Sometimes (often) it’s better to let others do the talking first:
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Russians, Greeks, Finns and a camera
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Written by Юниорский союз Дорога
June 14, a heavy-loaded bus left Petrozavodsk.
The bus was filled with valenki, maracas, kanteles, hats with earflaps, cameras and kids from the Doroga youth union. They were the participants of a project called “Creative photography in the Finnish wilderness”.
Nobody felt like sleeping the first night. So our group organized a music party with wooden spoons, rattles and maracas. The international audience was thrilled! The Greeks and the Finns were awake as well. The next day the camp was launched leaving no time to sleep at all.
Each participant had to make up a story on any topic. Henna and Sanna from the Steering group helped the participants do it.
Henna, a professional photographer, spoke about basic principles of working with a camera and helped writing a storyline for series of pictures.
The most important thing is to convey your own feelings and emotions but make it understandable to the audience – Henna said.
Sanna taught everybody how to observe face expressions and gestures of other people, nature and how to concentrate on own feelings.
The harder the work, the better the fun afterwards. Recreation was planned as well. The National park Koli met us at the third day with 300-meter rocks. The park turned out to be perfect for photo shoots.
For the last days of our stay we canoed to the other side of the Pielinen Lake to a place called Ellu. This journey was the most exciting of all. Both experienced canoe riders and newbies were canoeing together.
When we arrived to Ellu, a delicious lunch was already waiting for us. After that Sanna held a traditional observation training, where participants form couples, one partner closes his eyes and the other one watches him for 5-10 minutes trying to capture the slightest movements and face expressions.
This training is useful for those who take pictures and for the models, it helps them both relax and focus on own feelings. Due to this exercises pictures turn out relaxed and natural – Sanna quoted as saying.
After the training everybody went on with their business: some took pictures, and some just enjoyed beautiful Finnish landscapes. In the evening we went to the sauna and jumped in the lake, we also taught the Greeks how to bathe with sauna switches. They loved it!
The next day we set off back home. We had to finish our stories, chose the music and voice over. Half of participants hadn’t come up with their ideas yet. But then a miracle happened – each of us prepared beautiful short films about our thoughts, feelings and desires. Some were more professional, some – more personal. But most importantly – they were all very different.
At the final presentation of videos we all felt united due to overwhelming amount of emotions. It didn’t matter whether you were Greek, Russian or Finnish. Each told about the most important and personal things.
In the evening before departure we gave our new friends pins of the Doroga union to remember us by, and of course, we invited them to Karelia. The Greeks already promised to come.
Besides beautiful pictures, we gained experience of organizing international camps. The Doroga youth union is a participant of Matka.ru project. According to the action plan, in a year a new youth center will be constructed in Matkachi. And it will be our turn to organize camps. Lessons learned from the Hyvarila will come in handy.
Many thanks to all participants and especially to the volunteer Steering group – Henna Middeke, Sanna Valkepaa, Magdalena Wollhofen, Karina Sitnik.
Special thanks to the Youth in action EU program that funded the project “Creative photography in the Finnish wilderness” and to the international secretary of the Hyvarila Maija Eskanen who contributed significantly to the project application.
Natalya Yalovitsyna
Not feeling very prosaic at the moment so I’ll keep it short, sweet and interesting:
- You must absolutely try going into a sauna and then jumping in semi-cold water. I’d done it once before, that is when I was in Denmark. Don’t be afraid of revealing your junk, breasts and/or “imperfect” body to others. First, they don’t care about your body as they’re too busy being embarassed of their own one and second, it’s just not worth it worrying too much about it compared to the feeling of freedom you are left with.
- Who would have thought that eating ants may not be that bad after all? Have a look at this video I made. I wish I could show you the rest of the videos everyone made back in Finland, but neither do I have them nor is this the best place to do so.
- Imagine meeting someone who looks like he could be a member of the Russian mafia and then, on the last day, he makes a video for his girlfriend back in Russia, in which he has pictures of the crocodile plushie she gave him in all the places he visited while he was in Finland. Yeah. Stereotypes you say?
- The sun set at 11pm and came up around 3am. In the meantime it never went completely dark. It was awesome.
- Most participants took more and better photographs than I did, but I don’t really care; as long as I have them next to mine, to look at, remember and smile, .
- At the end of the day, it’s all about the people. This trip had that part covered. I’m thankful to everyone who made this experience special and another episode in space and time I’m happy to have with me. Daphne and I agree: Karelia will see our faces again.
- Special thanks go to Εμείς και ο Κόσμος for making this, as well as I SEE GREEN, a reality.
