Pentaprism magazine # 14

PENTAPRISM N°14 December 2016

INTERVIEW

m a g a z i n e

reportage

Ariadna

PEOPLE AT THE OLD

BELKINA

DELHI RAILWAY STATION

BY JOHANNES BARTHELMES

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The Pentaprism Staff

N°14 December 2016

EDITORS: PENTAPRISM STAFF

GRAPHIC DESIGN: ELENA BOVO

COVER PHOTO/INDEX PAGE PHOTO: ARIADNA BELKINA

index

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INTERVIEW WITH ARIADNA BELKINA 24 REPORTAGE: PEOPLE AT THE OLD DELHI RAILWAY STATION BY JOHANNES BARTHELMES 64 HIGHLIGHTS 164 MEET THE PENTAPRISM STAFF

INTERVIEW

Ariadna

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ariadna BELKINA Ariadna Belkina was born in Volgograd, Russia, where her mother worked at the local Theatre of Musical Comedy. When she was 7, her family moved to Moscow. From an early age Ariadna was spending a lot of time backstage constantly watching the creative process, the enchanting transformation of actors and the scene. Later this has become determinative in the formation of her work in art.

Ariadna is a self-taught photographer. She has been engaged in photographic art since 2007. Initially it was just a hobby but with the course of time the interest in the matter has developed into a professional activity. Her childhood memories and impressions of the theatrical life have brought the main influence on the style of her photographs. And one of the defining terms i​​ n her works has appeared to be the images inspired by actresses of opera, ballet and operetta In Ariadna Belkina’s works one can trace the elements of a vintage style. Her photographs are characterized by painting and graphic features typical of the early 20th century.

The main theme of Ariadna’s works is the portrait of a woman, where the photographer pays special attention to the conveyance of character traits, eyes expression, peculiarities of facial gestures.

Each work by Ariadna is a separate and extremely heartfelt story about the destiny of a person, wherein his or her life and emotions at a given time become visible.

At the moment Ariadna, remaining faithful to her vintage style, keeps on improving in the field of photography. Her photographs are the reflections of modern people, whose depth and mystery of the soul can be truly revealed through the prism of the lens and, due to the photoghapher’s vision of the world, formed under the influence of theatrical images, acquire special charm and mysteriousness.

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ARIADNA BELKINA

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ARIADNA BELKINA

Hi Ariadna, welcome to our magazine .It is a sort of ritual question, but also the most common one to ask as first one: how did you start your passion for photography?

I have been fond of travelling all my life. Initially, my pictures were connected to my travelling experience.

I have been always inspired by nature, new places and, before everything else, people. Eventually my interest in photography started growing, and I wanted to dive deeper into photography, to become a true professional who can convey his perception of reality more deeply and skillfully. First of all, I’m interested in characters and people’s faces, which are so different, exciting and unusual.

Which are some of the influences to your photographic work and did they affect you in any way?

As I grew up in an artistic family, I have always been inspired by theatrical images. My mother was a dancer, a theatre actress, and she often took me to performances, museums and exhibitions. Besides, my mother and I were collecting old postcards, photographs of actors, including the period of silent cinema, and today I keep on doing it.

Seeing the whole portfolio in Pentaprism it’s immediately clear that your passion for portraits is really deep, your images are so moody and often show a kind of old fashion style. Can you explain to us your interpretation of the genre?

I often visit exhibitions and museums here in Russia, and, of course, do that during my trips. Foremost, I’m interested in works of portrait painters. I am inspired by the atmosphere of old paintings. With these artists’ works I learn to convey the peculiarities of human facial expressions in the same way, along with emotions, which express character traits of each individual.

I try to give my photo work the features inherent to painting images, and that is typical of pictorial photography (pictorialism is an aesthetic stream, the adherents of which tended to pictorial (pictures imitating painting) photographic images).

How much research do you do about the person before you shoot them?

I always try to meet the person beforehand, to talk over a cup of coffee, to get to know him or her better and discover those personal peculiarities, to feel the character deeply, so as to convey these in the photo then.

What’s your preparation before a shoot? How do you typically get ready?

