Special Issue
Seven participants in Belarus’ photo plain air:
We were not hunting
for faults, it was cool!
In the framework of the SAY CHEESE! International Photography
Project, Belarus’ Fotoiskusstvo (Photo Art) NGO held en plein
air photo sessions in August in Belarus for photographers from
Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine.
The guests visited Minsk, Viciebsk,
Hrodna, Brest and Homiel’ regions of
Belarus to learn more about the local architecture, culture and traditions of our
country, took part in a fishing competition, with joint efforts molded a clay cup,
practiced wildlife photography in the
wildlife reserve at the Pripiac’ National
Park, took a helicopter ride, gave a try to
the Belarusian cuisine and the Belarusian sauna. Cutting a long story short,
there was no time to be bored!
Here are some of the feedback reports
made by our guests following the en plein
air sessions.
Alexander Chaptsev, Ukraine:
I was pleasantly surprised with the
atmosphere, the commitment and dedication of members of the Belarusian team,
who took great care to please the guests.
It was very comfortable, as they provided
for different trivial matters. I appreciate
the amount of preparatory work accomplished by the organizers!
We have had a lot of positive impres
sions of the country and its people, the
tiny corners of Belarus which we had a
chance to visit. I hope the material collected by the photographers en plein air
would translate into an unusual photo
album. I also hope that after holding en
plein air sessions in the other regions
there will be an interesting photo exhibition, which will be successfully on display
in all countries participating in the photo
project.
I very much enjoyed Belarusian roads:
I have had some experience travelling
around Ukraine, so I could see their true
value. Especially in Hrodna region: no
matter where you go, everything is perfect
even mud roads.
Your country is very rich in cultural
and historical monuments, which are
valuable for our common history, the
times of magnates of the Grand Duchy of
Lithuania, when we lived in one common
state. Those cultural monuments, which
we had a chance to see, impress with their
different forms, and the color range. And
Alfred Mikus, who showed them to us,
made a correct guess. For me, as a person
who prefers shooting architecture, it was
very interesting.
Rauf Umudov, Azerbaijan::
I liked everything we could see without exception. Honestly, we were coming
to Belarus with heavenly thoughts and
were not hunting for faults, as the bearer
of faults and negative matters is the person himself in the first place.
We could appreciate the real Belarusian hospitality. Both us – Azeri people
and you, Belarusians, are life lovers! We
reverently preserve traditions of our an
Edgar Martirosyan (Armenia)
27