Porvoo Jazz in pictures
Martti Vilminko | Porvoo Jazz in pictures
10.09. – 27.09.2026
Porvoo Art Hall
Jazz. Improvisation. Interaction. Being in the moment. Rhythm and swing, the tension of breaking boundaries. Borgå-based photographer Martti Vilminko’s lens is tuned to the pulse of jazz. He also wants to make visible the artist’s inner fire in his images.
When photographing jazz gigs, he has to throw himself into the moment without knowing what the result will be. He has to let the uncontrollable take over, trust his experienced eye. Follow his instinct. Yet every time he faces the same uncertainty: will he manage to create something unique, or will the image repeat something that has already been captured hundreds of times before?
Porvoo Jazz Festival’s recurring autumn programme, along with the festival’s monthly jazz club evenings, has offered a varied and high-quality selection of top-class artists, both Finnish and international. Few gigs have gone unphotographed by Vilminko. In fact, nearly all the photographs in this exhibition come from the festival’s programme.
Martti Vilminko
Vilminko began his professional photography career in 1986. He has worked as a press photographer for, among others, Borgåbladet, Uusimaa, Hufvudstadsbladet, and several organizational magazines. At the turn of the millennium, he worked in digital marketing communications for large international companies. He later returned to his original passion and continued his career as a freelance photographer. After the 2008 financial crisis, he switched to the electrical industry.
Photography has occasionally stopped, sometimes for long periods, but has never completely come to an end. His passion for photography flared up again when he reconnected with another old passion – jazz. Vilminko began photographing jazz gigs in the early 2000s, and has done so with growing dedication over the past six to seven years.
Porvoo Jazz Festival
Porvoo Jazz Festival is a heartfelt event held every autumn since 2013, with a focus on quality and an intimate festival atmosphere delivered with a bohemian touch. The festival doesn’t take jazz too seriously, above all, it wants its audience and performers to have a good time in a relaxed atmosphere. Interaction is also important at its events, and the festival aims to make the most current, carefully selected jazz accessible to every listener.