Recently we went to Ismailovo Market along with two of our good friends here in Moscow. Ismailovo is a flea market where you can find old and new souvenirs and just about anything else. The market has indoor (meaning a roof overhead – no heat) and outdoor space where people sell old and new things. The adage that your treasures are someone else’s junk is in full swing here. Some tables are loaded with interesting items sometimes including fine antiques while others look like the seller just cleaned out their attic or barn and decided to sell whatever they could scrounge together to make a few extra rubles. Bartering is common and you can often get the seller to come down in price – often way down if you’re good at bargaining.
In one of the indoor areas was a series of posters that hung in the rafters depicting Soviet era themes to rally support for the troops during the Second World War. Other posters seemed like advertisements for an idealized life stressing the family and work ethic in the USSR. The posters look like reproductions of the originals but nonetheless are great pieces of art (some might say propaganda).
I was particularly impressed with the posters concerning WW2 and so I shot a series of pictures. If you’re interested I’ve put a brief slideshow of these images. The easiest way to see the show is to click on this link: http://vimeo.com/54918369
I’ve also posted the show on my site at: http://www.andrewmcdonoughphotography.com
Click on the RUSSA link and scroll down to the last entry. The filename is: soviet_posters.exe
The music is: “March of the Soviet Militia, op. 39 by Gennady Rozhdestvensky and the Stockholm Concert Band.
До следующего раза ...
Борис
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Friday, November 9, 2012
On Doors and Windows in the South of France
9 ноября 2012
Nancy’s school had a week off in late October-early November so we spent the time in the South of France. We started in Marseille and then moved north to Avignon and Saint Remy exploring many small towns along the way including Aix-en Provence, Rousillon and Gordes among others.
One of my photographic interests is texture with color. Doors and windows in old and ancient buildings provide a vast array of textures and colors. I’ve put together a slide show of Doors and Windows of the South of France.
The easiest way to view the show is to click on this link: http://vimeo.com/53138188
I’ve also posted the show on my site:
andrewmcdonoughphotography.com and click on the RUSSIA link
More to follow from the South of France.
До следующего раза ...
Борис
One of my photographic interests is texture with color. Doors and windows in old and ancient buildings provide a vast array of textures and colors. I’ve put together a slide show of Doors and Windows of the South of France.
The easiest way to view the show is to click on this link: http://vimeo.com/53138188
I’ve also posted the show on my site:
andrewmcdonoughphotography.com and click on the RUSSIA link
More to follow from the South of France.
До следующего раза ...
Борис
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
On the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour
24 октября 2012
The Cathedral is located near the Kremlin just off the Moscow River. It is a major church in Moscow of the Russian Orthodox religion. Alexander I commissioned the construction of the Cathedral which was completed after many years in 1860. Alexander III consecrated the Cathedral in 1883.
The Cathedral was demolished by the Bolsheviks under Joef Stalin as part of an anti-religious campaign after the Russian Revolution. Demolition was completed in 1926. It was intended to serve as a site of a huge statue of Vladimir Lenin who Stalin succeeded him after his death in 1824. A lack of funds in the 1930s prevented the statue from being built. Nikita Khruschev who succeeded Stalin turned the site into an enormous swimming pool.
After the fall of the Soviet Union the Cathedral was reconstructed starting in 1994 and took several years to rebuild. The Cathedral was consecrated in 2000.
Both the exterior and interior are stunning works of architecture and art. Unfortunately picture taking is prohibited inside.
The Cathedral has recently been the site of a number of protests by opposition groups to Vladimir Putin’s administration. Under Putin’s regime church and state have been again closely allied. The church is lead by Archbishop Krill who has emerged as a controversial figure both in religious as well as political affairs. As such, the Orthodox church has regained a significant place in the culture of Moscow and Russia after the fall of the USSR.
I’ve put together a brief slideshow of images I took during a recent visit this fall. Most of the slides are of the cathedral itself as well as shots of the Kremlin taking from the patios surrounding the cathedral.
The easiest way to view the show is to click on the following link: http://player.vimeo.com/video/52064127
The show is also located on my Website: www.andrewmcdonoughphotography.com/russia
До следующего раза ...
