Although Sandra Kantanen’s work is photography of real landscapes, her technique is other-worldly, fantasy come to life.

forest, sandra kantanen

In her earlier work, she was inspired to work in the tradition of Chinese landscape painting, developing a technique to combine painting and photography.
In this series, Shadow Images, she has photographed places in China, Tibet, Finland, and Japan.

“Entering these different cultures have given me insight into very different ways of perceiving image.” Sandra Kantanen” -from Helsinki School

lake3valmis, sandra kantanen

Kantanen creates acrylic paintings on metal plate, then prints her photographs with pigment over the painting, finishing with varnish. The results are magical, misty and dream-like.

lake4valmis, sandra kantanen

Each beautiful work evokes a story; I feel like I am peering through illustrations of a fantasy novel.  See her website for gorgeous, large images of her work: http://sandrakantanen.com/works