Photography Archives - Page 2 of 6 - Los Cuadernos de Julia

Kodak Is No More, But Photos Are Still There

The sad news about Kodak just shows how easy it is to get swept by “everything going fine” and not to notice that the world has changed and gone in a completely different direction. Anyway, the photos are there, and The Guardian called for our Kodak moments to share. Before 2007 all my photos were taken by Kodak and Konica cameras, and even today I still don’t own an SLC. I blogged some of the photos previously, but it’s such a good opportunity to remind myself – and you – about the times when I had to wait before the photos were printed and then I had to scan them. It was a pain, but knowing it’s no more is sad.

Rastorguevo is, strictly speaking, a small village that people pass as they travel by Aeroexpress on their way to the Domodedovo Airport. It’s only 10 minutes of train travel away from where I live, and 2000s saw the reconstruction of the monastery and the church. My mother and I used to go there on weekends when I was a little girl, we’d usually visit two shops, one that sold everything, from stationery through clothes to furniture; and another that was a village-format version of B&Q.

View a full Rastorguevo set.

Dubrovsky is another small village easily accessible from my district by bus. The Gardening Institute is located there, and the river is quite popular. Naturally, people used to go there for swimming and sunbathing. Sadly, as our visit there in October 2010 showed, things have changed dramatically. The Institute has practically closed, and on the opposite bank of the river sprung a quasi-elite settlement, and cars are driving up and down the sloppy roads all the time.

View a full Dubrovsky set.

Big Ben

St. Dunstan’s Church

St. Paul’s Cathedral

Cleopatra’s Needle

Bond St

4. My first visit to London occurred in April 2004, and I will never forget those two weeks. This isn’t the moment to recap how I felt and what I did. Maybe, had I visited London during my first ever visit to England, my attitude would be different. I look at these pictures, and I see they’re not the usual touristy type of photos. Apparently, the moments of living and walking in London in those April days, especially during Easter, are still very vivid. These are also the photos I’m glad to call mine because they are good – and given the technology that produced them, they certainly say something about me and my aptitude as a photographer.

View a full London 2004 set.

London and the Thames from the Millenium Bridge

5.Last time I went to London with a Kodak camera was in March 2005. It looks like I didn’t scan all the photos, as there were definitely some from The Globe theatre. Anyway, during all my visits I rarely photographed the Thames, so this is a “rare” photo taken from the Millenium Bridge.

View a full London 2005 set.

6. And finally, the Lake District. I do actually miss England, and I’d happily go to visit Lakeland. There was a flying visit to Carlisle in 2010, and I visited Shap Wells in 2004, but in all my visits there (by car) I never went further than Windermere and Grasmere. I’d gladly go to Keswick.

View a full Lake District set.

Epiphany Dips and the Role of a Photographer

January 19 (that’s tomorrow) is Epiphany, or the Baptism of Our Lord. All over Moscow there are numerous spots for those who’d like to dip into the ice-cold water. The idea is that on Epiphany all waters transmit sainthood of God Our Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, although, of course, in his own days Jesus dipped into the Jordan in the weather conditions nowhere near those in Russia in January. In a way, those who undertake dips on Epiphany in the name of Jesus express a far greater religious zeal than believers from sunnier and warmer places.

Year 2012. “Help! Any doctors here?” – “I’m a phographer. So am I. Me too. And me”

Some of the places that the Big City magazine has put on the map are described as an “unorganised places for bathing“, meaning that they are not designed to be used for Epiphany dips. And I was actually thinking of going to take a few photos. Then I saw this picture (right) and remembered a Russian saying: “salvation of the drowning people is in the hands of such people themselves” (i.e. a drowning man saves himself). As we have seen a few times in photos from various events, sometimes tragic, the passion for documenting every second of the event is all-consuming. It gets to the point when the police beat up a young man, and 3 or 4 guys with cameras diligently snap every movement. So, if I go to an “unorganised place for bathing” I may well witness an accident scene because the police aren’t required to be on the spot. Worse still, I won’t be able to do much, apart from dialling 911 because I cannot swim.

Here’s the rub: once there were mere onlookers. Now onlookers have cameras and seek to document every minute detail. Previously they were idle watchers, now they are concentrated on an important task. You can no longer accuse them of standing idly because they may be honest citizen journalists who do the work. See the difference?

