgete sõstrapõõsaste juures lüpsipinkidel. Jalas paigatud põlvedega dressipüksid, korjamas mahlaseid marju kilumannerguisse.
Tartu on heade mõtete linn, kas ta on ka heade piltide linn? Kuidas tundub, kas kisub juba kõik vanaviisi või leiab nurga tagant ka uusi huvitavaid kaadreid?
Tartu on heade mõtete linn. Näed, sa panid samuti tähele. Olgem ausad igal linnal, kohal on oma võlud. Nii ka Tartul. Olen küll kunagi öelnud, et Tartu on igav, aga pipart mulle keele peale. See ei ole sugugi nii.
Tartu on väga mitmekülgne ja arenev linn. Samas on siin ka palju veel sellist, kuhu plastmass ja Lidl pole jõudnud. Ikka leian midagi uut ka neist kohtadest, kuhu ma varem sattusin. Usun, et selle linna võluks on ka see, et siin on kõik käe-jala juures ning pole küsimust jalutada linna ühest servast teise.
Aga kas leiab meie linnast uusi ja huvitavaid kaadreid? No vaadake minu omi, kas leiab?
Mis tehnikat sa tavaliselt kasutad, kui tänaval pildistad? Kui oluline tehnika sinu jaoks on?
Tehkem üks asi kohe selgeks, tehnika teeb küll foto, kuid milline see olema saab, see sünnib ikka fotograafi kahe kõrva vahel.
Nüüd pean omi sõnu sööma, kahjuks ma ei ole patust puhas ja ikka kisub paha peale. Jaa, ma tean ja olen nõus sellega, et tehniline baas ei ole kõige tähtsam, aga tõmbab ikka erinevaid fotoaparaate proovima.
Mul on olnud Pentax K3 ja Fujifilm XF10. Pentax meeldis mulle oma ergonoomika poolest, aga sõbraks ma temaga ei saanud. Fujifilm oli väga meeltmööda, aga samas on mul suhteliselt suured käed, mistõttu ei olnud mugav temaga toimetada. Nüüd on igapäevaseks taskukaameraks Ricoh GR, see meeldib väga. Lisaks Canon 5D mark 3 ning mõned filmikaamerad. Viimased siis analoogfotograafiaga katsetamiseks.
Olen oma tehnilise baasiga rahul, aga lihtsalt põnevuse pärast tahaks ära proovida ka mõne uuema hübriidkaamera. Ei looda, et see tooks loomingusse kvalitatiivse hüppe, pigem on siin tegemist tehnilise huviga.
Kas pilt peaks olema siis ikkagi värviline või must-valge?
Pilt peaks köitma vaataja tähelepanu, kas ta on värviline või must-valge, pole tähtis.
Kas sul on mõni hea soovitus, kuidas saada paremaks tänavafotograafiks?
Praktika, ehk pidevalt kaameraga tänaval käimine on kindlasti edasiviiv jõud. Samuti teiste tänavafotograafide toimetuste järgimine.
Kas saaksid palun ühe oma foto saamise lugu rääkida.
Foto sai üles võetud möödunud aasta pühadesära teemalisel tänavafoto jalutuskäigul. Jalutuskäik oli juba lõppenud, aga otsustasime kaaslasega, et teeme veel omaette ühe tiiru. Mööda Emajõe kallast Delta õppehoone poole jalutades märkasin, et kellegi hoolikas käsi oli korjanud põrandalambid akna äärde ritta. See meenutas kangesti kauneid baleriine lavalaudadel ja nii sündiski ”Luikede järv” Emajõe kaldal.
Just selline foto ja situatsioon on minu maitset mööda. Keegi võib ju öelda, et tegemist pole mitte tänavafotograafiaga. Et puudub vajalik tegur – inimene. Ma vastu vaidlema ei hakka. Minu jaoks ei ole tänavafotograafia tingimuseks inimese kindel kohalolek. Piisab sellest, kui tajun et ta on olemas olnud.
Toivo pilte näeb rohkem Instagramist @manlikehuman.
Toivo Tenno is a street photographer residing in Tartu, who wanders around with open mind and open eyes. He is also a member of the board of the NGO Estonian Street Photography and helps to run things on behalf of Tartu.
We talked with Toivo about getting into street photography and about its nature. We discussed about taking photos in Tartu, his own work and little bit about the camera gear.
How did you find street photography for yourself?
Oh, it could have been some 4-5 years ago in the winter, when a good friend, who at that time was interested in street photography, gave me this crazy idea, that we had to drive from Tartu to Võru right at that night, at around 11 pm, to buy a Canon camera from hand to hand at the Statoil gas station there.
So, I got my first camera kind of late. Although yes, I was surrounded by loved ones who had been working with a camera for many years before that. When I already had a camera and my friend added me to the street photo group, the time came when my first photo also found its way into that group. And as most of those who have joined, know, the day will come when someone will submit the first comment under your photo, which sounds something like this: “Why do you think this photo is street photography?”. This comment was submitted by Airi Leon. Not knowing who Airi is and what the point of the question is, a bright flash went through my mind. What´s the matter? Who dares to doubt it? Can’t you see that “Daddy is back in business”.
