To celebrate World Photography Day and visual artists from all over the world, Depositphotos, a content marketplace with over 210 million images, music, and videos, is introducing a new project called “The Photographer’s Way”. Over the next 4 weeks we will present 2 portfolios a week from their selection, this is : Eldar Khamitov.
The project explores what it takes to become a photographer. What stereotypes do artists face during their journeys? How do they cope with personal issues through photography? What helped them expand their boundaries and follow their passion?
Eldar Khamitov
A New York-based street photographer who captures candid moments and interesting personalities on the streets.
No matter what is going on in your life, there is always an opportunity to create something cohesive if you take your camera with you.
Seven years ago, I bought my first DSLR camera and started taking it around town. I had just moved to New York from Kazakhstan, and everything seemed to come from another planet. I was fascinated by the little details that probably seem very mundane to New Yorkers – I wanted to capture it all. At that time, I didn’t know anything about the street photography genre or its rules. I was just browsing and clicking.
I remember being extremely excited when I randomly saw a documentary on Netflix about Vivian Maier and her nanny story. She took the largest street photograph in history, without having a projector or anyone to view her works.
I was inspired and shocked to see how certain subjects that interested me were also present in his pictures. It made me feel like there was a connection between all street photography enthusiasts. This connection makes us want to go out, to photograph, and sometimes to unconsciously choose things to photograph.
The topic that interests me generally reflects how I feel about the world. I am drawn to the imperfections of appearances which catch the eye; from people who can be called unsuitable, because that’s what I’ve felt most of my life, to something that makes me sad, because I happen to be a moody and melancholy person .
This summer, I was going through an anxious depression that I developed after the start of the pandemic. Taking pictures has a healing effect on me, so I decided to go for a walk on a foggy morning at Fire Island.
The beach was empty and I didn’t expect to photograph anything, until two men with a dog appeared out of nowhere. It sparked my creativity and I took a series of moody photos in the fog, all within an hour of walking back and forth along the shore.
This experience taught me that with street photography you can never expect when or how something is going to happen. No matter what is going on in your life, there is always an opportunity to create something cohesive if you take your camera with you.
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