Recently, I have uploaded quite an interesting video on my YouTube channel. Actually, it called “Near The Old Fortress” because it was filmed not far from our local (Leningrad region, Russia) landmark called Krepost’ Oresheck or also known as Shlisselburg Fortress. That’s an ancient Russian stronghold placed on the island in Ladoga lake near the Neva river head. But although this fortress appears in the video and it really looks great, the main and most interesting part of the film to my mind is duck tales caught in the frame. It’s not only a sort of mallard yoga exercises but also a small confrontation between two types of ducks. You can check it by yourself: It was a real pleasure to me to work on this short story and, frankly speaking, I assess it as one of my best videos so far. Therefore, I really hope that you like it either. 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...
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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...
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If you watch my YouTube videos regularly, you may notice that some of them have been presented in several parts. I would like to explain why and gather the parts of such videos in this post. For your convenience. At some moment, I made sure that my videos that are longer than say 5 minutes have less percentage of viewing. I mean the longer the video is the fewer people watch it completely. Of course, it didn’t surprise me a lot. I just had a weird hope that this tendency around the World to prefer videos less than a minute in length won’t touch my ones because “these videos are about nature!” or something like that. Quite naively isn’t it? Frankly speaking, I am still convinced that this tendency doesn’t affect the videos on middle-size and especially big channels. At least, not as substantially as it happens to small and tiny ones such as mine for instance. Therefore, I decided to divide my video called “Forest Flowers” which turned out about 7 minutes long into two parts. Here’s the first one: The good thing about this video is that it could be watched in both ways: as a whole story in two parts and as two separate stories. You can assess it by yourself watching the second part: My next video called “Field, Flowers, And Storm” turned out even longer. That’s why I divided it into even three parts! And if the story in the previous video was very simple (just a walk through the wonderful spring forest with its first flowers), this one is a bit more complex. It starts with the first part in which we can see quite usual events for my trip videos: I came to some location, look over it and then go photographing. But this time, the video ends with the sounds on the black screen. Sort of hint about what will happen in the second part. And the second part doesn’t deceive expectations: it shows the raging element, thunderstorm in all its terrifying beauty. Here I want to mention that I was caught by the thunderstorm in real and got completely wet, and at some moment was even scared a lot by the thunder that boomed exactly above me. So, according to the art laws, this is the climax of the story: The third part is a quite calm ending of the story. According to the laws, again. It shows nature after the thunderstorm: clean, green, and happy. But this part contains a little bit tense moment yet when I found a strange construction in the field and realize its purpose: Well,...
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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...
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Today, on 24th August, I published on my YouTube channel the result of my 4.5-months-long work. That’s a dedication to my passed away cat Odysseus. He died this day two years ago. It was and still one of my heaviest losses. Many people, I think, may say that this is nonsense to suffer about a cat. But to my mind, it doesn’t matter who is this soul which has connected to your one… Well, enough about that. I already told it all in my video by the visual language. And, of course, with the great help of music which I thoroughly selected for several days. Now, I want to talk about the artistic edge of this video. In fact, it was made according to all art laws of movies: it has a prologue with its musical theme (amazing “Filaments” by wonderfully talented Scott Buckley) which are simultaneously a counterpoint; it also has a fun main part with its joyful mood introducing a smart and cute cat to the viewers; it has a dramatic climax which is concurrent by its mood to the music; finally, it has a catharsis including acceptance and a logical completion with the suitable musical theme, again (great “Jamtastic” by no less wonderfully talented Alexander Nakarada). Further, I used color and monochrome parts to explain the mood: how pale and grey becomes life after a heavy loss; how still bright the recollections are in our memory and how color slightly returns to our life after we accept what’s happened. I also say with this video that nature is probably the greatest healer. Not time but nature. It doesn’t mean that pain is getting lighter. But it’s much easier to get used to the loss with the help of nature. Moreover, this film contains an interesting intersection: my figure looks at the completely white window in the prologue and climax and it turns clear why when we see a final photograph where the cat looks at the viewer from the similar white light surrounding him. That’s a visual hint about the place where all great creatures come after death. It’s like in Eric Clapton’s “Tears In Heaven”: Would you know my name If I saw you in heaven? Would it be the same If I saw you in heaven? I must be strong and carry on ‘Cause I know I don’t belong here in heaven. YouTube, Instagram, and...
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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...
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