Introducing Russian photographer Andrey Zharov and his powerful, almost invincible, although quite sensitive and introspective portraits.
Andrey Zharov is not worldwide known. Nor does he enjoy the sweet aftertaste of fame. He is a Saint Petersburg-based photographer that most probably does not even care much for glossy magazines and high end editorials. But he is the absolute perfect example of how powerful one single image can be, how timeless indeed – if in its purest form, the portrait of a human, not necessarily smiling, just staring at the lens for a single moment in time. And each wrinkle captured, each mouth sealed seems like a scream throughout eternity, a scream that yet tells a precious story of a complete stranger, one will never get to meet. How inspiring and priceless is that?His inspiration is naturally the people he meets along the way – every day.
He, of course, defines his figure in the creative process as a link between what he sees and what the viewer perceives, so his concern is the truth that he pulls out of the people he shoots, letting the emotions passing through his own personal belief.
“I’m not interested in just cities and things without the presence of people. These portraits show unknown people from the streets. Just passengers, just people. The gray mass does not exist, anyone could be going through the crowd, but it’s quite enough to get him out of that crowd, to look into his eyes – the secret of the human soul opens up, a beautiful, inimitable world. I sometimes don’t understand the local saying only eyes speak, but they are really the mirror of the soul“, says Andrey Zharov.
His form of shooting involves zooming in on his subjects features, so the viewer can truly get a sense of who it is they are looking at. Yes, his captivating images are almost printed heartbeats of the human soul. Or the closest there is to it, at least. Thumbs up, mate, wherever you may be. Keep inspiring us – with each click, a bit more.
