I was born in 1967 in Viljandimaa. I grew up in the middle of beautiful nature in Sepa farm in Kootsi village, Põhja-Sakala municipality. I took my first photo with the film camera “Moscow” when I was about eight years old. The first photographs were certainly motivated by my interest in technology and it was not important who, what or how was captured. In the beginning, I was fascinated by the technological process: from developing film to enlarging the photo on paper in the darkroom. The discovery of the photo as a means of storage and expression gradually came later.
I have been seriously and deeply engaged in photography since 1999. I have recorded people’s lives and activities in both their happiness and sadness. With the studio, I have travelled to kindergartens and schools; hiked and photographed in nature – at any time of the year, in any weather. For 21 years I was the official photographer of the Suure-Jaani Music Festival. Over the years I have held many jobs: tractorist, electronics engineer, firefighter, salesman, teacher, photographer, even journalist. Today, the job of a sharpener in the wood industry brings me bread.
Photographing people in their natural habitat is intriguing to me. Additionally to that, street photography captivates me. I prefer older, more archaic, dingy and dilapidated neighborhoods and industrial landscapes. Furthermore, the contrasts of ostentatious wealth and screaming poverty are curious to me. Still, I would like to find a person in each street photo I capture. However, I often escape to nature – alone, with my camera as my only companion. Then the goal is not to capture beautiful views of nature, but the desire to be as far as possible from civilization, people, noise… Recently, I have used photographic images only as raw material, and the end result is more and more distant from the classic photo. For me, it is no longer the photograph that is important, but the visualized thought, message, state of mind…
Jaanus Siim
Sündisin 1967. aastal Viljandimaal. Üles kasvasin Põhja-Sakala valla Kootsi küla Sepa talus keset kaunist loodust. Oma esimese foto tegin umbes kaheksa aastaselt, aparaadiks laifilmi “Moskva”. Kindlasti olid esimesed fotografeerimised ajendatud just tehnikahuvist ja oluline polnud, kes, mis või kuidas pildile jäi. Alguses oli minu jaoks põnev just see tehnoloogiline protsess pimikus filmi ilmutamisest foto paberile suurendamiseni, foto kui talletus- ning väljendusvahendi avastamine tuli tasapisi hiljem.
Tõsiselt ja süvitsi tegelen fotograafiaga alates 1999. aastast. Olen jäädvustanud inimeste elu ja tegevust nii nende õnnes kui kurbuses. Olen rännanud ateljeega mööda lasteaedasid ja koole; matkanud ja pildistanud looduses – igal aastaajal, iga ilmaga. 21 aastat olin Suure-Jaani Muusikafestivali ametlik fotograaf. Aastate jooksul olen pidanud mitmeid ameteid: traktorist, elektroonik, tuletõrjuja, müügimees, pedagoog, fotograaf – isegi ajakirjanik. Täna toob mulle leiva lauale teritaja amet puidutööstuses.
Minu jaoks on huvitav inimese pildistamine tema loomulikus keskkonnas. Ka tänavafotograafia köidab mind, eelistades just vanemaid, arhailisemaid, räämas ja lagunenud linnaosasid ning tööstusmaastikke; samuti uhkeldava rikkuse ja karjuva vaesuse kontraste. Igasse kaadrisse tahaks ma ikkagi alati leida ka inimese. Tihti põgenen loodusesse – üksinda, kaaslaseks vaid kaamera. Siis ei ole eesmärgiks tabada kauneid loodusvaateid, vaid soov olla võimalikult kaugel tsivilisatsioonist, inimestest, mürast, … Viimasel ajal juhtub sageli, et kasutan oma loomingus fotograafilist kujutist vaid toormaterjalina ning lõpptulemus kaugeneb klassikalisest fotost üha enam ja enam. Minu jaoks ei ole enam oluline foto kui selline, vaid visualiseeritud mõte, sõnum, hingeline seisund, …
Jaanus Siim