Saksi, By night by Miika Saksi

Think of the best night out you ever had. Then think of the photos of that night. They never live up to the fun you remember having. Too much flash in the wrong places, blurs like slurs and a hangoverish haziness. But hey, even your memories rarely live up to the fun you had. Unless, of course, Miika Saksi and his camera were there. His photos capture the party exactly the way you wish it had happened. Exactly the way you wish you remembered the night out. Even if you weren't there, you'll get that high of being tipsy (or a bit more) by flipping through the pics. They have an intimacy that comes from Miika being there to party with whom he shot They are his people, he is theirs. He started snapping away in 1996, and there was a time when he wouldn't go out without his Lumix. If it wasn't with him, the night felt wasted. In the wrong way. Miika focuses on the remorseless fun, the letting loose, the moments in unexpected chains of events, the living for the night and being of the night. This includes good times and not-so-good times, and of course because every one of the nights he has shot is history, there is that pang of sadness of moments gone by. These photos show one thing better than any: This is why people go out.