I love taking pictures, and I've taken quite a few in Russia. Share your favorites!

I have a ton of pics,

This was in Novgrod

This was taken on the grounds of the Kremlin in Kazan. The interior of the mosque is even more amazing than the exterior, but photography was prohibited.

Here is one of my favs. I think one and all will recognize...


Click to view attachment

I have been inside the Krimlin at Kazan and some how I failed to get a closeup look at that place, there was a lot of construction going on (2005) it's possible it was roped off, it's been a while.

Here is a pic I took of the Krimlin from the top of a ride at that Amusement Park across the River and you can see that same mosque from a distance.

For me, "everyday scenes" are more interesting, after you've been to 20 or more cities the sites don't get old but the photos do, so I try to find usual or unusual things to capture, Russians in general, (strangers) do not like to be photographed so this makes it a little more difficult as I don't like to be an intrusive person.

For those who have not been to the FSU, here is a picture of the center-building found in many outdoor markets, (this one in Kazan) they all seem to resemble the same no matter where you go, Although I did see one in a village made of a quansan hut (spelling)... like the military uses.

Of course Meat and dairy products are mainly sold in this inside building and if room produce as well.
Some have a balcony (which I am standing on) with small shops selling anything from flowers to furniture.

Oh, we wanted to go on that ferris wheel, but it was broke down.

Must have been construction related that kept you out of the mosque. There was a little construction going on in other places when I was there. It was wide open to tourists when I was there. Women had to have their hair covered, and everyone had to wear these little surgery booties over their shoes. The interior was fantastic, zillions of tiny details and just gorgeous. There was a miniature model of the mosque inside made out of precious gems that was pretty cool too. If you get a chance to go back, definitely try to make it inside.

Here are some of my favorite recent photos:









I have a shot of the same mosque. You can acutally see the two of us in this photo:

Some really cool pics on here.

I'll have to relocate mine (computer dump a few months ago) and post some. In the mean time, here's one from shopping in Moscow.

Two more, the first obviously in Moscow.



This is actually in Lipetsk

Here's one from near Moscow:

My favorite so far - Thanks!

I take it you were in a boat or maybe using a zoom?

While Natasha waits in the never ending line to get tickets, I wandered out to the platform area and took a pic.
It came out too dark but with "light adjustment" feature on my computer it took a worthless shot and salvaged it a little.

The "Curves" adjustment tool (in Photoshop or Gimp) is the best way to handle this. It will allow you to lighten the shadows without blowing everything else out. Gimp is free and works on Windows, and is almost as capable as photoshop.
http://www.gimp.org/

The "exposure" or "levels" adjustment tools usually aren't what you want to use.

The B&W with the red scarf above was done with gimp using a layer mask.

Yes, exactly, I was on a small row boat.

Here is a Shot as evening was coming on.

One from Irkutsk



And one from Baikal

Bump! I like this thread, let's continue. Here's are 3 new pics from my last trip:

On the way to Moscow:


Sunset over snow covered plain:


Smoke:

I'm being a bit too lazy to post any pics at this moment, but thought I'd comment about the others. These are all really nice photos. Makes me miss being there. I've been there so many times now that my home seems less and less like home. And I'd certainly live there if I needed to.

Thanks for adding those pics, quite professional looking, you must know more about how to use the settings on a camera than I do.

Here are a few sent to me.

A random sampling. The first is of my soon-to-be-nephew and was taken by Natasha this past summer. The rest are from my trip last February/March.

I know what you're saying. It's odd how a place half way around the world and visited only a few times (or once, in my case) can quickly seem like home. I think it's because of that old saying "Home is where the heart is" and right now, our hearts are in Russia. Natasha and I have talked of moving to Russia after I retire. That's still many years off, but I do find myself sort of looking forward to that day.

I need to get a picture of me rolling up some pilminy.... wait a minute......

OK. I don't have a picture of me rolling some up, but I do have a picture of me eating some!

