Tuomas Uusheimo won second prize in Sony World Photography Awards
Finnish architectural photographer Tuomas Uusheimo was awarded in the architecture category of one of the biggest and most prestigious global photography competitions for his powerful series on Paimio Tuberculosis Sanatorium.
One of the most prominent Finnish architecture photographers, Tuomas Uusheimo's achievement is significant as the 2019 Sony Awards received a record-breaking 326,997 submissions from 195 countries. The awarded series of photos shot in October 2018 presents Paimio Sanatorium, a masterpiece of Functionalism completed in 1933 and a key work of the early career of the Finnish master of Modernism, Alvar Aalto.
In March, we reported on Uusheimo making it to the shortlist. Read the article on our website here.
The Chair of professional judges Mike Trow comments Uusheimo's Paimio series: “This series is perfectly photographed. The photographer has been very traditional – it is very cleanly shot and framed beautifully. The photographer has included the interiors and exteriors of the sanitorium and has highlighted its position in the forest, which gives you that real sense that the building is alone. This gives the series further emotional weight.”
“I want my photographs to show how buildings carry their past with them. While I am fascinated by the natural and human-inflicted change that occurs as time passes, I also feel responsible for making a contribution to raise awareness of such unique architecture,” describes Uusheimo his motivations on photographing the Sanatorium.
Sony World Photography Awards includes multiple competitions for professionals as well as youth and amateurs. The professional competition consists of ten categories such as, in addition to architecture, documentary photos, sports, landscapes, wildlife and portraits. The winner of architecture category is German photographer Stephan Zirwes with his series on Cut Outs – Pools 2018. The Photographer of the Year is selected from among the category winners. This year the title was presented to the Italian photographer Federico Borella for his documentary series Five Degrees.
All photos and winners can be found World Photography Organisation's website here. Shortlisted and winning photos will be exhibited in London from April 18 until May 6, 2019, before touring globally to countries including Japan, Italy and Germany.
In February, we posted Uusheimo's Paimio photos on our Archinfo Finland Instagram account through this link.
