Photographers Jason Eskenazi (American) and collaborator Valeri Nistratov (Russian) "took to the road" in Russia to shoot 4X5 color portraits in various cities and across different levels of society. It was their first time shooting large format so a method was created to shoot each portrait under the same conditions (lighting, distance, pose). Only the locations changed: factories, the street, train stations, hospitals, prisons, etc. A white sheet was used for continuity. We asked their name, profession, DOB, and documented where the photo was taken. We usually shot only 1 portrait and the process took less than 1 minute for each subject. Audio interviews were also recorded where and when possible to give depth and let the subjects speak for themselves. The project is about the photos but also about the nature of the collaboration. A text is also available. Two short videos about the making of the project are by filmmaker Abigail Spindle.
This project was funded by a grant from the Fulbright Foundation.