The Wired Sculptures by Ivan Lovatt

Ivan, Andy, and Soup

Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band

Ivan Lovatt was born in Kenya and then came to live in the UK. For the past 6 years he contributed, as a professional sculptor, his works to private collections, corporations and public exhibitions. His most famous pieces are made of chicken wire: “by layering, twisting and shaping this very ordinary medium Ivan creates both abstract and realistic representations, which are tactile, appealing to the viewer to touch. As Ivan’s skills developed and evolved he was drawn to figurative work, and Ivan began a series of portraits of famous people which candidly demonstrates his superior level of craftsmanship and attention to detail“.

Michael Jackson

Imagine…

You can visit Ivan’s official website, while here is a small selection of his portraits of famous people. Most of them are instantly recognisable; it seems that Ivan is experimenting more with the medium than the form. However, his portraits of The Beatles and John Lennon reminded me of a series of photographs by an Italian photographer Enzo Rafazzini who was once offered to participate in a project illustrating The Beatles’ lyrics. Rafazzini chose When I’m Sixty-Four.

Enzo Rafazzini

In the post, though, I’m using The Beatles’ Come Together. I thought the rhythm suits all the images quite nicely.

Enzo Rafazzini

Interviews with Annie Leibovitz and Richard Avedon

One thing I wanted to ask Michael Cunningham but couldn’t was the choice of actress type for the role of Clarissa. I was watching Annie Leibovitz doing this interview, and then I went to read about her and found out that she and Susan Sontag were an item for a long time. I don’t know at which point I remembered that in The Hours the blond Clarissa has got a brunette partner, but it made me wonder if this relationship between two remarkable women made its way into the novel, or the film. For Meryl Streep, in big glasses with her mane of blond hair, does resemble Annie.

The retrospective of Annie Leibovitz is currently on show in Moscow. In the 1999 interview to Charlie Rose she was talking about her and Susan Sontag’s book, Women, that showcased females of different ages and walks of life, including Leibovitz’s own mother.

In the words of Richard Avedon, paying attention is the most important thing for a photographer’s work. I would also use reference to the work of Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and say that this close attention signifies the level of involvement and concentration that in turn correspond to the degree of dedication to one’s goal or vocation, broadly speaking. You will see in the interview that he was a very bright and passionate speaker. One point I also picked upon was his longing for “fear” of working with people because this feeling was helping to keep the art of photography alive and keep it crucial. Also, that as one grows older, the different layers of life get peeled away like onion skin. “I don’t go to parties because I’ve been to dinner parties. I don’t read magazines because I’ve worked for magazines. So what’s left? Work. Making your work better. And a few close friends“.

http://vkontakte.ru/video_ext.php?oid=15568&id=161190094&hash=1578bc550460c3a5&hd=1

An Unknown Lady – Alexander Blok, Ilya Glazunov and Alec Vagapov

Critics consider Ilya Glazunov’s illustrations to An Unknown Lady by Alexander Blok to be the overall finest illustrations of Blok’s work.

An Unknown Lady (Ilya Glazunov)

You could already have read my translation of Blok’s famous poem, Night, a Streetlight, a Street, a Chemist’s. Today I want to acquaint you with translation of another celebrated poem, An Unknown Lady by Alexander Blok. A basic translation under the title “An Unknown Woman” is quite well-known on the web. What makes me particularly happy and proud to present to you a different translation is that it has been done by a Russian Professor of Linguistics who lives and teaches in the city of Pskov. The basic translation not merely pales in comparison, it makes one wonder how on Earth other translators didn’t attempt to render the work in a poetic form.

This translation of An Unknown Lady by Alexander Blok by Alec Vagapov (who specialises in translating Russian poetry into English) is accompanied by an eponymous painting by Ilya Glazunov. The fact that it was painted in 1980 makes it even more beautiful in my eyes. We are told that critics consider Glazunov’s illustrations to Blok’s Verses about the Beautiful Lady to be the overall finest illustrations of Blok’s work.

The heated air in the restaurants
Is  wild and dull as anything,
The drunken  hails are ruled by restless
And noxious spirit of the spring.  

