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Inha experimented with cameras to secure the best
equipment, and generally preferred a plate size of 18cm
× 24cm, which was ideal for the subsequent albumen
prints he favoured. Specialising in panoramas, he would
often use several plates to record all the subject matter.
Lacking the mountainous features of Germany, where he
had trained, Inha concentrated on the expansive forests,
the many lakes and rivers, and the deserted areas of
wilderness in the north. Unless the sky was bright, and
fi lled with attractive cloud formations, Inha’s composi-
tions would often concentrate on foregrounds in order
to eliminate drab expanses of space above the horizon.
Doing so allowed him to determine his exposure calcula-
tions for the important features of his photograph.
His coverage of the country was extensive, and like
most Finns, he had a respect for exploring the wilder-
ness. His wanderings on foot took him to otherwise
inaccessible places beyond the Arctic Circle, and yet the
trips which he undertook on the rivers of Kemi, Oulanka,
Oulu and Kajaani provided the challenge of positioning
his camera to capture dramatic waterfalls and fast-fl ow-
ing white water. In wintertime, he composed his views
so as to incorporate the ever-present snow—snow drifts,
snow-capped trees, melting snow, and snow obliterating
foreground rocks and other features.
He travelled to the northern cape of Hanko to photo-
graph ice-breaking ships, and frozen rivers. He coaxed
seal hunters into formal poses, and also documented
them working on the ice. In western Finland, he secured
images of wooden farmsteads and cabins, children at
play, and fi elds of harvests. A summertime visit to Hel-
sinki produced a portfolio showing fi ne architecture,
urban life, the harbours, and the parks.
In following the tranquil lakes, waterways and canals
of Eastern Finland, Inha took care to position human
fi gures in his compositions, but also concentrated on
the rural lifestyle—the sauna bath, women in the fi elds,
travellers, and boatmen. He produced portraits by
making the most of limited facilities—arranging small
groups on a single bench to catch side lighting that
enhanced their rugged features ... even at the expense
of shadow detail.
His personality was suited to the task. He had an ar-
tistic gift that was successful in photographing children
and country people going about their daily lives. In the
summer of 1894, he travelled to Karelia and produced
a portfolio of over two hundred photographs that em-
pathise with the subject matter. He managed to portray
the poverty of the region by combining skilful selection
and composition, which retained the dignity that was the
essence of the people. He frequently adapted his style to
improve his interpretation and because the coverage was
so thorough, these plate negatives remain a national asset
in the Finnish Museum of Photography, Helsinki.
He continued to modify his ideas and within two yearshe published Pictorial Finland, which was a defi nitive
portfolio comprising nearly two hundred photographs.
He took all the pictures for the specifi c purpose, and
ever the perfectionist, Inha had the illustrations printed
in Austria to reproduce the quality of the originals. Dur-
ing the summer of 1899, he continued to concentrate
on rural scenery and received a commission to illustrate
the distinctively Finnish aspects of agriculture for the
Finnish Pavilion at the 1900 Paris Exposition.
He did a good technical job, but as his brief was to
illustrate the emerging new styles of farming and to
emphasise the increase in commercial forestry, it opened
his eyes to the way in which Finland was changing. The
rural ideal was disappearing and with it, a way of life.
Finland was also experiencing political change and after
an illness, Inha gave up newspaper work in 1908 and
became a recluse. He continued to use his many cameras
to good effect and found satisfaction by concentrating
on some of details, rather than the full panorama, of the
landscapes he cherished.
Ron CallenderBiography
Into Kondrad Inha was born on 12 November 1865.
His father was a civil servant with the family name of
Nyström, but a passion for all things Finnish probably
encouraged Inha to change his surname some years later.
Inha attended a Finnish-speaking primary school, and
at home, his parents encouraged the creative activities
of music, story-telling and painting.
In 1885, Inha enrolled at Helsinki University for
geography, literature and studies in the appreciation of
beauty, but a part-time job appealed to him so much that
he abandoned university in preference for permanent
employment in journalism.
Inha was a competent journalist and specialised in
popular scientifi c texts and children’s stories for over
twenty years. For recreation, he cycled throughout
Finland and parts of Europe, and his appreciation for
the countryside provided inspiration for newspaper
articles. After appropriate training, his strongpoint
became pictorial photography, which he practised until
he died in 1930.
See also: Finland.Further Reading
Friedman, M, (ed.), The Frozen Image : Scandinavian Photog-
raphy, New York: Abbeville Press, 1982.
Mäkinen, Vesa, (ed.) I K Inha / Suomen Maisemia, [Landscapes
of Finland as seen by I K Inha], Helsinki: Werner, Söderström
Osakeyhtiö, 1988.
Vuorenmaa, Tuomo-Juhani, Kajander, Ismo, I. K. Inha: valoku-
vaaja, [I K Inha: photographer], Porvoo: Werner Söderström
Osakeyhtiö, 1981.INHA, INTO KONDRAD
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