Nagorno-Karabakh: Pentax 6x7

[Sikario]

Over the summer I spent a short time in the self-declared republic of Nagorno Karabakh which lies within the boundaries of Azerbaijan in the southern Caucasus.

The project is ongoing and still in the early stages but my work surrounds the subject of childhood within the region. The Nagorno Karabakh war ended twenty years ago and yet the children of Karabakh, all of whom were born after the ceasefire was declared, are faced with its after-effects everyday, as well as the uncertainty of a return to war in the near future.

All of the following images were shot on my Pentax 6x7 with either the 105mm f/2.4 or 55mm f/4 (67 version):

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

I am returning there in January to continue the project, so if you have any criticisms regarding the subject-matter or tips for the work itself, then please let me know. 🙂

 

[agricola]

Sikario
you don't need any criticism or tips - just keep on doing what you do

 

[hans voralberg]

The last one is beautiful, never heard of the conflict before, may be I was too young.

 

[shadowfox]

Sikario
you don't need any criticism or tips - just keep on doing what you do

+10 .

 

[Jamie123]

I agree with the others. You seem to know what you're doing and you're doing it well.

For the continuation of your project I'd say watch out not to get hung up on the subject of children in an overly literal sense as I think there's more to childhood than children and the places where they play. That is, of course, in no way a criticism of the existing set of pictures, it's just a thought about where the project might go from here.

If I had to make one criticism about the existing set I would say that number 4 doesn't really add much to the series as it's a bit non-specific. Children lose a lot of stuff all the time so it's easy to find lost items like this almost anywhere in the world.
In the existing set of pictures I don't find it adds much, however you never know where it might fit in in the final edit. Sometimes you need pictures like these to connect other pictures.

 

[Sikario]

Thank you for the comments and of course for the feedback. I am still unsure how I wish to conduct the final work, part of me wants to concentrate on straight-forward portraiture, as shown in the third image, but I am not sure if that is too obvious, or at least overdone.

I usually prefer to work in a more obscure way, but my images can sometimes require a lot of explaining. For example, in the forth image I tried to show the building's construction alongside the lost shoe. This of course is a little vague. It is supposed to depict the mass development of Stepanakert, Karabakh's capital city, and the fact that the children are caught in the midst of the ever-changing and internationally funded landscape. I agree entirely though, it is slightly at odds with the rest of the set.

Here is another more 'formal' image, this time in black and white. Personally I think it is far too busy and annoyingly, slightly overexposed! 🙄

 

[Jamie123]

I'd say just go with your guts and keep taking more pictures. As I said, you obviously know what you're doing. The edit comes later. Only when you feel you have finished taking pictures you can decide for sure what goes in the series and what doesn't.

As for the general direction of the project, I think it could very well be something similar to Alec Soth's "Dog Days, Bogotà", i.e. a series that is about a place but has a common thread (children in your case) that holds the whole thing together. And, like in Soth's project, you can include both formal projects, still lifes and more spontaneous shots. Like I said, go with your guts and do what feels right. You can edit out the pictures you feel don't fit in the project later.

 

[filmfan]

I really like that second shot (and the whole series in fact).
My only critique, and it may just be a matter of taste, is to use a slightly cooler color process. I think that low contrast color film like Portra 400 NC, Fuji 400H (etc) suit this kind of work best, as well as look incredible in medium format. I think the last 4 or so images look too warm and punchy for the content. As mentioned in a previous response, Alex Soth seems to do this very well-- just as you did in the first 4 or so photos.
Keep it up.

 

[Out to Lunch]

When you emphasize 'childhood' in your 'editorial lines' it better jump off the page, one way or another. It doesn't do that now.