Pentti Sammallahti's best photograph: ice fog in stormy northern Russia

http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2014/jan/08/pentti-sammallahti-best-photograph-russia-winter

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It was -20C when I took this picture. The fog you see is actually ice fog: lots of tiny ice particles suspended in the air. This happens when it's very cold but the sea has not frozen. It was February 1992 and I was in the northwest of Russia, on an island called Solovets in the White Sea.

I used to travel to Russia a lot, especially after glasnost when it became possible to visit the countryside. At the time, many people in the White Sea area spoke Karelian Finnish, so I was able to converse with them. It was like going back to my childhood: life there had not changed much over the years. Finland and Russia have a complex relationship. We fought each other in the second world war and there have been all kinds of troubles, but they are our neighbours and I think it is better to keep good relations. I like the country, the people, everything there.

Travelling round that part of Russia is quite easy because people follow an old byzantine tradition that says they have to be kind and polite to strangers. I have heard it said that this is because they believe every foreigner could be the next Christ. They are very poor but will always find you somewhere to stay: even if their home is small and crowded, there will be room for your sleeping bag.

The night before I took this, I stayed up until the early morning talking, playing chess and drinking vodka with a Finnish film-maker. I eventually fell asleep, but he roused me and said: "Get up, Pentti. If you don't get good pictures now, then you are a duffer!" He was right. It honestly felt like I could have photographed anything. In fact, anyone could have been working the camera – the circumstances were so perfect. It was around nine in the morning, just after sunrise and, although it was cold, the light was enchanting. The man in the picture might be going off to work, I don't know. He had his dog with him. It ran back and forth, always waiting up ahead. The dog is small, but it is important.

I feel like I received this photograph, I didn't take it. If you're in the right place at the right time, then all you have to do is push a button. Being a photographer doesn't come into it.

Another evening, I was sitting on some steps with my friend. We were drinking vodka and talking about how sorry we were about the situation in Russia, how it felt like everything had collapsed. We were almost crying about how sad everything seemed. Then we looked round and saw a group of dogs running around and having fun. My friend said: "Pentti, don't worry – this country is a paradise for dogs." I thought: "That is the point of view I will adopt when I photograph here."

So when I put the shots together for my Russian Way landscape series, I only chose ones that had dogs and a road in them. When I photograph dogs, I always have something to feed them – some sausage or sardines. They are quite easy to befriend. Give them something twice and they'll be your friend for life.

CV

Born: Helsinki, Finland, 1950.

Studied: Self-taught.

Influences: "My grandmother, the photographer Hildur Larsson; Kristoffer Albrecht; Paul Strand; André Kertész and Josef Koudelka."

Top tip: "Get a book of great photographs and spend a week studying each shot. Every day, think about a different aspect: subject, composition, tonal range, the moment when the image was taken and how the photograph was made."

• Work by Pentti Sammallahti can be seen at the Photographers' Gallery, London, W1.

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