Elena Chernyshova

I recently saw a post on Facebook by Lens Culture (an organisation which promotes emerging talent in photography) about Elena Chernyshova and her work about the city of Norilsk in Northern Russia.  Norilsk is a mining town, plunged into darkness for most of the year.  Chernyshova has put together a documentary project which investigates human adaptation to extreme climate, environmental disaster and isolation.  She captures the unique living conditions of the people of Norilsk, providing a unique perspective on many aspects of their lives, from the environmental hazards, coping with endless daylight in summer to no daylight in winter, growing vegetables, how children get exercise, unfinished building works and so on.  This is a truly compelling piece of work which provides an emotive insight into the challenge of life in Norilsk. 

There are 45 photographs in the series, each of course pieces of art in their own right, but the body of the collection together with the narrative that I think makes this piece of work so successful.  You really get the feeling of what life there must be like.  And the colours, processing etc - stunning!

One image that really stands out for me is Slide 9 showing a metal worker breathing through a gas filter.  That really brings home the suffering and dedication of these people to earning a living in an environment where there probably aren't many choices.

The learning message for me here is about knowing your subject.  All to often, I go somewhere on a daytrip expecting to come home with earth shattering photography..... this was obviously a project put together over a long period of time, and by building relationships with the subjects.  Slide 13, showing a person suffering from lung disease, is a great example of the intimacy that Chernyshova achieves.