This thread is cool! I'll post more pics when I get more time. Some of you have some real talent and really awesome pictures. Keep 'em coming!

Oh, pelmini. I read "rollling some up" and got confused there, slim.

Thanks for the comments and all the fun new posts. Love seeing all the great photos. Here's a couple more:

Rowan berries:


Driving by Kazan' Kremlin at night:

So glad I wasn't the only one who thought that.

Sorry for the mix-up. (And sorry to get your guys reminiscing about your glory days....) I guess pelmini isn't really "rolled up", it's more folded over than anything. As my wife explained to me one day, "You take this part and push to this part and when finish, make looks like little popka."

Ahh. There's nothing better than a little popka on the kitchen table!


And to keep the ball rolling....

At the bazar

I love seeing "crowd shots" from Russia. Fashion there covers an amazing spectrum!

Does anyone know the official age when women start wearing the headscarves? It seems like they're all Paris fashions, high heels, make-up, hair done, great shape.... then boom! Baba Yaga.

Either way though, they sure give the Rap guys a run for their money. "50 cent aint got nothin on Baba's do' rag over there!"

"Word up, G. Word up."

I miss Russian tomatoes. I'm just saying.

while on the subject

I think after their husband dies.

Not a picture that I took, but it's one of my favorites. It's of the Kremlin in Kazan, stolen from the Wikipedia entry.

All right you guys... Time for some real Russian photos instead of the "tourist" stuff!...



I've got more if anyone's interested!

LOL! Interested? Of course!

I just have to say...in the second picture, the first thing I thought of was "ohhhh, REAL toilet paper! Lucky bastard! Oh, there's a guy on the floor too."

Actually, I prefer the Russian cheap stuff. It, well, cleans better!

More photos soon...

One tourist and one personal this time...

Uh-huh, if you don't mind losing a layer of skin at the same time. And while I don't generally like losing a layer of skin anywhere, that's one of the areas I *least* like losing it.


Nice pics!

You just need to toughen up the area! Remember our ladies have used it for years!

Thanks about the pics. Maybe I'll post more tomorrow...

Hey if that's how our ladies got so tough, they can have it. My uncalloused tush will remain so!

Hey guys, those are some real nice and fun photos in the last few posts.

Here's a couple more non touristy shots from me:

New Year 2008 dinner. Elina and I:


Уха (fish soup) is in the works. Mmmmm... tasty!

great photos

I had the extraordinary luck to fall in love with a person whose best friend is a professional photographer. The friend, Aza, followed us around for a few days and took hundreds of photos and worked some of them in Photoshop. I have them all over my house. It looks like a shrine to my Tanya.

Here are some of her photos and some that were taken by her husband, Sergey. I also have several that were taken of the 2 of us in our photos in our profile. Goes without saying that the photos of us together are my favorites.

Me and Aza in Baskin Robbins in Taganrog.


Me on Sergey's Jawa! Sergey fancies himself a Russian biker. If I win the lotto I promised to send him a Harley!


Then there was this silly punching game down on Pushkinskaya Quay. Just seemed like a photo op!


Asa & Sergey's beautiful daughter, Masha. The subject of many of Aza's photos.


Port of Taganrog with the Yacht Club in the foreground.


The big monster is going to bite off the head of the young princess!

Kids Birthday partyClick to view attachment

Nice pics everyone, I'm really glad this thread was resurrected.

I concur! Time to share another...

Those Megafon ads were plastered everywhere in Y-O. On the weekends a bunch of women dressed in green jumpers stood at intersections and in the middle of the street when traffic was stopped handing out Megafon fliers to all the pedestrians. The fliers had little pedestrian symbols and stoplights on them, so at first I thought they were crossing guards and that it was some kind of public safety campaign. Then when I actually read (and by that I mean I looked at the pictures in) the flier I figured out they were just adverts. Damn, wish I'd taken pics of that, it was kind of surreal to see all those women in bright green weaving in and out of the pedestrian traffic. I do still have my flier though, maybe I'll scan and post it.