Slightly Lucid » Documentary

Iva Zimova

Aislinn Leggett — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 21:42:26 +0000

I don’t know many photographers, or I should say people, like Iva Zimova. We have been friends for a while now but I had heard so many stories about Iva before even meeting her that I can’t pinpoint the exact moment we talked or met. I know it was between 2003 and 2005 because I was in the photography program at Dawson, which she had aslo studied at and consequently had the same teachers as I did, hence the stories. I do remember being a little intimidated at first because it was one of the first times I was meeting somebody that made such compelling and honest images. Iva immigrated from former Czechoslovakia in 1982, coming to Montreal and developing her photographic eye. I don’t know when Iva caught the travel bug maybe she was just born with it, regardless her and her cameras have and still capture some of the most interesting places and people.

Iva has a huge body of work. She has traveled around the globe and to many places that I would never dream of going to. Though, whatever the city, village or country she captures the essence of the place and people without judgement. She truly cares about the subjects she photographs. When she recounts her time in some of the places she has visited, there is always this sense of attachement to a family, or particular person that she has spent time with. Her work is her life, a camera constantly around her neck, Iva never stops seeing. I’ve picked some of my favorite images to show here but her website is overloaded with work. The one below makes me think of a Dali-esque painting.

Restoring Photographs

Aislinn Leggett — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 19:08:31 +0000

still from "Back in the frame" on Guardian UK, August 31, 2011

March 11, 2011, the devastating tsunami hit Japan and killed over 15,000 people and left thousands without homes. I couldn’t imagine then nor can I now, how it would be to experience such a traumatic event. Recently, I came across a documentary on the Guardian website, showing a mass movement of volunteers restoring photographs that were damaged in the diaster. It is a short documentary but very much worth your time.

I work with found photographs, I buy discarded family albums and what it seems is that the photographs take up too much space physically and maybe even emotionally. The images are abandoned, forgotten and probably done willingly. This wasn’t the case for the tsunami survivors. Their personal belongings and their life were scattered and destroyed. The found and restored photographs take on an entire new meaning, they become a physical link to their past, potentially the only object that was rescued and the photos become a reminder of the disaster and survival.

Bogdan Radenkovic – Mountain Memories

Aislinn Leggett — Sat, 18 Dec 2010 23:02:24 +0000

Bogdan Radenkovic is a Serbian photographer who, in this project titled Mountain Memories, documents the area where he grew up. He questions the notion of memory and by revisiting and photographing the landscape, the area and the people in Stara Planina, he questions how this remembering occurs. There is some really stunning photographs in this series and a wonderful sensitivity to light.

Jason Andrew – Abkhazia

Aislinn Leggett — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 12:14:46 +0000

I was introduced to Jason Andrew‘s work by a friend of mine and really enjoyed the social documentary stories he produces. Andrew, after studying documentary and photojournalism at the International Center of Photography, has created some interesting projects you can find on his website including this one shown here titled Abkhazia : 15 years of de-facto independence from Georgia.

Abkhazia is located on the eastern coast of the Black Sea and for a long time has been subject to political instability and wars. I’m not certain of the exact year Andrew’s shot this series in but deciphering from his title and the brief history that I read, this series seems to record the celebration of the Abkhazia’s independence from Georgia and Russia formally recognizing their Independence since 2008. The series has some really strong imagery with vibrant colours, where the images capture glimpses of the everyday, the landscape and the celebration of a parade. (Thanks Iva)

Joakim Eskildsen – The Roma Journeys

Aislinn Leggett — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 03:47:21 +0000

Today while visiting a friend, he asked if I knew Joakim Eskildsen and I responded sorry I don’t. This proceeded with going to the website and then gawking at the beautiful imagery and both of us being blown away by the work. How did Eskildsen and his impressive body of work of The Roma Journeys slip through my internet “roamings”? Thanks Peter for enlightening my visual library today!

The Roma Journeys took Eskildsen 6 years to produce. Between 2000 and 2006 he and writer Cia Rienne traveled through Hungary, India, Greece, Romania, France, Russia and Finland to document the life of the Roma people. Also considered as gypsies, the Roma people are an ethnic group of Europe displaced across the continent. The photographer/writer team set out to learn more about the people and if possible stayed with families to photograph them.