Be that as it may, but after a couple of hours of messenger chat, I became interested in who Airi is and what street photography is all about. Later there was a day, when street photo walk was happening in Tartu. There it turned out that Airi is very nice person and street photography enthusiasts are generally extremely nice people, and I would like to be one of them. Since then, I started exploring this topic and discovering this world on my own. And now here I am.
What does street photography mean to you?
The question seems simple at first glance, but it is oh so difficult to answer. What does street photography mean to me? It is said that a photographer is like a hunter who stalks his prey with a camera. I think I am a storyteller, who goes here and there collecting new stories and then tells them. And these fairy tales are about life itself.
You have interesting observations and pictures with socially critical content or messages again and again. How do they come about, are they random observations or is it a definite theme for you?
Thank you for noticing. I myself have not thought that in my case that it may seem that i am such a “whining old man”, but if so, then so be it. I believe I would be lying if I said it was a coincidence. There is certainly some randomness here and there, but to a small extent.
After all, the subconscious is the one that guides and then you start to notice things that attracts your senses. People are different and their perception of the world is different. This is great! It would be boring if everyone liked cats and orchids. And you would only take photos of that. A photographer should be free and bold in what he captures.
Someone has said something like this, that: “90 percent of my photos are pure shit, but it’s great to take pictures”. This also applies to me.
If you go into the street, what is that thing, that you are hoping to find? How do you approach it usually?
This going out into the street is not quite like I step over the threshold and start clicking. It´s different every time. The most important thing here is time. None of us wants the other party to squeeze time to communicate or be with us. It’s the same with going out on the street. The street also needs 100% of your attention. You have to be there.
I don’t set high expectations and hopes when I walk out the door. It has happened that yes, I think in advance about what to do and how to do it, but the street has its own realities. I try to be open-minded and keep my eyes open. I don’t avoid the places I’ve already visited, but I try to discover new perspectives there. It’s nice to let your surroundings speak to you.
What inspires you the most in photography?
Good question. I think that again and again I am forced to pick up the camera by the barely predictable connection between reality and playfulness. I photograph real things, but the final photo can be an unrealistic ideal landscape.
It is like the delicious aroma of a perfume in the room. We can feel it, but we never know who left it here or who was in this room.
Do you have any favourite spots, where you like to take photos?
Not directly. And at this moment in time, figuratively speaking, I like streets, where there is one house, bench, tree, dog and a person.
I guess it’s because I’m not good at getting a good shot in crowded places. I thoroughly enjoy those photographers who know how to find their shots there. I can’t.
However, I have my dream location. It would be a “disappearing world”. With a place where grandmoms, with bright scarves on their heads, sit on milking benches by the white currant bushes. And they would be wearing sweatpants with patched knees, picking juicy berries into an old containers.
Tartu is a city of good thoughts, is it also a city of good pictures? How does it feel, does everything seem common to you or do you find new interesting shots around the corner?
Tartu is a city of good thoughts. See, you noticed as well. Let’s be honest, every city has its charms. So does Tartu. I have once said that Tartu is boring, but I should bite my tongue. This is not the case at all.
Tartu is a very versatile and developing city. At the same time, there is much more here that plastic mass and Lidl have not reached. I still find something new even in places I’ve been to before. I believe that the charm of this city is also that everything is close by and there is no question of walking from one side of the city to the other.
But can you find new and interesting shots of our city? Well, look at mine, can you find it?
What gear do you usually use when you shoot on the street? How important is it to you?
Let’s make one thing clear right away, the camera makes the photo, but what will it be, that happens between two ears of the photographer.
Now I have to eat my words, unfortunately I’m not clean of a sin and I’m still being attacked by the evil. Yes, I know and I agree that the technical base is not the most important thing, but it still attracts me to try different cameras.
I’ve had a Pentax K3 and a Fujifilm XF10. I liked Pentax for its ergonomics, but I didn’t become friends with it. I really liked the Fujifilm, but at the same time, I have relatively large hands, so it was not comfortable to handle it. Now my “everyday pocket camera” is the Ricoh GR and I really like it. I also have Canon 5D mark 3 and some film cameras. The latter for experimenting with analog photography.
I’m happy with my technical base, but I’d also like to try out some of the newer hybrid cameras just for the thrill of it. It is not expected that this will bring a qualitative jump to my creation, rather it is a matter of a technical interest.
Should the image still be in color or black and white?
The image should attract the viewer’s attention, whether it is in color or black and white, it doesn’t matter.
Do you have any good advice, how to become better street photographer?
Practice, i.e. constantly walking on the street with a camera, is definitely a driving force. Also following what other street photographers are doing.
Can you please describe how did you make one of your photos?
This photo was taken during last year’s street photo walk on the theme of ”holiday sparkle”. The walk was already over, but my friend and I decided to take one more tour on our own.
While walking along the banks of the Emajõgi towards the Delta Centre, I noticed that someone’s careful hand had picked up the floor lamps and put them in a row by the window. It was strongly reminiscent of beautiful ballerinas on a stage, and that’s how “Swan Lake” was born on the banks of the Emajõgi River.
This kind of photo and situation is to my taste. Someone might say that this is not really a street photography. That the necessary factor – a person – is missing. I’m not going to argue. For me, street photography does not contain the definite presence of a person. It is enough that I perceive that the person has existed.
You can explore more of Toivo´s work in Instagram @manlikehuman.