My name is Vladimir. I am 64 years old. I was born and raised in Ukraine. I received a university degree in the STEM discipline, worked as an engineer, created a family, raised two children. Photography has always been my passion and hobby. In my earlier days, I had my home photo lab in the bathroom. There, under the red lamp, my children and I printed our photographs. These were not only those typical family album-type photos, but also shots from our family trips to the sea, to the mountains, or simply to the nearest forest or park. My wife and I always dreamed of traveling the world, but my early life was happening behind the “Iron Curtain”, in the USSR.
And only after the collapse of the union did we have the opportunity to travel to other countries. Our first timid trips were organized by travel agencies. Then we began to plan and carry out independent travels. For the last 15 years, my wife and I have visited more than 30 countries. The camera has always been with us. The makes and models have been changing (initially, it was difficult to switch from film to digital), the number of cameras I carried with me has been changing (most recently I’ve been carrying two units, so I could share with my wife), but what hasn’t changed is my inner drive to express myself and my emotions through photography. Photographs and memories continue to be the most valuable “souvenirs” I bring from the trips.
Upon return, we always invited friends and relatives to spent hours looking at photos and sharing our memories.
When the opportunity arose to publish photos on Google, I began sharing them with people for whom travels are still in the plans, and maybe, as in my past, only in dreams. Any of my trips are divided into 3 stages. First, you prepare for it, then the journey itself, and, finally, your memories, emotions, and photos. When I share my photos, it seems to me that my journeys continue. With me and with those who see them on Google and who, like me, dreams of visiting new countries and cities.