Soviet photographer journalist Igor Gavrilov... (19 photos). Igor Gavrilov, legendary Soviet photographer

22.09.2019

Reviews of the book The True, Mad, Guilty Moriarty l The True, Mad, Guilty

Life at Full Power - Jim Lauer, Tony Schwartz

Famous pirates of the Caribbean, next to whom the movie Jack Sparrow is just a boy

Igor Gavrilov is a living legend of Soviet photojournalism. His work is amazing, each photograph is life, not covered up, but caught by surprise. Many of the author’s brilliant photographs were not published at the time only because they were too plausible.

Professionalism, great love for your work, and correct principles made Igor's work significant and internationally recognized. The photographer’s photographs were published in the world’s most prestigious publications: Paris Matsh, Le photo, Stern, Spiegel, Independent, Elle, Play boy – and many others. Nominated for the title " Best Photographer of the Year" from Time magazine. World Press Photo Award Winner.

The publication “Russian Reporter” published material for which they selected 50 shots of the photographer, taken by him during the most different periods life - from student years to recent trips around the planet. Igor spoke about each photograph - sometimes in a nutshell, sometimes in detail, and sometimes with digressions into more general topics.

The result is a piercing story that makes you look at the photographs from a completely different angle.

Communal apartment

Late 80s – early 90s. Communal apartment. It looks like a set at Mosfilm, where temporary partitions are being built to depict some kind of life. But this is a very real apartment.

I was asked to film a topic about communal services. I was not only in this apartment alone, but I also bothered all my friends who know or have friends living in communal apartments. But this one completely amazed me. In the frame is a large room of one family. There’s a mother sitting in the corner, and below us is her daughter, very cute. They just fenced it off large room a plywood partition to somehow separate them from each other. But they partitioned it not up to the ceiling, but up to the middle, and therefore it was possible to climb onto this partition and take such a shot from there. I remember there was no dust there, I think, for six months or a year, I came out of there covered in some kind of cobwebs, dust, whatever the hell.

Symbol of the era

What we lived with is enough long years, when a person came to a store and saw completely empty shelves. This is the early 90s or 89.

"Where have you been?..."

A shot with the most unfortunate fate. I made it on Western Ukraine, in the city of Ivano-Frankivsk. In those days enough people came there a large number of foreigners from the socialist camp, many correspondents. I was walking to the press center from the hotel and saw this scene at the bus stop. I literally pressed it twice. Some military man attacked me and started shouting to the whole of Ivano-Frankivsk that I was defaming the Soviet way of life, why I was filming disabled people, where I came from.

The frame was not published in Ogonyok, and no matter where I offered it, it was not accepted anywhere. Chief Editor magazine “Soviet Photo” personally posted this frame with her own hands three times from collections that were sent to some international photo competitions - “Interpress Photo” or World Press Photo, accompanying her actions with impartial comments.

The winds of perestroika blew. A full editorial room of Moscow photojournalists gathered in “Soviet Photo”, the subject of discussion was how to modernize the magazine. I took out this photograph with the words: “Just print these photos.” And in response I heard: “Igor, where were you before, why didn’t you bring such shots to “Soviet Photo”?”

Lonely but wise

This is Victory Day, approximately 76-77. Such a scene formed on the embankment. I believe that the wisest is the one who stands alone in the middle, he is engaged in business: he drinks beer, eats a sandwich. And it is still unknown what they will do.

Earthquake in Armenia

Lists of people who were found and identified. They hang on the glass - the press center there is improvised in some building - and people come up all the time and read.

When I arrived in Moscow, showed the photographs, Ogonyok gave nominally one spread of fairly calm photographs. And it hurt me a lot.

I was hoping they would print more photos and stronger ones. And I sent it all to Time, and Time came out with the main report of the issue. And they nominated me for best reporter of the year for this report.

First International Hairdressing Competition in Moscow

This is the early 80s. The girls in the picture are models of the competition, their hair is being dried under this beautiful poster. The most interesting thing is that this photograph was published in Ogonyok magazine in those years, before perestroika, but somewhat cropped. The chief artist took out large scissors 20 centimeters long from the office and, with the words “What are you, oh..., Gavrilov,” cut off the poster.

Vysotsky's funeral

Taganka, opposite the theater. Funeral of Vladimir Semenovich Vysotsky. I stood at the coffin in the theater for two hours, I could not leave. I made a mistake with the exposition, but when I went out to the square, I saw it all. And only now, literally this year, I realized that in fact Vysotsky’s funeral was the first unauthorized rally in the Soviet Union. The first popular disobedience of that government, when people came - no one called them, no one drove them, as was done at the demonstration on November 7 or May 1 - but they came.

