Mikkel Aaland

Mikkel Aaland
Mikkel Aaland
Born	1952; San Francisco, California, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Photographer, author
Known for	Pioneering contributions to digital photography; author of twelve books on photography and sweat bathing culture

Adapted from the English Wikipedia article Mikkel Aaland, available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 1 December 2025

Mikkel Aaland (born 1952) is a Norwegian-American photographer who divides his time between San Francisco and Norway. He is acknowledged for his pioneering contributions to digital photography and has authored twelve books on the subject. Among his notable works is the 1978 publication Sweat, which provides a visual exploration of the history of sweat bathing. His documentary photography has been displayed internationally, including exhibitions at the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris and the former Lenin Museum in Prague. Aaland's body of work encompasses memoirs, collections of photojournalism, as well as guides on digital imaging and Adobe Photoshop software.

Early life

Aaland was born in San Francisco and raised in Livermore, California. His father, originally from Norway, was a scientist employed at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. An accomplished Eagle Scout, he attended Livermore High School, where he also participated in football. He earned his degree in photojournalism from California State University, Chico, and was recognized as an All-American swimmer on the NCAA Division II championship team.

Career beginnings

In 1978, Aaland released his debut book titled Sweat: The Illustrated History and Description of the Finnish Sauna, Russian Bania, Islamic Hammam, Japanese Mushi-buro, Mexican Temescal, and American Indian & Eskimo Sweat Lodge, which was the product of a three-year photographic journey documenting bathing traditions worldwide. He continues to be an active historian and promoter of sweat bathing culture.

His follow-up nonfiction work, County Fair: Portraits (1981), was created after nine years of traveling through American county fairs. The book received acclaim from both critics and photographers for its genuine portrayal of Americana. In 1982, Aaland appeared on the David Letterman Show to present selections from these two publications.

Having been introduced to digital photography by Ansel Adams in 1981, Aaland contributed articles to numerous magazines such as American Photographer, FOTO, American Photo, Digital Creativity, Newsweek, The Washington Post, Popular Science, and Wired. That same year, he earned the National Art Director's award for his photographic work.

Digital photography education

As an early advocate for digital photography education, Aaland authored a regular column during the 1980s for American Photographer and held the position of West Coast editor for the Swedish publication FOTO. In 1992, he published Digital Photography, a guide offering practical advice on using digital cameras. This was followed by Still Images in Multimedia (1996) and Shooting Digital: Pro Tips for Taking Great Pictures with Your Digital Camera (2003), which was honored as "Best Digital Photography Book of the Year for 2004" by Designer's Bookshelf.

Between 2011 and 2018, Aaland co-hosted the Nordic Light International Festival of Photography.

Beginning in 2001, he authored several instructional books focused on enhancing digital images with Photoshop, including multiple editions of Photoshop Elements Solutions: The Art of Digital Photography. He also provided consultation during the development phases—alpha, beta, and final—of Adobe Photoshop Elements. His 2006 publication, Photoshop CS2 RAW: Using Adobe Camera Raw, Bridge, and Photoshop to Get the Most Out of Your Digital Camera, offered detailed explanations about professional use of the RAW file format.

While involved in beta testing for Adobe Lightroom, Aaland organized practical field tests by gathering professional photographers in remote locations. This initiative resulted in two instructional books: Photoshop Lightroom Adventure: Mastering Adobe's Next-generation Tool for Digital Photographers (2007), set in Iceland, and its sequel, Photoshop Lightroom 2 Adventure: Mastering Adobe's Next-generation Tool for Digital Photographers, located in Tasmania—both demonstrating expert workflows utilizing Lightroom software.

Memoir and Travel Publications

Aaland authored The Sword of Heaven: A Five Continent Odyssey to Save the World (1999), a narrative chronicling six years spent documenting a peace initiative led by Hiroshima survivors under the guidance of a Shinto priest. As part of this project, he scattered fragments of a sacred Shinto Sword of Heaven into waters around the world, creating a spiritual barrier of kami.

His most recent work, The River in My Backyard, is an illustrated memoir that delves into his ancestral roots, the tragic murder of his father, and a spiritual journey to Mount Kailash.

In 1984, Wired magazine commissioned Aaland to conduct an interview with filmmaker Chris Marker in Paris, which was subsequently featured as the cover story for Digital Creativity. This encounter sparked a lasting friendship, and Aaland is currently developing a tribute project in Marker’s honor.

Sweat Bathing Expertise

Aaland is recognized as an authority on sweat bathing, having written Sweat: The Illustrated History and Description of the Finnish Sauna, Russian Bania, Islamic Hammam, Japanese Mushi-buro, Mexican Temescal, and American Indian & Eskimo Sweat Lodge. In 2014, he curated the Perfect Sweat Summit in San Francisco, assembling 50 experts from around the globe.

He also co-hosts the travel documentary series Perfect Sweat, which combines his knowledge of photography, travel, and sweat bathing traditions. The seven-episode series revisits themes originally explored in his 1978 publication Sweat, examining bathing customs worldwide.

Aaland holds honorary memberships with both the International Sauna Association (ISA) and the British Sauna Society. Additionally, he co-founded and serves on the board of Norway’s Sauna Association (Badstulaug).

Philanthropic Activities

Serving as president of the International Sauna Aid Foundation, Aaland has facilitated the deployment of mobile saunas in Ukraine to aid communities affected by conflict. He also coordinated sauna installations for first responders during the Southern California wildfires in January 2025.

Bibliography

Sweat: The Illustrated History and Description of the Finnish Sauna, Russian Bania, Islamic Hammam, Japanese Mushi-buro, Mexican Temescal, and American Indian & Eskimo Sweat Lodge, Capra Press: Santa Barbara, 1978; reissued by Borgo Press: San Bernardino, 1989; ebook edition by Cyberbohemia Press: San Francisco, 2017.
County Fair: Portraits, Capra Press: Santa Barbara, 1981.
The Sword of Heaven: A Five Continent Odyssey to Save the World, Traveler's Tales: San Francisco, 1999.
Pilgrimage to Kailash: Tibet's Holy Mountain, Cyberbohemia Press: San Francisco, 2013.
The River in My Backyard, Cyberbohemia Press: San Francisco, 2016.

Photography Instruction

Digital Photography (co-authored with Rudolph Burger), Random House: New York, 1992. ASIN B000KVE4BA
Still Images in Multimedia, Hayden Books: Indianapolis, 1996.
Photoshop for the Web, O'Reilly Media: Cambridge, MA, 1998; second edition, 1999.
Photoshop Elements Solutions: The Art of Digital Photography, Sybex: San Francisco, 2001; second edition, 2002; third edition, 2005; Wiley: Indianapolis, 2005.
Shooting Digital: Pro Tips for Taking Great Pictures with Your Digital Camera, Sybex: San Francisco, 2003; Sybex/Wiley: Indianapolis, 2007.
Photoshop CS2 RAW: Using Adobe Camera Raw, Bridge, and Photoshop to Get the Most Out of Your Digital Camera, O'Reilly Media: Sebastopol, 2006; republished as Photoshop CS3 RAW: Transform Your RAW Images into Works of Art, O'Reilly Media: Sebastopol CA, 2008.
Photoshop Lightroom Adventure: Mastering Adobe's Next-generation Tool for Digital Photographers, O'Reilly Media: Sebastopol, 2007; second edition also released in 2007.

External links