Denis: Clothing Designer, Husky Lover
MOSCOW: Denis is due to become a father for the first time in January. His family will then be seven: him, his wife and newborn and four huskies, including two puppies. Raised in Yakutia, Denis acquired the Huskies a few years ago only after he settled down in the St. Petersburg suburbs. Ironically, the gave rise to a business... While working at a printing company, Denis made a t-shirt with the image of his huskies. As often happens, friends asked for one, Denis printed 50 more and they went quickly. ''It made me realize that people are interested in this and I decided to continue in this direction. Denis quit his job and created his own clothing brand under the name Taiga. The toughest thing at the moment is the strenthening dollar, said Denis. It is pushing up
Ksenia: Colorful, Future Designer
MOSCOW: ''I dress according to my mood,'' said Ksenia, 16, who was dressed in a multicolored shirt, leggings and sneakers. ''And today I am in the best, happiest mood.'' Ksenia said she would like to become a clothing designer and make ''happy, colorful clothing all the time.''
Nodir: Convenience Store Worker
MOSCOW: ''I want to work in my hometown of Samarkand (Uzbekistan)," said Nodir, 21, when I asked about his dreams. "All my friends are there. I want my own small business." Nodir said he has been living about five years in Moscow with his parents. His grandmother takes care of his younger siblings while he and his parents are in Russia. He previously worked at an outdoor market selling fruit until that market was closed a few months ago by the city. Now he works in a convenience store.
Anna: From Yoga to Iron Man
MOSCOW: ''I could not swim, bike or even run properly. I only did some yoga before,’’ said Anna, 32, who just finished a half-Iron Man race in Ireland after starting her training in March. Anna said she signed up for the race at the request of her company, Moscow Exchange, the Russian security market. ''When I started, my body was like the car of first year driver - scratched around. I wanted to give up sometimes, but I felt that I'm a part of a team.'' ''Now I am running and swimming on Friday evening and waking up at 7am on Saturday morning to go cycling. If you told me five years ago I would be doing this, I would have never believed you.’’
Maria: Getting Married
MOSCOW: "We met when I was 14 and he was 19 at a party with friends," said Maria (left). That was back in 2007. Maria was in school while he was in college. Maria will marry him today. Last weekend, she celebrated her bridal shower with three friends along the Moscow River. That is where I ran into her. Her and her soon-to-be husband are headed to the Greek island of Zakynthos to celebrate their honeymoon.
Lev: Ex-Auto Engineer
MOSCOW: Lev, 61, owns a lot of things. So many in fact, he has filled an old factory in Moscow with them. There are computers from the 1980s, TVs from the 1950s, mobile phones from the 1990s among other things. He says he ‘’loves everything,’’ but when I asked to photograph him with one thing, he showed me this blue toy car Gaz 12. He said it reminded him of his childhood as he had the same model only in white. Then he told me a story. When he was 3, he was ill and needed to get 3 shots a day for two weeks. ‘’I was afraid and hid,’’ he said. ‘’My parents bought me this car so I wouldn’t fear any more.’’ Maybe that toy car influenced him…twenty years later, he was working as an engineer at an auto plant. Later, he would run the auto plants museum for 15 years.
Sergey: Instagram Photographer
MOSCOW: ''I take absolutely typical photographs,’’ said Sergei, 22, about his abilities. ‘My photos are nothing special.’’ His skill is in editing and its anything but typical. With the help of four applications on his telephone - including Snapseed, Union and Facetune - he began actively experimenting about a year ago with photos he took on his phone. He posted his colorful pictures on Instagram and attracted followers, including businesses and not just teenagers as he thought. One of his 65,000 followers - a bakery - offered Sergey work as a photographer immediately after he graduated university in July with a degree in journalism. His telephone-based photography and editing hobby suddenly became his job. While he says he earns just an ‘average salary,’ Sergey admits his work requires relatively little time, with everything done from his phone. Sergey also contributes photos to a monthly men’s magazine. You can see his work at @sergeysuxov
Ismail: Building Home in Village
MOSCOW: Ismail, 26, said he grew up in a village in Uzbekistan, but has been working in Russia for nearly five years. He worked 1.5 years in Khabarovsk in the Far East and the last 3 years in Moscow, where he first looked after courtyards. Now he is looking after a large Moscow park along with other migrants from Central Asia. A husband and father, Ismail said he is saving to build a house in his native village.
About Shades of Russia
Shades of Russia is an independent photography blog about people and life in Russia and the former Soviet Union. There are more than 500 portraits posted from about 15 Russian cities, Belarus, Ukraine and Caucasus. The first portraits date back to the summer of 2013.
