Capturing Russia from white to black, north to south, east to west

Posts Tagged "photojournalism"

Russia-NYC Series 40

Russia-NYC Series 40

My last in the series...at least for now. I met Anton, sporting a Brooklyn hat, in the center of Moscow as he was on the way to the gym. An actor and dancer, the Novosibirsk native has traveled around Europe and US to take part in various performances. He has also put on his own theatrical show titled Hamlet's Body. 
 

Russia-NYC Series 39

Russia-NYC Series 39

Sergei, a university student from Tyumen in Siberia, was strolling along Old Arbat in his New York hat. Sergei said he studies oil and gas, Siberia's biggest industry, and was in Moscow on a short stopover before heading off to Europe for a vacation.
 

Russia-NYC Series 36

Russia-NYC Series 36

 Kolya, a engineer and fashionista, was crossing the pedestrian bridge behind Christ the Savior church on a chilly Moscow Autumn day sporting a NYC hat.
 

Russia-NYC Series 35

Russia-NYC Series 35

To anyone in NYC, these hats stand for the Yankees. In Russia, where baseball is basically non-existent, its simply stands for New York City. Valentin and Sofia, first-year law students, were walking together in snowy Moscow when I passed them. Valentin said he and Sofia recently met in university. Valentin said he wants to continue studying after getting a law degree and go into politics because there a lot of things he would like to change. One issue close to his heart is secondary education, which he feels forces high school students to learn useless material. 
 

Russia-NYC Series 34

Russia-NYC Series 34

Yura and Murat, 12 years old, were on their way to watch a Russian tennis championship match in Moscow with two other friends. Dressed in a NYC sweater and winter hat, Yura and Murat said they have each been playing tennis for several years, but prefer BMX biking, a sport that seems to have become more popular in Moscow in recent years with the opening of new, outdoor extreme biking grounds.
 

Russia-NYC Series 33

Russia-NYC Series 33

The young man on the left in the NYC shirt and his uncle come from a small village on the shore of Lake Issyk Kul in the Central Asian republic of Kyrgyzstan. The young man said he graduated with a law degree, but as there were no jobs at home, came to Russia. He said he worked 2.5 years on Yamal Peninsual, Russia's main gas producing region, which lines on the Arctic circle. He loved the region's nature, but found it tough to bear -45c. Now he works as a cashier in Moscow and says he is satisfied with the work and pay. He dreams of earning enough to buy a car and build himself a home in is village in Kyrgyzstan. He then showed me a few photos of his village at the foot of Lake Issuk Kul with the Tian Shan Mountains rising in the background. 
 

Russia-NYC Series 31

Russia-NYC Series 31

Anton, on the right in a t-shirt with the Empire state building, was sitting with two friends on a bench in the southern city of Stavropol following a walk around town with some girlfriends. A highschool student, Anton said he occasionally took part in rap battles with his friends. (The second friend, sitting on the right, didn't want to be photographed.)

Russia-NYC Series 30

Russia-NYC Series 30

Gino was hanging out with a friend in front of the Kremlin wall in Moscow on a sunny summer evening in his Brooklyn hat. Gino, who speaks very good Russian, said he and his friend were from Congo and that he has been living in Russia for about 5 years. He said his mother lives in Washington, DC and he hoped to visit her this year. His says his future plans on where to live and what to do are still undecided.

Russia-NYC Series 29

Russia-NYC Series 29

She was leaving the rocky Sochi beach at dusk with her friend when I saw her in her NYC shirt. She said she was an architect and had worked on Olympic-related projects. With post-Olympic work in Sochi coming to an end, she said she would be heading back soon to St Petersburg.

Russia-NYC Series 28

Russia-NYC Series 28

Toma, in a black NYC shirt, was working with a friend on the Sochi boardwalk, where they draw temporary tattoos and make hair braids. A hardrock fan, she said she grew up in Moscow, but moved with her family to Sochi, which has a large Armenian diaspora. She said she had Armenian heritage.

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