Preparing for the shooting – it is a process, it is magic. Music helps me to set my mind and heart on the work along with looking through old photos, prints and portraits. Afterwards I work on my shoots, retouching them at night while the city is sleep-

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ARIADNA BELKINA

ing. It’s a magical time filled with silence when it is easier to dive into the underlying creative processes, considering every detail of the image conveyed.

Which photo are you currently most proud of?

Like any artist’s, my view on my own work is deeply subjective, and I cannot assess my work. I think it is enough that my photo works bring joy to those portrayed and simple spectators Where do you think your personal evolution can take you in the future? What kind of photographic aspects would you like to explore?

Photography, being my hobby, has become a part of my life and my second profession. I cannot see myself without this work. I will go on improving in and learning the portrait shooting. I would like to start shooting with film, because it is the film photography, in my opinion, which conveys the atmosphere of antiquity and gives deeper emotions.

What camera, lenses and lighting do you use most of the time?

When shooting in a studio I usually use from one to five light sources that depends on the task. I use Canon equipment (5d mark2). In the nearest future I will change it to a more modern camera of Canon brand line. Lenses presented in my arsenal are as follows: 70-200 mm 2.8, 135 mm 2.0, 16-35 mm 2,8, but my favorite one is the Soviet lens Helios 40-2 85 mm 1,5, which was released in 1977 (it gives the most interesting vintage picture).

If you could only have one lens for the rest of your life, which one would it be?

I cannot identify one specific lens because modern manufacturers offer a lot of interesting products, and it is challenging to try different things. I find particularly interesting the portrait lenses by Carl Zeiss and Leica Thanks a lot for your participation; If you like you can leave some words for your followers here at Pentaprism.

To my followers I would like to wish goodness, bright ideas, inspiration and courage to perform! The world around us is diverse and interesting, and in every detail, to start with an ant and end with wonderful shooting stars, everyone can find inspiration and positive emotions, the desire to create and form.

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NATHAN WIRTH

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NATHAN WIRTH

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r e p o r t a g e

PEOPLE AT THE OLD DELHI RAILWAY STATION

BY JOHANNES BARTHELMES

Quite often I am asked the simple-minded question: “what the hell are you doing in India? I could not stand it in the face of this poverty and this dirt!” My answer always is something like: “you are terribly spoiled, India is not only what you suppose, India has a lot of things to offer: paradise landscapes and slums built on garbage dumps, there you find the greatest wealth and the most bitter poverty, the most wonderful odor and the most disgusting smell, the absolute silence of nature and the most incredible unrestrained noise of the big cities, India is that interesting and that real.

India has about 1.3 billion inhabitants, so almost every 6th human being is an Indian. India is a reality and i am interested in the reality of this world. For both sides of reality, the gorgeous and the ugly, I want to look the reality in its eyes. It is a big part of my and your world which I want to see with eyes wide open.“ All those who have never been to India, but have read the novel “Shantaram” by G. D. Roberts, should have a pretty good idea of “how does India work“. Everywhere in the stations and inside the wagons, just before the departure of the trains, there starts a real run in which every manner to get a seat is proper...

“Shantaram” is a wonderful book written by a very special and competent writer, no doubt.

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In 1998 I was on an extensive concert tour as a saxophon player accompanied by Uli Lenz, the piano player, throughout South East Asia. During that trip I got so inspired by what I had seen and experienced there, especially in Vietnam, that I decided to focus more on photography than on music in my future work. From the very get go I was certain that I wanted to photograph people.

As a musician I traveled all over the world and it was fascinating to me, that all the people’s faces I had the chance to look at seemed familiar. It’s impressive: we all seem to know each other...

Nowadays I experience this wonderful phenomenon as a photographer even more intensively. I have a lot of respect and loving distance for the people I photograph despite my intended „lack of distance“ to my protagonists in the pictures.

