About an hour ago, I suddenly found out that in September this year I became a finalist of an all-Russian photo contest called “Water of Russia is the water of Victory” which was dedicated to the 75-year anniversary of victory in The Great Patriotic War (in case you don’t know this is a part of World War II which started after the Nazi troops crossed the Soviet Union border in 22nd June 1941 and lasted until Nazi surrender in 8th May 1945). I have participated with my photo of the Osinovetsky lighthouse which is on the Ladoga lakeshore not far from one of the former points of The Road of Life (again, in case you don’t know: The Road of Life was the path for the boats in summer, late spring, and early autumn, and for lorries during winter by which food, medicine, and ammo were delivered to besieged Leningrad, and civil people and wounded soldiers in the opposite direction). Of course, now this place looks absolutely peaceful and even philistine. But if you read any book or watch any movie or footage about the blockade of Leningrad (since 1991 it’s again called Saint-Petersburg), you can clearly imagine all the severity of that time the witness of which was this lighthouse. Follow me on YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook. If you want to SUPPORT my YouTube channel or me personally, you can do it here: for the World, for...
Read More
Yesterday, there were announced the results of the III World Eco Photo Contest by the Russian Union of Wildlife Photographers. More than 1000 participants from 56 countries took part in this contest. And I became one of the finalists in the Landscape nomination! Thus, this is my second final during this year. Plus, at the end of July, one of my photographs participated in the “Art Geography of the Leningrad region” exhibition which was placed in the exhibition center of Saint-Petersburg Union of Artists in the heart of the city. It means that this year is already the richest in achievements for me so far. Nevertheless, I, as usual, believe that the best events are still ahead! Follow me on YouTube, Instagram, and...
Read More
At the end of June, I became a finalist in the “RGB” international contest of visual arts by Moscow Government Culture Department. Both my photographs, “Quiet” and “Cold Dawn”, were qualified for the final. Therefore, I decided to share with you the small stories behind these photographs. This photo is called “Quiet” and it was taken in December 2019 when it was abnormally warm even for the territory near the Baltic Sea. I deliberately came to that forest because of the weather: rainy, foggy, quite warm (for winter), and cloudy sky. I’ve been waiting for such weather for several months and planned the trip. The only problem was to find a decent plot and catch it before dark due to very short daylight hours. Now, I tend to think that this very shot became one of the first which marked my transition to the next level as a photographer. The “Cold Dawn” photo was taken during my trip to the Ladoga lakeshore in January this year. Actually, I managed to tell the story behind this (and several others) photo in my “Sun, ice, and snow” video on my YouTube channel. You can watch it right here, below. And I can only add that this was a planned trip, again, and I had to wake up at 4:30 am in order to get to the spot, which is 150 km far from my home, before the sunrise. Although the temperature was just -15 degrees C it was very cold because of the strong and icy wind. Moreover, in one moment I suddenly fell through the ice so had to wander the most part of the day with my feet wet. In conclusion, I just want to say that if you want to support me and my channel, you can do it here: for the World, for Russia. You don’t need to spend a lot by the way! It would be a great help anyway! P.S.: Follow me on YouTube, Instagram, and...
Read More