Aleksey Ubeyvolk
St. Petersburg. Random observation. Looking up. The poet Joseph Brodsky, who was born in this city, noted that “Petersburg froze, as if posing for a photograph.” I have been to St. Petersburg many times, but never took any photos. I was not interested in shooting ordinary tourist views. Petersburg looked down at me, coldly and condescendingly. My look, in response, was respectful – from the bottom up. Once our views met. Probably by accident. Hearing the sudden roar of a helicopter flying over the city rooftops, I looked up, trying to find its silhouette. But my eyes got confused in the wires. Like a huge fishing net, they covered the city. Thin, black threads were fancifully pulled between the houses. Or is this city tries to keep the heavy Baltic sky in its networks maybe?
Air communication networks.
Random observation. Looking up. I took this series of photos completely spontaneously, without any preliminary design or plan. I have been to St. Petersburg many times and I want to admit that for me it is the most mysterious city of all the cities that I managed to visit. It is very deceiving: lively, textured, and at the same time cold and arrogant. The former capital of the empire. Even though I took a camera with me every time I went to travel through its streets and passage yards, I never took any photos. The poet Joseph Brodsky, who was born in this city, noted that “Petersburg froze, as if posing for a photograph.” I was not interested in shooting ordinary tourist views and I couldn’t see anything of my own. I even began to suspect Petersburg of being in no hurry to reveal its visual secrets to random people – visitors and tourists, they are available only to those who were born and raised in this city.
Petersburg looked down at me, coldly and condescendingly. My look, in response, was respectful – from the bottom up. Once our views met. Probably by accident. Hearing the sudden roar of a helicopter flying over the city rooftops, which drove tourists along the Neva, I looked up, trying to find its silhouette. But my eyes got confused in the wires. Like a huge fishing net, they covered the city.Thin, black threads were fancifully pulled between the houses. Or is this city tries to keep the heavy Baltic sky in its networks maybe? Air communication networks. Technical details: the series is shot by a Nikon FM2 camera and Nikkor-H 1:1.8 f=85 mm lens. Ilford film.