These images are saturated with colour and with emotion. This remarkable series pulls you into another world, probably one that is far, for most of us, to ever imagine.

Rafal Milach – Black Sea of Concrete

Aislinn Leggett — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 17:13:35 +0000

I came across Polish photographer Rafal Milach’s newer work via Vanessa Winships‘ blog and also from an email from Adam. Not at the least bit disappointed. Black Sea of Concrete is a stark series with amazing use of colour and light. The series captures the Ukrainian Black Sea coast through industrial landscapes and the relationship between the people and the sea. A balance that seems not to have been established yet.

If you are a fan of World Press Photo, you might remember seeing Milach’s work Disappearing Circus. It won 1st prize in the Arts and Entertainment, stories.

Christophe Agou – Face au silence

Aislinn Leggett — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 02:51:59 +0000

©Christophe Agou

I came across Christophe Agou’s work a few months back and I have been a fan of his work ever since. Yesterday, I went to visit his site and saw that there was an entirely new one up. Agou’s new web site has bigger images and I believe more work than what was on his previous site.

The image above is part of his series Face au silence, work that was awarded an honorable mention for the Prix Kodak 2009. The work focuses on farmers in the Forez region in France and Agou delivers really stunning imagery. Check out this series but also be sure to check out all the great work on his site.

Reclaimed

Aislinn Leggett — Fri, 29 May 2009 20:07:37 +0000

This is a guest post by photographer Andrew Querner. I came across Andrew and his work only a few months ago. The choice of subject and photographer that Andrew has chosen to blog about and is inspired by only reinforces his style of photography, which reveals sensitivity and respect to the land and to the people. I’m happy that Andrew agreed to contribute – Enjoy!

Public swimming pool, June 2003 ©David McMillan

In the book, The World Without Us, journalist Alan Weisman imagines a planet suddenly freed of all people. He deftly navigates the hypothetical human-less landscape asking how Mother Nature might react to the burden suddenly lifted. Left to her own natural devices of reclamation, how long would it take for the planet to reach its natural equilibrium again? Among other things he asks what would become of our built environments- our cities- as time goes by. In reading this book I am reminded of David McMillan’s work surrounding the Chernobyl exclusion zone. His fascinating pictures begin to offer some graphic answers to Weisman’s queries.

On his website he writes:
“I soon realized that the city of Pripyat, where the employees of the nuclear power plant and their families once lived, was where my real interests lay. The Atomic City, as it was once known, was considered one of the finest places to live in the former Soviet Union. The first apartments were built in the mid-seventies, when the power plant was under construction, and at the time of the accident, it was home to 45,000 people. There were all the amenities of a modern Soviet city, with many schools, stores, hospitals, and recreational and cultural facilities. It is now uninhabitable and will never be lived in again.”

Since 1994 McMillan has made numerous trips, often revisiting the same scenes, but years apart. In adding the dimension of time to the photographs, he effectively reveals the impressive resilience of nature and the surprising fleetingness of what was once “one of the finest places to live in the former Soviet Union.”

While many photographers have addressed the current human struggle of those living around Chernobyl and the reactor’s ongoing tragic legacy, McMillan’s work seems to make an equally thoughtful statement about our collective impermanence.

Andrew Querner is a documentary photographer currently residing in Canmore, Alberta. Andrew’s work can be viewed on his website. He also maintains a personal blog.

Donald Weber at Contact Festival

Aislinn Leggett — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 15:48:19 +0000

©Donald Weber

This year’s Contact festival in Toronto is shaping up to be a good one. One of the featured exhibits is that of award winning photographer Donald Weber. Donald’s work is extremely captivating, gutsy and sentimental all in the same image. The series exhibited will be The Drunken Bride, Russia Unveiled. If I can make it to Toronto in May, this is one that I will most definitely catch.

Denis Dailleux – Egypt, my love

Aislinn Leggett — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 16:13:00 +0000

I found Denis Dailleux’s work posted on Mrs. Deane a couple of days ago. After spending quite a bit of time on his site, I was really overwhelmed with his style of documenting. The way Denis approaches his subject matter feels like he is really part of the image, like he is a participant of the event, he’s not just being the photographer. Maybe it’s because he shoots in a square format that it alters the typical documentary style and therefore altering the linear thinking process of a horizontal or vertical 35mm format. What also struck me with Denis’ work is his incredible use of light and colours.