THE STORY
In August 2016, I was in Ukraine for a scouting conference. I had just gotten off the train from spending the weekend in L'viv and was excited to be able to explore the country's capital again. After quickly dropping off my bags at Hotel Bratislava, getting on the Kyiv Metro, going up the gravity-defying escalators at the Independence Square Metro Stop, I was ready to take in all of the energy the city had to offer. It was two days before Ukraine's 25th Independence Day and the city's energy was ready for this momentous celebration. As I was walking along Hreshchatyk , trying my best with capturing Kyiv's zeitgeist, I started noticing a larger police presence that was starting to block the streets. To add to my curiosity, Soviet tanks began to line the streets and different forms of military personal began assembling in formation. To much to my surprise, it was another dress rehearsal for the Independence Day parade (in fact it was the third one up to that moment). Each military person was being pestered by the local crowds, whether they were family, friends, or love ones. I was able to witness the human element of these soldiers, marines, seamen, etc.
Below are some more of my images that show a human side of our Ukrainian military
THE COMPOSITION
This particular image was taken when one of the military branches were forming. No military general has given them any instructions to this point, so you can see a beautiful juxtaposition within this image between the all of the service men ready to go and the one service man still casual in his pose. The military formation provides a sharp perspective. This is super important as to why this is one of my favorite images of 2016. This perspectives that allows to greater emphasize this juxtaposition. Your eye is drawn down the line of these service men. This causes the "casual" service men to stick out like a sore thumb. Also, the white lines adds movement into the image as well. It cuts through the formation and drags you further into the image.
I'll be breaking down more of my images as time goes on! From my Philadelphia Union images to Copa America to portraits and to adventures, there's tons to cover!!
If there are other topics you want to see on this blog, I'd love to hear from you! For more information about GreyBack Studios, check out my about page!