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

Posts Tagged "streetphotography"

Maria from Sakhalin

She was sitting behind me on a small bus as we traveled through the center of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. When I turned around to look behind me, I noticed her eyes. I asked her for her portrait after we exited the bus. She was suspicious, but let me take her photo, saying only that her name was Maria.

Nikolai: Butcher Shop Dreams

Nikolai, 25, was offering pedestrians tulips from the back of a car in the center of Vladivostok on Valentine's Day. He had bought 200 hundred tulips from a local producer and sold about 180 by the early evening, pocketing a nice profit. A former worker on a fishing trawler, he said he would like to open a chain of butcher shops because he sees weak competition and strong demand for meat. The current competitors don't understand marketing and he felt he could grab market share. He added that he is part of ''a trend of young people trying to start their own businesses.'' I asked if his parents were involved in food retail as well. He said was born at the end of the 1980s, during a very tumultuous period in Russia's history, and was raised in a village by his grandmother, who has since passed away. ''There are many of us in Russia,'' he said, referring to orphans.

Yulia: Student Who Celebrated Halloween

Yulia, a soil science student from the Urals, said one of her most memorable events of 2014 was spontaneously deciding to celebrate Halloween in the dorm with about 10 university friends. While they found constumes, they didn't find pumpkins, so they bought oranges as an alternative. I asked if the dorm guards gave them a hard time: ‘’We weren’t too loud, so the dorm guards didn’t mind.  

Nikolai: Retired Machinery Worker

Another photo of Nikolai, the retired machinery worker who has taken up ice-skating for firs time in decades to stay in shape. Nikolai came to the pond by bicycle. 

Ruslan: Geology Student & Rockabilly Dancer

Ruslan, 22, a geology graduate student, said his most memorable event last year was hitch-hiking around Armenia for two weeks with his girlfriend. ‘’Armenians are very hospitable - they were not only willing to pick us up along the road, they would invite us for coffee, offer food or even to stay at their places.'’ Ruslan said he met his girlfriend through a rockabilly dance school, where they both take lessons. 

Katya: Impromptu Picnic Organizer

Katya was sitting outside a mall on a sunny day before the New Year dressed in all black except for a big, white tank top that was over her turtleneck. As she smoked her cigarette, Katya told me that she had just done some holiday shopping (those are her white bags) and was waiting for her sister. A future designer, Katya said one of the most memorable events of 2014 was an impromtu summer picnick with her friend at 2am in a Moscow park with beer and sushi. She said their spot was an island of happiness amid the homeless, police and trash in the dark vicinity. 

Fedya: Courier, Student from Uzbekistan

Fedya was wearing a 'From Brooklyn' winter hat while walking in a Moscow street underpass. He said he and his sister moved to Moscow from Bukhara, Uzbekistan. His mom passed away and his dad lives in Uzbekistan. Fedya has worked the last four years as a courier, racing around Moscow. He said he just entered university to study ecology, adding it should be a needed profession in resource-rich Uzbekistan. On a side note, NYC (Queens, not Brooklyn) is home to a large diaspora from Bukhara. 

Victor: Minsk Artist

Victor, 59, was sitting on a bench in the center of Minsk and I approached him to get his views on the city. He ignorned the questions and talked about his painting career. He said as a university student in USSR, he - like other students - was sent to a village to help with the potato harvest. While taking a break in a village house, he noticed a typical Belarusian rug with flower designs on a black background. The babushka let him take it. Twenty years later, he came across the rug amongst his stuff and it inspired a painting in his 'Snow in Black Square' series. The series itself is a play on 'Black Square' by Kazimir Malevich, who lived a few years in Belarus. Victor's site is: www.vitart.net  

Anna: English Major, Rock Lover

Anna, an English-language student, was listening to 'Shadow Maker' by Finnish-rock group Apocalyptica as she walked toward her university, adding she 'can't stop listening to it. Higher up on her list of favorite groups is Canadian rock band 3 Day Grace. Anna said attending their concert in Minsk was the most memorable event in 2014, 'a dream come true.' 

Lesha: Agro-Engineering Student

Fedya was wearing a 'From Brooklyn' winter hat while walking in a Moscow street underpass. He said he and his sister moved to Moscow from Bukhara, Uzbekistan. His mom passed away and his dad lives in Uzbekistan. Fedya has worked the last four years as a courier, racing around Moscow. He said he just entered university to study ecology, adding it should be a needed profession in resource-rich Uzbekistan. On a side note, NYC (Queens, not Brooklyn) is home to a large diaspora from Bukhara. 

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