How does your collaboration work? Who does what?
"Juhana is the technical one. On a video shoot he deals with the lighting team, and he does the editing and monitors the post-production. He's like the glue holding everything together. I'm the one who communicates; the people person. I direct and write all the treatments, for example. And when we shoot video, Juhana holds the camera. When we shoot stills, it's mostly me," says Nana.
Do you ever have creative differences?
"We can be really creative and free when we're putting our ideas on the table, but we can also be really honest. Most of the time! Of course, there have been little fights but nothing that was a big deal. We've been together so long we can read each other's minds. I can see from Juhana's face if he's not happy with something," says Nana.
How do you come up with ideas?
"There is always a spark of inspiration, which might come from the client, or the artist's music, or the fashion collection. We look at their world – we want to see what they think, what they feel, what kind of personality they have. We always start by brainstorming with just paper and a pen, and we're open to all ideas. You see so many photographs in this profession. You are full of Pinterest, full of Instagram. It's so important to put away those things and think, 'What do I see?' It's about being loyal to yourself as a photographer or a director," says Nana.
What's the role of spontaneity in your work?
"On set everyone brings their energy and their heart. When we're shooting, we're not looking that much at what we have planned. We let go and give people space to use their creativity. Everything comes together, you create something new, and it's always better than what you had in your mind," says Nana.