Too loose

Special detention center in Moscow on Altufevskoye Highway. I filmed there several times and each time with great interest. Well, what can I say? With great pain - this is too pompous. No, there wasn’t much pain. But I feel sorry for the children. All those who ran away from home, those found at train stations, on the streets are collected there.

When this boy was getting his hair cut, lice were jumping off him, about three meters away from him. I barely had time to brush it off, I thought I would get lice all over myself while I was taking it off.

Waste-free production

70s, Moscow. Godless Lane. Opposite the window where people hand over dishes that have just been washed from labels in a puddle, there is a store “ Mineral water" - quite famous in Moscow. In order to return the dishes, get money, go across the street and buy wine or beer, which was also sold there, people did this.

Life after Afghanistan

Late 80s. Moscow region. This is a rehabilitation hospital for soldiers returning from Afghanistan. There were such boys there. An entire hospital - about 500 people who had just returned from there and saw death. The staff had a hard time dealing with them.

Best Photograph of 1990 in America

November 6, 1990, Time magazine's assignment was to photograph the city before November 7. This is the last November 7th when there was a communist demonstration. The shot was published in Time, and then it was included in the best photos years in America is a healthy book, I have it. And the next day there was nothing left. That's it, the last demonstration, the last parade. Paragraph.

A photograph is not worth the grief caused for the sake of this photograph.

I was filming something in Georgia - and suddenly an avalanche occurred in Svaneti. One Svan man found himself at the bottom when an avalanche hit his village, and so we drove together along mountain roads to the scene of the tragedy. Our journey took three or four days. When we arrived, the entire village was destroyed. I started filming. There was no one on the streets, absolutely no one. And suddenly I saw these people coming up to the rest of the house - a man, a woman and a child, they were carrying small glasses of chacha or vodka in their hands. The man has on his chest a portrait of his relative who died in an avalanche. I understand that now I can take such a tough shot. They are coming. I know where to do it, I know how to do it. I am waiting. Here they come, I raise the device to my eyes and press it once. Complete silence - mountains. And this man looked at me. Standing behind me is my boyfriend, with whom I arrived, so he put his hand on my shoulder and said: “He doesn’t like you taking pictures.”

And I didn’t take any more pictures, didn’t take a single frame. The woman cried, sobbed, threw herself on her knees and shoveled the snow, and a strange child stood to the side, with some kind of hat pulled over one eye, and a man. I didn't take pictures. And when all this was over, the man came up to me and invited me to the funeral in the dugout. It is not customary there to invite strangers to such events, but I was invited for the respect shown.

No photograph is worth the grief caused to people for the sake of this photograph. You can make excuses later - millions will see it, this, that, the fifth, the tenth. Despite the toughness of our profession, despite the toughness of the situations in which we sometimes find ourselves, we must, first of all, remain a person, and then a professional.

Children in cages

The very first publication in the Ogonyok magazine from places not so remote - this kind of material had never been published in the Soviet Union before. This is the Suda colony for juvenile delinquents. In four days I made a material that, in general, brought me quite a lot of fame and many medals, was published in the Independent Magazine in English, and was published in many books. There wasn't then digital camera, I couldn’t see on the display whether my shadow fell correctly. This is exactly the shadow I was looking for. This is in a punishment cell, a guy sits and looks at me, although I didn’t even ask him to look.

Death Road

The beginning of the journey to the Pamirs, early 80s. This is one of the most difficult business trips. We drove along the Khorog-Osh road, and this road was called the road of death. There are high mountains, 4.5–5 thousand meters, the road is serpentines and cliffs. And the gearbox in our car fell apart. If it weren’t for the border guards... Everyone there helps each other, because they understand that if you stop on this road for the night, you may not wake up.

The weather is bad

This is Domodedovo airport, 70s. I run from the train to the airport terminal building. The weather was bad and for a long time the planes were not flying, and therefore all those who did not fly away dispersed throughout the airport and around. The man in the picture did not fly away, he is sleeping at the end of this railway “track”.

For the first time

This is a future lieutenant, before his first solo flight. This is his look. For the first time, the instructor will not be with him; he sits first in the doubles. This, in my opinion, is Orenburg flight school or Omsk - in general, in those parts.

Building the future

This is Sakhalin, 1974. I went to practice as a student photojournalist for a construction team. In this photo are my fellow students. And the person who is holding the legs of who knows who already is Yegor Veren, who is now one of the leaders of Interfax. These guys are laying under the heating main electrical cable, they pass the end to one another.