Far off, beyond the dusty alley
Over the boring country side
There is a bakeshop, and the valley
Resounds with crying of a child.  

And every night, beyond the barriers,
Parading, cocking their hats,
Amidst the ditches the admirers
Perambulate with dear hearts.   

Above the lake the creak of ore-lock
And women"s screams impale the place,
And in the sky, the moon disk warlock,
Inanely smiling, makes a face.  

And every night, my friend appears
As  a reflection in my glass,
Like me, he"s stunned  and  set at ease
By magic liquid, drunk en mass.
 
The footmen, true to their habits,
Relax at tables next to us,
And drunkards, staring like rabbits,
Exclaim: In vino veritas!  

And every evening at this hour
(or is it just a dreamy case?)
A waist in satin, like a flower,
Moves past the window in the haze.  

Without drunken men to hinder,
Alone, she walks across the room
And settles down by the window
Exhaling fog and sweet perfume. 
 
There is a kind of old times flavour
About her silky clothes and things:
Her hat, in mourning plumes as ever,
Her hand and fingers, all in rings.  

I feel her close (a strange emotion),
And looking through the veil, I see
The  vast of an amazing ocean,
The coast of an amazing sea.
  
I am informed of inmost secrets,
Somebody"s sun is now all mine,
My  body, heart and soul, in sequence,
Have all been pierced by the wine.  

The  ostrich plumes, desired and welcome,
Are gently swaying in my mind,
And  dark  blue eyes, as deep as welkin,
Are blooming  on the distant side.  

Deep in my soul I have some riches
And I"m the one who has the key!
You"re right, you heady monstrous creature!
In vino veritas, I see.   

April 24th, 1906

Translated by Alec Vagapov

Bloggers Portraits (Or, The Fruits of Improvisation)

I‘m taking part in a photography project by Kirill Kuzmin, Bloggers’ Portraits. This Internet moves in mysterious ways, and I cannot even remember now how I came across Kirill’s blog, but my decision to take part was instant. Yesterday I visited his studio where for the first time I met two other Russian bloggers, and between the four of us we seem to have produced some awesome, if odd, work. The mention of improvising is necessary, as along the way we swapped some “accessories”: I lent my cap, while in the end I got to put on the image I’ve always secretly wanted to wear.

The photos will be available in a short while, and my plan is to shed more light on the project, but in the meantime here are the heroes of the yesterday’s session (arranged, hatted and snapped by Kirill).


Bloggers Portraits: shok_darvina, loscuadernos, tesey

Не успела я приехать в родные пенаты, как мне довелось участвовать в проекте Кирилла Кузьмина “Портреты блогеров” (условия проекта и галереи участников). Пути Интернета сего неисповедимы, и я совершенно не помню, каким образом меня “вынесло” на блог Кирилла, но решение принять участие было моментальным. Вчера же я, наконец, приехала в его студию, где, кроме меня, оказалась еще пара блогеров-рунетчиков, и на четверых мы сообразили нечто замечательное, хоть и немного странное порою. Упоминание об импровизации обязательно, ибо по ходу съемки мы “махнулись” предметами одежды и бутафорией. Я одолжила Евгению свою любимую черную кепку (которую я во время оно безуспешно искала в Манчестере, Лондоне и Оксфорде, но обрела-таки в пригороде Лондона). А потом Евгений предложил дополнить мои Hosenträger головным убором и очками из коллекции Михаила. Так неожиданно я примерила на себя образ, который меня давно интриговал.

Фотографии и прочие материалы будут доступны в скором времени. Пока же – несколько моих портретов (снимал tesey) и групповое фото троих вчерашних героев (взято у shok_darvina).

I’m interviewing Kirill, talking about the project

Meinem anderen Leben…

Anne Geddes Work: Twins and Triplets

At home in Moscow we have a huge collection of Anne Geddes images. They were sold as postcards in Moscow, and my mother and I bought them, thus creating a lovely selection on Anne’s work. Renowned for her skillful and tender photographs of children, Geddes imaginatively commemorates the beautiful moments of childhood, when we are at our most sincere, open, and uninhibited. I have previously shown a few of her images on the blog, and now I follow it up with images of twins and triplets in animal outfits.