1953: * in Speyer (Germany) 1975 - 1981: UNIVERSITY OF MUSIC AND DRAMATIC ARTS, Graz (Austria) major in saxophone 1989 SWF JAZZ PRIZE 1994 GERMAN RECORD CRITICS’ AWARD for ‘TRANE’s TREE’ 1998 GERMAN RECORD CRITICS’ AWARD for ‘FOR HER http://www.johannes-barthelmes.net

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in April 2016 I had a one-week-stay in Delhi, India. I wanted to make a photoreportage in a slum on the outskirts of Old Delhi, but on the very first day I was there bitten by a rabid dog and so I had to spend the day in one of the numerous and tremendous queues at the city hospital. After a long search I had found on the 3 floor the so called “dog bite clinic“. It had been impressive how many people were waiting there with bloody bandages for the so important vaccinations. Staying there I was loosing a little bit the mood for slums and so I decided to change my project. I thought it should be another interesting idea to spend on every of my 5 remaining days during my daily walks through Delhi some hours to capture my impressions at the Old Delhi Railway Station. And I really loved this new self-made challenge.

Also known as “Delhi Junction“ this train-station is the oldest-one in Delhi (1864).

All those who have never been to India, but have read the novel “Shantaram”

by G. D. Roberts, should have a pretty good idea of “how does India work“.

Everywhere in the stations and inside the wagons, just before the departure of the trains, there starts a real run in which every manner to get a seat is proper...how many people and how much luggage, how many goods are transported is almost unbelievable.

It’s an absolut chaos. When everybody has reached his seat, anew happy socializing takes the place of absolute chaos and aggressive trying to force

Also I had to leave one time during my work on the Old Delhi Railway Station the train through the window...the train had set in motion unnoticed by myself, and the corridors in the wagon were completely blocked. To enter the train in the opposite direction as in the picture is really more commun. So helpful, that the window-lattice is missing in some train-wagons.

ARIADNA BELKINA

Just arrived musicians refresh themselves before they will be brought by a rickshawdriver to one of the numerous weddings. The music is incredibly noisy and hard to understand for our ears, almost a little chaotic. I like these bands, they play a crazy mix that sounds like marching music and free jazz together. Absolutely wonderful.

ARIADNA BELKINA

ARIADNA BELKINA

One of them more handsome and charming than the other. The young ladies flirting with my camera that really warmed my heart. Even today, viewing this shot makes me smile. Happy children of a visibly prosperous indian family, who, as they told me, had made themselves pretty to visit family members in Mumbay. A more than24 hours-trip

ARIADNA BELKINA Hundreds of homeless kids eking here a difficult and dangerous live. Street kids straying at the railway stations is an every day picture...o lot of them are coming from the countryside and are runaways fleeing poverty and abuse. Their young eyes have seen things that nobody here dares to imagine, their young bodies and hearts have felt unimaginable pain and sorrow.

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ARIADNA BELKINA

ARIADNA BELKINA Despite their terrible, inhuman situation and the tough struggle for survival - they are still children. And if they do not lament hunger too much, they play and chase. At least they sometimes seem to be able to forget their suffering and hopelessness.

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ARIADNA BELKINA

Endless waiting for delayed trains or regain power before the mad run on free seats, ‘sleeper class’ can be almost everywhere.

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ARIADNA BELKINA

Women in India have an extraordinary ability to make their eyes speak. When they feel unobserved by the man and the family, the glow of their eyes can get through every veil. The point on her forehead is called “bindi”, in Hindu believe it means the “third eye“. Married women have to wear a red dot, unmarried women and girls can wear it.

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ARIADNA BELKINA

Glances that need no comment.

ARIADNA BELKINA In the Indian tradition, women’s hands and feet are decorated with henna. These decorations are not simply ornaments, but always have a reason and a meaning. They should protect against the “evil eye”, or bring happiness and success, etc. They are called “mendhi“ and are applied to festive occasions.

ARIADNA BELKINA

ARIADNA BELKINA

I love to keep always one eye free with my little Leica and so to be able to involve the environment, to guess what could happen. In this case it is gratifying that I caught her eyes. The moment passed so fast, I could only trigger on “good luck�. And again this interested and deep look.

ARIADNA BELKINA

ARIADNA BELKINA

ARIADNA BELKINA Didn’t I write under the previous photo of the advantages of a small and handy camera?

