:: F2 Freelance Photographer ::

Starting Out is sponsored by:
bowens

Lucia Ganieva

Educated in photography to a high standard in continental Europe, Lucia is emerging as an inspiring talent to be taken seriously. Lara Holmes caught up with her to talk about her work

Lucia Ganieva’s photographic achievements, including exhibitions, awards and publications, span the globe from Russia to America, and it maybe that her varied background is they key to her thought provoking portraits, exploring social issues on society’s margins.

Her work takes you into private domains, to meet members of groups to which you rarely have access. The sensitive subjects are approached with compassion, but also with an inquisitive eye – and the results are compelling. Born in Murmansk northern Russia, she spent her childhood living in various places around the country, before moving to Saint Petersburg at 17 to study.

In 1993, she moved to the Netherlands to embark on a course at the Institute for Fashion Design, followed by a masters infashion management. Until 2003, photography had been no more than a hobby, but after joining a basic course at Amsterdam’s Foto Academie, Lucia began a three-year full time course in professional photography. She entered Fotogram, her first competition, during her first year on the course, and received a special award.

Lucia’s has gone on to win numerous awards, including two at Arles for projects Tiltenberg and The Sunset of Fame, and it soon became apparent that her strength lay in portraying people in their environment. Her ability to translate individuals and their surroundings into visual narratives comes from her notion of focusing on the smaller, yet telling, details that are often missed.

The Tiltenberg

For her final graduation project, Lucia was granted access to The Tiltenberg at Vogelzang: the Great Seminary of the diocese Haarlem, Netherlands, where students are educated for priesthood. She found entering the world of the seminary to be tricky.

Most seminaries addressed, simply refused to cooperate and kept their doors closed, but at last she found a willing partner in the rector of the De Tiltenberg seminary.Lucia began to build close relations with the students from the outset, by talking to them during sittings and by keeping them involved in the project throughout.

“I have always been curious as to why young men today would choose to become a Catholic priest: a choice that includes the obligation to give up parts of adolescent behaviour, notably the vow of chastity they have to pledge”, says Lucia. “I wanted to find out who they were, how they came to their choice, and what it means for a young seminary student to live between the contrasting worlds of the Catholic Church and modern Dutch society.

“The series, intended for publication, is constructed into a narrative that alternates between portraits taken in the chapel, stills taken in students’ private rooms, and the common spaces of the seminary. The pictures taken in their dormitories show the tensions that exist between the ecclesiastical and the wider world.”

On completion of the project, Lucia found that her preconceived ideas had been changed. “The students are ordinary young people with everyday interests”, she says, “like music, sports, movies and books. The experience and access has enlarged my world, and I intend to keep in contact as they go on with their lives.”

The Sunset of Fame

In St Petersburg in 1895, the actress M G Savina founded a home for retired stage-artists, where those who had dedicated their life to the theatre could enjoy old age in a pleasant environment, with others from a similar background. Tsar Alexander III donated the buildings, with contributions from Mrs Savina’s husband originally funding its upkeep.

The home is situated on six hectares on one of the islands forming St Petersburg, and though close to the city centre, is calm and tranquil. The main building is made up of grand architecture and furnished with antiques, and with each resident having their own room and access to a theatre, library and restaurant, it is an apt place to grow old gracefully among contemporaries. There are currently 87 occupants, ranging from 62 years old to 99, with 12 over the age of 90.

Lucia took a body of 22 portraits within the majestic surroundings, which are presented juxtaposed with photographs of the sitters taken at a time when they were active in their careers. The project has stimulated much attention and is due to be published by Mets & Schilt Publishers in Amsterdam this year, as well as being displayed in St Petersburg’s National Centre for Photography in June 2008.

Since 2006, Lucia has secured a number of exhibitions, including Noorderlicht, Gallery Pictura, and Nominees Photo Academy Awards in the Netherlands, as well as the IPA Best of Show and Best of Arles exhibition, both held in the United States. Additionally, she’s received a Gold Award in Student Work at the PANL Awards 2006; was chosen as 2007 portfolio winner at Les Rencontres d’Arles by Andrew Squires for the De Tiltenberg series, and by Julia Heinemann for the Sunset of Fame series; was four times nominated in The Photo Academy Awards 2007, and placed 1st in the People/Other category, and 2nd at the 2007 IPA Awards.

“During my course, I received little information about the business side of photography”, she says, “so have built my knowledge and understanding up myself. My husband’s accountant helps me out with the financial side of the business.

“My first commission in autumn 2007 was to produce a book of portraits for a small publisher. Last month, I worked for the major Dutch newspaper NRC, supplying pictures for an article about the elections in Russia. I am confident that more commissions will come and I can build up my business. The biggest challenge I face is the promotion of my name to become well known to potential clients.

“My website is designed by a specialist firm that is renowned for designing sites for many Dutch photographers. The site is useful and easy to access, however lately I have thought about changing it to make it more personal and distinctive.

Future

“I plan to travel to Russia, but for now I must focus on the commissioned work to make money and cover all the investments I have made in education and equipment. I used film in the past, but now work only with digital due to the fast the development of technology.”