Борис
The Cathedral was demolished by the Bolsheviks under Joef Stalin as part of an anti-religious campaign after the Russian Revolution. Demolition was completed in 1926. It was intended to serve as a site of a huge statue of Vladimir Lenin who Stalin succeeded him after his death in 1824. A lack of funds in the 1930s prevented the statue from being built. Nikita Khruschev who succeeded Stalin turned the site into an enormous swimming pool.
After the fall of the Soviet Union the Cathedral was reconstructed starting in 1994 and took several years to rebuild. The Cathedral was consecrated in 2000.
Both the exterior and interior are stunning works of architecture and art. Unfortunately picture taking is prohibited inside.
The Cathedral has recently been the site of a number of protests by opposition groups to Vladimir Putin’s administration. Under Putin’s regime church and state have been again closely allied. The church is lead by Archbishop Krill who has emerged as a controversial figure both in religious as well as political affairs. As such, the Orthodox church has regained a significant place in the culture of Moscow and Russia after the fall of the USSR.
I’ve put together a brief slideshow of images I took during a recent visit this fall. Most of the slides are of the cathedral itself as well as shots of the Kremlin taking from the patios surrounding the cathedral.
The easiest way to view the show is to click on the following link: http://player.vimeo.com/video/52064127
The show is also located on my Website: www.andrewmcdonoughphotography.com/russia
До следующего раза ...
Борис
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
All of a sudden it’s cold here is Mockba. Yesterday we’re were in the teens (Celsius). This morning we awoke to about +50 C. As I’m writing this it’s 23:14 and the temperature is 00 C going down to -1 or -20 C tonight with a chance of frost.
Days are again getting shorter with sunrise about 7:30 and sunset around 17:30.
Looks like winter weather is starting to arrive. Last year it held off until mid-November.
Nancy’s school is off next week so we’re off to the south of France.
До следующего раза ...
Борис
Days are again getting shorter with sunrise about 7:30 and sunset around 17:30.
Looks like winter weather is starting to arrive. Last year it held off until mid-November.
Nancy’s school is off next week so we’re off to the south of France.
До следующего раза ...
Борис
All of a sudden it’s cold here is Mockba. Yesterday we’re were in the teens (Celsius). This morning we awoke to about +50 C. As I’m writing this it’s 23:14 and the temperature is 00 C going down to -1 or -20 C tonight with a chance of frost.
Days are again getting shorter with sunrise about 7:30 and sunset around 17:30.
Looks like winter weather is starting to arrive. Last year it held off until mid-November.
Nancy’s school is off next week so we’re off to the south of France.
До следующего раза ...
Борис
Days are again getting shorter with sunrise about 7:30 and sunset around 17:30.
Looks like winter weather is starting to arrive. Last year it held off until mid-November.
Nancy’s school is off next week so we’re off to the south of France.
До следующего раза ...
Борис
Saturday, October 13, 2012
Never Before
13 октября 2012
Something happened to me while driving home yesterday from Nancy’s school that has never happened to me before.
While driving into a treacherous intersection in our neighborhood where 3 lanes of a service road to the right merge into 3 lanes of a major highway it was the usual chaos. The service lane cars thrust themselves onto the highway without even looking. In order to navigate through this deadly logjam you have to be aggressive or you won’t be able to get in the lane you need to be in to make a right turn ahead or more importantly you’re trying to avoid being side-swiped or worse by a car.
Navigating through this intersection requires a combination of aggressive and defensive driving. Sometimes you just have to let the guy whose just jutted out in front of you in to avoid a crash.
This was the case yesterday and as I let the guy in a white BMW go ahead of me he waved a wave of thanks! No one ever even acknowledges you from a car window or walking down the street. The guy actually waved to say thanks for letting me in…amazing…
До следующего раза ...
Борис
While driving into a treacherous intersection in our neighborhood where 3 lanes of a service road to the right merge into 3 lanes of a major highway it was the usual chaos. The service lane cars thrust themselves onto the highway without even looking. In order to navigate through this deadly logjam you have to be aggressive or you won’t be able to get in the lane you need to be in to make a right turn ahead or more importantly you’re trying to avoid being side-swiped or worse by a car.