And here is the video of Anne introducing her new photographs, for which she’s teamed up with Woolmark Group. The great news is that Anne also has a blog, so make sure you check it for updates.

The Kiss in Vintage Postcards

I have recently republished my 2007 short story The Kiss: The Story of a Dream on Yahoo! Associated Content. In Chelyabinsk later in September they are going to unveil a monument under the name The Kiss to Chelyabinsk. People from this Southen Ural city have for the first time this year joined the ranks of those who celebrate the World Kiss Day on July 6th.

So, to carry on with this “kissing” theme, here are vintage postcards from the family archive, showing an elegant gentleman and his beloved, erm, kissing in the rye. Last year I was in Essex and couldn’t help walking a few metres in the rye field there. The prickly ears weren’t as romantic as they looked from the distance. Perhaps, rye was softer in those days?

A Day Through the Lenses: Elephant Love

A photo of the day on Yandex Fotki.

Author: Vladimir Koziuck

«Милый мой малыш.» на Яндекс.Фотках

Vadim Ivanov: “Love Isn’t an Exchange of Options”

As part of Bloggers’ Portrait project, I and a few bloggers/colleagues/friends have recently had a conversation with a Russian author, blogger and an avid Twitterer, Vadim Ivanov. Born in January 1965 into a Russian family in Kazan (Republic of Tatarstan), Vadim has always loved Moscow and longed to come to live here. His dream finally seems to have come true, whereby we were all able to meet him, ask a few questions, and take a few photos.

Aloof and unassuming, Vadim arrived to his citizen journalist press-conference with his favourite smoking pipe. What followed was an hour-long conversation on all subjects, from literature and the author’s responsibility for his work (from me), national problems (from Oleg at chuma3.livejournal.com), and youth upbringing and hopes for the future (from Kirill at kirill-kuzmin.livejournal.com). More questions were subsequently asked by Mikhail (shok_darvina.livejournal.com) and Vassily (motyletsve.livejournal.com).

For the Russian day and age, Vadim is certainly a curious figure. Not striving to be published (although he admits he’d love to see his grotesque novel in print – for no other reason but the impressive unity of text and illustration). Very public, yet sometimes only sharing thoughts and emotions with a selected few. A blogger since 2006, he had to significantly change his style, to accommodate the short attention span and the intellect of an average web user. The result was a more laconic, more versatile manner that has now made Vadim a successul dispenser of aphorisms on Twitter. Unlike most of us, not only does he manage to fit his thoughts into 140 characters, he also does so 400 times a day.

Most importantly, as the author Vadim is preoccupied with such topics as loneliness and solitude and love. In a way, both topics must be a reflection of his experience of growing up and living in the country where the Russians were an ethnic category. His childhood was marked by fights for indepence and dignity; and his older years were the time when Tatarstan very nearly broke off from Russia, of which it is a part. Even for his avatar in LiveJournal blog Vadim chose an image of a wolf – an animal he describes as “noble”. In spite of those experiences, they seem to be making little way into Ivanov’s work. A lot of it is written in the genre of a tale, some very reminiscent of H. K. Andersen’s narrative style; others are more down-to-earth stories about modern-day Russia. Yet there is still barely any trace of those “global” problems, like nationalism. Instead there is a theme of longing – for a friend, for a soulmate, for love. For an antidote to loneliness, in effect.

“Very often”, he explains about love, “people pursue their own egotistical ends, when declaring love. Love is unconditional, it is the ability to just give your all to someone you love. But more often than not you can hear: “I love him/her so much, why do they not see me?” This is a typical selfish response”. And yet he does not have the answer, how to change the state of things. What he does, standing in a silent corner of a Moscow street, is giving a short talk about loving the person for what they are, not for what they may give you.

Which reminds one of Erich Fromm: “An immature love says, “I love you because I need you”. A mature love says, “I need you because I love you””.

Vadim’s audio interview in Russian:

http://static.video.yandex.ru/lite-audio/marylou/2wgilonfk3.2729/

You can read other posts in Russian here: “Blogger’s Interview” (Mikhail, shok_darvina), “My dear Muscovites! ” (Oleg Zorin), “Taste buds and the act of creation” (Kirill Kuzmin) и “A word about an author” (Vassily, motyletsve).