Ever since venturing into the remote mountains and abandoned places of Eastern Europe in 2018, I've been captivated by a unique kind of beauty - the melancholic charm of desolate landscapes. These forgotten places hold a special kind of serenity, a quietude that whispers stories of the past.
Initially, my photography focused on capturing the raw essence of these locations. But in 2022, with the aid of some new techniques, I embarked on a new chapter in my artistic journey. I began to explore the potential of color manipulation, not to distort reality, but to breathe new life into these often-bleak environments.
My aim is not to fabricate a happiness that doesn't exist. It's about using color as a tool to evoke emotions, to highlight the subtle beauty that lies beneath the surface. A splash of vibrancy against a weathered wall, a burst of color in a forgotten field - these elements serve to accentuate the stories whispered by these desolate landscapes.
Think of it as a gentle nudge, an invitation to see beyond the emptiness. Perhaps a hint of a life once lived, a flicker of hope that persists even in the most abandoned corners.
Through my lens, I strive to capture the essence of these forgotten places, not just their physical characteristics, but the emotions they evoke. It's a continuous exploration, a way of processing the melancholic beauty that surrounds me in Eastern Europe.
Below you can check the full photo collection of my Eastern Europe inspiration
My Approach to Color Manipulation and Retouch
My approach to retouching landscape photographs is deeply rooted in a desire to evoke a sense of dreamlike melancholy, a feeling of quietude where the presence of human life is subtly implied but ultimately absent.
I seek to capture the essence of places that time seems to have forgotten – forgotten villages, crumbling structures, and vast, untamed landscapes. These are spaces where the weight of history hangs heavy, where the echoes of past lives linger in the air.
My photography is a journey into the past. I'm obsessed with exploring forgotten places – crumbling Soviet-era buildings, abandoned factories, and the ghostly remains of once-bustling industrial sites. These places, often captured in historical black and white photographs, hold the vibrant colors of a long-past time, colors that I aim to reproduce to emphasize the lives of the thousands and thousands of people who once walked through these areas on a daily basis. My editing isn't just about making them look dreamy and pretty; it's about telling a story, evoking a sense of longing for a time gone by. I want people to feel the weight of history in these images, to imagine the lives that once filled these spaces. It's a way for me to explore the passage of time, to ponder the fleeting nature of existence, and to find beauty in the unexpected corners of our world.
