Joel Hypponen

Commercial, Lifestyle | Last Updated: February 2, 2021

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My name is Joel Hypponen and I am a full-time commercial and lifestyle photographer based in Norway.

My background is in marketing. I have worked at Red Bull as well as in the finance industry until I left the office desk a year ago to pursue career in photography.

I believe in photography to be a unique craft and a language rather than narrowing it down to labels and limitations between niches within the industry.

Life as a whole is amazing in all its colours and I want to express that through my work, whether it’s commercial or not. My work has a lot of photojournalistic and documentary inspiration and I want to bring those elements and candidness to my images.

My projects and locations vary a lot from urban environments to remote wilderness, depending on the project. What’s common throughout my work is natural light and people with stories.

The companies I love working with are the ones that want to go beyond the safe zone with their campaigns and try something new. Some of the companies I have worked with are Coors Banquet, Olympus, Stetson, Seager Co. and Taylor Stitch.

Gear
My toolbox has both digital and analog setups. Both have their time and place but are equally important tools for capturing moments.

The Canon 5D Mark IV is my main work horse. I use that for 95% of what I shoot. It does all I need it to do and I’ve never had a problem with it. It has quick auto focus, solid battery life, can take a good amount of beating on the road and the technical specs are sufficient.

The latest addition is the Leica M6 which I specifically got for the moments that mean the most to me personally.

My lenses of choice are the Canon 16-35mm f/2.8 III, Canon 24-70mm f/2.8 II and Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 II for digital.

The 16-35mm lens is the one I use the least, but certain situations call for it and it has incredibly sharp for a zoom lens.

The 24-70mm lens is the one I have attached for most of the time. It’s very versatile for everyday use and I mostly tend to use it at 35mm and 50mm.

My 70-200mm lens is for more specific moments that call for heavy compression and capturing details from a distance.

All of the lenses have Image Stabilization too, which I need for the run-and-gun missions where I need to capture things quickly and don’t have much time to switch between lenses.

I have paired my Leica M6 with Summicron-M 35mm f/2 and Voigtländer 28mm f/2 and both of those lenses are extremely sharp and give me the results I need.

This setup has served me well so far, and unless I need a specific prime lens, this setup is sufficient for a wide range of usage.

I try to treat my gear as tools rather than develop any sentimental attachments – because of this, my gear often gets a beating and needs a good clean after trips.

With the Leica M6 that’s harder. It is such a beautiful and well-crafted machine and has its name and place engraved in the history of photography. The M6 was used for some of the most iconic images over the past decades. If there is one thing that will remain in my camera bag for a long time, it’s the M6.

Specifically for film work, I keep a journal with me at all times, where I take notes on what and how I shoot and write down my ideas and thoughts.

Canon 5D Mark IV
Canon 16-35mm f/2.8 III
Canon 24-70mm f/2.8 II
Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 II
Leica M6
Leica Summicron-M 35mm f/2
Voigtländer 28mm Ultron f/2
SanDisk memory cards
Lacie SSD Hard Drive
MeFoto RoadTrip Tripod
Pelican 1510 case
Pelican SD card case
Incase DSLR Pro Pack
Field Notes + pen