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Many people in India are proud when they realize that one is interested in them and their families and one is dealing with them respectfully. Often they want to give me their hand after the “shoot“ what is unusual in Indian daily life, but they absolutely want to handle it. As if they would get thereby another proof of my sympathy. I am shaking daily a lot of hands, you can imagine.

A young woman, beautiful, a student, I was able to talk with her a little, she travels alone, so she is a rather emancipated Indian in this society, which is at large quite hostile to women.

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ARIADNA BELKINA Inside the wagon compartment. friendly relaxed faces. No space left. I imagine the fight for free seats, which has lasted until a few minutes ago. “What one has to do needs to be done“ the motto of the in general really very polite Indian.

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If one has found a place exclusively for himself, where he can even stretch his legs, should be glad.

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ARIADNA BELKINA

ARIADNA BELKINA Kids in the train wonder about the stranger with the camera here inside. On this place only quite a few foreigners run araound. I would recommend everyone to experience this torture starting to find the right platform until to conquer the seat. It is a great, unforgettable adventure i never want to miss.

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ARIADNA BELKINA Her grace and beauty could be a reason why photographer does not realize that the train is already leaving and he can only get out of the window because of the stuffy aisles in the wagon (as i described on pic #3). But believe me, there are always too a lot of other exciting reasons in a photographers’ life.

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Maria with her son little Jesus.

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HIGHLIGHTS

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Nastya | Ewa Cwikla

A touch of cold | Gerald Arzt

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Sciacallo dorato | Antino Cervigni

My world is too real | Paul Apal’kin

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Notturno veneziano | Marco Romani

Bundeskunsthalle, Bonn - Juli 2016 | Achim Katzberg

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Nocturna cimas | David Martin Castan

256 shades of grey | Adhemar Duro

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Scale | Tomorca

Olivia | An La

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Alexandra | Robert Hechinger

Optic illusion klein | Gilbert Claes

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AM | Szymon Malecki

All about the egg | Gemmy Woud-Binnendijk

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Mountains of Madness | Carlos F. Turienzo

Behave little piggy | Petri DamstĂŠn

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Have a nice day human | Pedro Jarque Krebs

False salvation | Milad Safabakhsh

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Floors 5 to 8 | Les Forrester

Summertime | Sergio Murria

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Parallelism | Santiago Pascual BuyĂŠ

Memories of mystic eyes | Mohammadreza Rezania

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Hardcore Hong Kong | Victor Borst

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Geisha | Peter Kemp

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I am all wings | Christopher Schlaf

Geometrias | Alejandra Baci

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Late at night | Minoru Karamatsu

Visionary | Jackson Carvalho

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Lao Chai | John Moulds

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Katya | Georgy Chernyadyev

Mari | Nobuhiro Ishida

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Stairs | Ryusei Egawa

Philosophy of sin | Dasha e Mari

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Torje, from the north | Tina Signesdottir Hult

Silent dawn, Funchal, Madeira, 2015 | Arnaud Bathiard

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Orange and blue | Aleksandar Naumceski

Up! | Markus Studtmann

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Untitled | Andrey Raj

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Sudden rain | Darko Eterovic

Untitled | Anton NovoĹžilov

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The unexpected visitor | Ralph Graef

Russian fashion 2 | Sergey Smirnov

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Untitled | Ruslan Isinev

Unstable balance | Olavo Azevedo

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Vegarredonda | Carlos Gonzales

Untitled | Arkadiy Kurta

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Upstairs | Klaus Lenzen

Untitled | Carola Kayen-Mouthaan

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Untitled | Ivan Kopchenov

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MEET THE

Pentaprism

STAFF

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Guillermo GARCĂ?A

I am a landscape photographer from Zaragoza (Spain) who likes to live and photograph epic moments in the mountains, especially at night. I like to travel to Iceland to capture great landscapes under the Northern Lights.

Photography is my great passion and I never cease to learn, enjoy and share it. www.guillermogarciafotografia.com

GUILLERMO GARCÍA

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GUILLERMO GARCÍA

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Spring | Bernd Walz

IN THE NEXT ISSUE INTERVIEW WITH

CARLOS F. TURIENZO