Jaana and Lorenzö of the studio Cahute have put a spin on the digital age of instant viewing by taking a step back into the past with a classic process of portraits on paper. They created a market for themselves that is so micro-niched they have yet to find another studio specializing solely in this process.
Cahute is dedicated to portrait photography on paper. “We believe in photography as an object. We make photographs that will last, and can be passed on,” Lorenzö said over a phone conversation. The business has been around since October 2015 and is located in the historical Pasilan Konepaja district in Helsinki, Finland. The team speaks Finnish, English, French, Spanish, and Italian.
Utilizing their large format, 8x10 camera, they photograph the image directly on paper. The processing of the images is done in Caffenol, which is a mixture of vitamin C, washing soda, and, as the name suggests, coffee.
Image Courtesy of Lauri Pietarinen
8×10 Calumet C1
Image Courtesy of Ella Karttunen
Image Courtesy of Cahute
Image Courtesy of Cahute
Products and Processes
They were looking for an option to shoot in large format along with eco-friendly advantages. Due to the nature of this type of processing, the team can travel utilizing local items and products to create the images. They use ISO 9001:2008, FSC-certified paper (certified by the Forest Stewardship Council). The developer is 100-percent biodegradable, and the used fixer is collected and recycled at a Helsinki Region Environmental Services location.
The processor is made by Ilford, a company located in England, and allows prints to last 100 years. This type of process does not use film. Instead, it involves exposing directly onto direct positive paper to create an image that is not to be worked in post-production. The only time it is copied is to scan it to their own website for presentation and marketing purposes. The paper is loaded into the camera and given directly to the customer because they believe in the art of physical products. Customers can see and touch the capture in the immediate moments following.
Image Courtesy of Lauri_Pietarinen
Image Courtesy of Cahute
Image Courtesy of Cahute
Image Courtesy of Cahute
What Lies Ahead
While the local market is small (with Helsinki having a population of approximately 1.5 million) the response to this work has been large. People are coming from out of the area specifically to shoot with the team for this process. It is unique, and the clients are starting to flow in due to this niche. The team is also working to build a 20X24 large format camera to produce larger image options for their clients.
Lorenzö stated that while there is an active community on social media for this type of process, it seems that they have not been able to locate another studio using Caffenol as their only source of shooting. This specialty is difficult to master, and maintaining consistent results is also a challenge, which could be the reasoning behind the lack of more portrait studios in this area of expertise according to the team. The duo is always very open to sharing their techniques and are looking to meet new photographers using this process as a way to connect with the community.
I like these portraits, and I think people would love something like this on their wall. Good on them for trying to take the toxicity out of traditional printing, be more environmentally conscious, and offer a modern take on a centuries old craft. Thanks for the article