Each month one of the moderators will select the work of a member who has a submission in our gallery for special attention in the form of an journal entry featuring that members work. This month we feature the extraordinary photography of:

---

In the year or so since I became this group's "Big Giant Head", I have never felt the need (or the motivation) to curate one of these showcases. I was always justifiably content in the knowledge that the other moderators were at least as capable as I (if not more so) to identify worthy individuals and bring them to the attention of the broader membership. However, having come across this members gallery while cruising the site using dA's "Random Deviant"  functionality, I was prompted (compelled, actually) to reserve the right to produce this month's feature myself. I think that a look at the images I found in that gallery will explain my sudden motivation more eloquently than words.

It is said that Americans talk, Germans think and Greeks dance. But,  Russians... Russians feel.

A member since March of 2011, Nikolai would seem to be proof that such stereotypes often have their roots in fact. His work - in a wide variety of photographic genres - shows a quality of thought, craftsmanship and sensitivity that might best be described as "loving". It is with great pleasure that I find myself able to present his work in this feature.

I hope you enjoy viewing this feature as much as I enjoyed putting it together.
~eyeballman



Stairs:
I've always had a fascination for photographs that don't look like what they really are - images that through the vision of the author transcend the mere representational reality of the subject. I have explored this phenomenon in my own work, and in this member's series of staircase images, I feel I've found a kindred spirit. Through the inspired use of composition and an eye for the play of light and shadow on form, he manages to transform a rather mundane element of daily life into something much, much more.

Portraiture:
What can I say? Superb lighting and camera-work, attention to detail, and what can only be called "understated elegance" are the hallmarks of this members portraiture. His use of neutral expression results in work of emotional power, while retaining a character of subtlety and reserve. His work does not try to make a connection with the viewer so much as it encourages the viewer to find one of their own.

"Street" Photography:
To be quite honest, I'm not much of a fan of the genre. So many "street" images seem to me to be little more than snapshots wrapped in a thin layer of artistic pretense. This is most emphatically not that.

Dégustation:
Noun: "the act of tasting - especially in a series of small portions - in order to savor or judge the quality of flavor"
Along with my interest in photography as a vehicle for the the production of illusion, I'm also fascinated by the imaging of things that are clear - and in particular, images of glass. In and of itself (and by definition), you can not see something that's clear. It is only through the effect of light passing through the object that it can be visualized, and even then the material nature of the object can only be inferred. Again, using a keen eye for composition, exceptional lighting and camera skill, and the knowledge of glass as a medium that is itself capable of refocusing light, this member has created a series of "illusions" that really aren't illusions at all. Tasty indeed...

The Natural World (and People in It):
At this point, any further expression of my admiration for this member and his skill would be like bringing water to the ocean. So I'll shut up and let the work speak for itself.