Navigating through this intersection requires a combination of aggressive and defensive driving. Sometimes you just have to let the guy whose just jutted out in front of you in to avoid a crash.
This was the case yesterday and as I let the guy in a white BMW go ahead of me he waved a wave of thanks! No one ever even acknowledges you from a car window or walking down the street. The guy actually waved to say thanks for letting me in…amazing…
До следующего раза ...
Борис
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Lenin’s “Dacha”
3 октября 2012
Recently we were on a day-long tour of Vladimir Lenin’s Dacha which served as a strategic headquarters for Lenin and his key supporters during the Russian Revolution of 1917.
In the usual sense a dacha is a second summer home, often hand-built by the owners, and serves as a getaway for weekend relaxation. There is no standard definition of dacha. The buildings run the gamut from what at first glance might be described as shacks or cottages put together from odd pieces of lumber and metal all the way to complete beautifully appointed summer resort houses you might expect to see in the US or Europe. Some have running water, electricity, septic systems and heat while many are not as comfortably appointed.
To call "Lenin’s Dacha" a dacha is understated by conventional standards by several orders of magnitude. The word estate comes to mind and more aptly describes Lenin’s Dacha.
Originally known as the “Estate of Gorki” this large plot of land has three well appointed buildings and was owned over the centuries by noblemen. Over the years the buildings were renovated and expanded a number of times. The estate is located about a 30 minute drive south of Mockba. During the Revolution of 1905 the estate was owned by General Anatoly Reynbot who served as Mockba’s governor.
After the start of the Russian Revolution in 1917 Vladimir Lenin, a key architect of the revolution, moved into the estate after the property was nationalized in 1918. Lenin’s Dacha served as the strategic headquarters as Lenin oversaw the revolution and the transition of the Russian Empire autocratically ruled by Tsar Nicholas II to Communist Russia.
Today the property serves as a museum displaying many of Lenin’s tactical and everyday living items including his car fitted with tractor treads and skies attached to the front wheels to travel in the heavy snows of Russian winters.
I’ve put together a brief slideshow of images I took during our visit. The easiest way to view the show is to click on the following link: http://player.vimeo.com/video/50685725
The show is also located on my Website: www.andrewmcdonoughphotography.com/russia
До следующего раза ...
Борис
In the usual sense a dacha is a second summer home, often hand-built by the owners, and serves as a getaway for weekend relaxation. There is no standard definition of dacha. The buildings run the gamut from what at first glance might be described as shacks or cottages put together from odd pieces of lumber and metal all the way to complete beautifully appointed summer resort houses you might expect to see in the US or Europe. Some have running water, electricity, septic systems and heat while many are not as comfortably appointed.
To call "Lenin’s Dacha" a dacha is understated by conventional standards by several orders of magnitude. The word estate comes to mind and more aptly describes Lenin’s Dacha.
Originally known as the “Estate of Gorki” this large plot of land has three well appointed buildings and was owned over the centuries by noblemen. Over the years the buildings were renovated and expanded a number of times. The estate is located about a 30 minute drive south of Mockba. During the Revolution of 1905 the estate was owned by General Anatoly Reynbot who served as Mockba’s governor.
After the start of the Russian Revolution in 1917 Vladimir Lenin, a key architect of the revolution, moved into the estate after the property was nationalized in 1918. Lenin’s Dacha served as the strategic headquarters as Lenin oversaw the revolution and the transition of the Russian Empire autocratically ruled by Tsar Nicholas II to Communist Russia.
Today the property serves as a museum displaying many of Lenin’s tactical and everyday living items including his car fitted with tractor treads and skies attached to the front wheels to travel in the heavy snows of Russian winters.
I’ve put together a brief slideshow of images I took during our visit. The easiest way to view the show is to click on the following link: http://player.vimeo.com/video/50685725
The show is also located on my Website: www.andrewmcdonoughphotography.com/russia
До следующего раза ...
Борис
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