Posts Tagged "portrait"
Uzbek Vegetable Seller
He sells a Russian speciality - pickled vegetables - at an outdoor market near a metro station in Moscow. He said he was one of seven children born in western Uzbekistan, an arid region with few jobs. ''I am the youngest,'' adding that he was in his early 30s and divorced. He said that one brother died recently in a car accident back at home. Another brother recently returned to Uzbekistan, so he is the only one from his family in Moscow now, perhaps explaining why he works seven days a week. He said he took off on New Year's day - Russia's biggest holiday - only because the market was closed. I asked the last time he had a day off aside from New Year. ''I don't remember. I don't want to take time off. I need the money.''
Ashot: Skateboarder, Vegan
Ashot, 34 and of Armenian heritage, sticks out even in a big city like Moscow with his long curly hair and beard...''like Jesus'' as he put it. A devout vegan, Ashot was just a few exams away from finishing an economics degree at the prestigious Oil and Gas University in Moscow, something that could have led to a lucrative career. However, after six years of study, he didn't show up to take the last exams in the summer of 2001. He wanted to skateboard, something he had been doing since the late 1980s, when it was still a rarity in the Soviet Union. He gave up skateboarding shortly thereafter, working as a driver. Ashot returned to the sport again in 2012, doing jumps alongside kids half his age, because ''it is my true love.'' I asked him if he would finish those exams if he lived all over again. ''Probably not. I never wanted to study. It was my parents desire. I wanted to be a sportsman. I don't want a career where I am rushing around all the time. I just need enough money for food and travel.'' For more on Ashot, you can see his FB page here: https://m.facebook.com/vegsportfood
Nadezhda & Igor: 4 Months Together
Nadezhda was walking through the Yaroslav railroad station around 9 am on a Saturday morning, slightly ahead of me. I was on my way to a town outside Moscow...she was on her way to see her boyfriend Igor before he took a suburban train back home. Igor said they met four months ago through a friend and that they were a perfect match. I asked what they had in common - besides an apparent love of music (both were wearing headsets). ''Everything. We are the same person, just different sexes.''
Yury: Return Home to Chaos?
Ilya was among a few Ukrainians that packed their bags in January 2014 and headed to XX in the UAE to serve at new, luxury hotel catering in large part to Russian speakers from the former Soviet Union. It was good timing…a few weeks later, the Ukrainian President was overthrown,
Kima: Ex-Barber to US Soldiers
She was smoking a cigarette with a middle-aged red-haired woman outside the Mall of Dubai. They were speaking Russian and I figured that she was probably from Central Asia and her friend from Russia. The next day, as I passed the mall again, she popped out for another cigarette break and I walked over to find out where she was from. She said she grew up in Kyrgyzstan and worked in Afghanistan before coming to Dubai. ”Afghanistan??,” I asked in disbelief.
Dmitry: Belarus Photographer in Dubai
Dmitry, 36 and a father of two, is among many from the former USSR that have moved to Dubai – at least temporarily – in search of new and better opportunities. Go into any major hotel or shopping center and you have a good chance that a Russian-speaker will service you.
Moscow Woman Checking Her Looks
She was standing next to a kiosk not far from the Moscow Kremlin shortly before midnight. Aside from the kiosk worker, who was reading a book, and three police officers on the other side of the street, there was no one around. She was just standing there against the kiosk at first…three shopping bags at her feet. Probably in her 60s, she might have been homeless.
A Moscow Father
The soft, fluffy, snow was falling non-stop in Moscow on February 3, quickly covering my courtyard. I couldn’t pass this up, so I grabbed my camera and headed for the exit to take some photos. I wanted to capture people walking through the snowstorm – a typical Russia image. I ended up finding something that was not a ‘typical’ Russia image…though it is becoming one in my view.
Lyudmila: Retiree, Fitness Lover
It was a beautiful snowstorm…only slightly below zero, so the snow was soft. But it was coming down by the shovel full on this early January morning. Lyudmila didn’t mind as the snow stuck to her outfit and landed on the face – she was focused on exercising in the small stadium near her home in a small west Ukrainian town.
Sakhalin Girls at Burger Joint
Angelina and her friend were sitting in a fast-food burger join, a sort of McDonald's equivalent for the distant island. Both were dressed in fashionable outfits, so they posed for photos outside the fast food spot. Angelina said the two study together at a local college and specialize in organizing cultural performances. Angelina said she would like to work in the modeling industry while her friend would like to sing. Her friend already sings on stage. I asked Angelina if she would like to leave Sakhalin. ''Maybe I will give it a shot in a big city and see how I do,'' she said. ''But, nonetheless, I would return to my native region. Sakhalin is a unique Island.''
