Suurkuvat

Suurkuvat is a Finnish term used to refer to large-format images, especially photographs, that dominate a page, a spread, or a display. In journalistic and publishing contexts, suurkuvat denote the kind of image that is intended to have immediate visual impact through its size and composition. The concept emphasizes scale and prominence rather than the subject matter itself.

In traditional print media, suurkuvat were commonly used on front pages or in full-page spreads to illustrate major news events, feature stories, or human-interest pieces. They could be portraits, documentary scenes, or landscape views and were often printed with careful attention to cropping, resolution, and tonal range to maintain image quality at large sizes. The use of suurkuvat contributed to the storytelling by providing a strong visual entry point for readers.

Production and technology have shaped the evolution of suurkuvat. Earlier workflows relied on large negatives and high-resolution reproduction, with paper quality and halftone techniques influencing final appearance. With the shift to digital photography and desktop publishing, large-format images remain central in both print and digital layouts, including online galleries and feature sections, where lead images and hero photographs function similarly to traditional suurkuvat.

Today, the term continues to appear in Finnish media discourse to describe prominent, large-scale imagery in newsrooms, magazines, advertising, and exhibitions. See also suurkuva (singular) for the general concept and kuvajournalismi, which encompasses visual journalism practices.