Vendetta's alright

Corsica. I was traveling around Corsica in the car of the head of the Corsican mafia. We went high into the mountains. There was some poet, artist, writer - very nice people, we talked with them, drank wine. I walked away from the company and saw these two colorful guys. These are residents of a village high in the mountains. I speak French very poorly. And they have some other dialect. Well, in general, I couldn’t find anything better than to ask: “What about your vendetta here?” And one of them immediately reached behind his back and took out a pistol from under his shirt and said: “But we are always ready for a vendetta. Here’s a vendetta, please.” And then he smiled so sweetly.

Another selection from best pictures photojournalist:

For Igor, the main genre is analytical reporting. The main goal of his work is to photograph the truth, in search of which he traveled all over Russia, worked in 50 foreign countries, photographed in almost all hot spots of our country, and on the seventh day after the explosion he flew over the reactor of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. Professionalism, great love for his work, and correct principles made Igor’s work significant and internationally recognized. The photographer's photographs were published in the world's most prestigious publications: Paris Matsh, Le photo, Stern, Spiegel, Independent, Elle, Play boy - and many others. Nominated for "Best Photographer of the Year" by Time magazine. World Press Photo Award Winner.

Photo: Igor Gavrilov. "For the first time". Leitenang before his first solo flight.

Perhaps we do not now associate the Soviet era with the heyday of photography, but it gave us many wonderful masters. All of them, in one way or another, encountered obstacles in their creative path, but not everyone became unofficial, underground photographers. Some, like Igor Gavrilov, managed to preserve their creative style while publishing in leading publications.

Igor Gavrilov was born in 1952 in Moscow and became interested in photography as a child. At school, he was actively involved in amateur photography, which helped him become the winner of the All-Union competition among school graduates in 1970.

The further path was, in fact, predetermined - Igor, out of competition, was enrolled in the Faculty of Journalism of Moscow State University, in a newly formed group that trained professional photojournalists.

Life after Afghanistan". Late 1980s, Moscow region. Photo by Igor Gavrilov

While still in his senior year, Igor received an offer of cooperation from Ogonyok magazine, which in those years had the most professional photography service. As a result, this union will last almost a decade and a half.

The best photograph of 1990 in America. Photo by Igor Gavrilov

But from the late 80s, when interaction with Western publications became possible, Igor actively began to work “for the world”, becoming a Moscow correspondent for Time magazine, which in the same year nominated him for the title of photographer of the year.

A shot with the most unfortunate fate. I made it in Western Ukraine, in the city of Ivano-Frankovsk. In those days, quite a large number of foreigners from the socialist camp and many correspondents gathered there. I was walking to the press center from the hotel and saw this scene at the bus stop. I literally pressed it twice. Some military man attacked me and started shouting to the whole of Ivano-Frankivsk that I was defaming the Soviet way of life, why I was filming disabled people, where I came from.

The frame was not published in Ogonyok, and no matter where I offered it, it was not accepted anywhere. The editor-in-chief of the magazine "Soviet Photo" personally posted this frame with her own hands three times from collections that were sent to some international photo competitions - "Interpress Photo" or World Press Photo, accompanying her actions with impartial comments.

...Soviet photographs of Igor Gavrilov are surprising. First of all, those that have been published. They seem to contain ordinary, “correct”, sometimes boring socialist realism. But this is only at first glance. If you take a closer look at the photographs, you can understand that they are much deeper than their first, “official” layer.

"Children in Cages." The very first publication of Igor Gavrilov in the magazine "Ogonyok".

What can we say about those photographs that were not censored or were taken at a time when censorship died! The sincere and unadorned truth of life is the most important thing for Igor. Capture reality exactly as it is.

"Lonely but wise." Victory Day, 1977.

For example, a report from Armenia during the days of the terrible earthquake of 1988, for which Igor was nominated, and from which his collaboration with Time began. It contains the true pain of people who have lost their homes and loved ones, all the horror of the tragedy.

Earthquake in Armenia. Photo by Igor Gavrilov

And at the same time, there is no “chernukha” in order to put more pressure on the viewer. Photos from a rehabilitation hospital for “Afghans”, from a juvenile colony... and even just from a student detachment on Sakhalin - Igor’s signature handwriting is visible everywhere.
Today Igor Gavrilov is a recognized master, whose photographs seem to have been published by all the leading publications in the world. He is the recipient of numerous awards, including the World Press Photo Award.
But Igor still films a lot, collaborating with various agencies and media. Indeed, a photojournalist never knows which report will be the pinnacle of his career.

First international competition hairdressers in Moscow. Photo by Igor Gavrilov

Building the future." Sakhalin, 1974. Photo by Igor Gavrilov

Ecology of consumption. People: Pictures with stories from the famous photographer Igor Gavrilov, who devoted more than 40 years to his difficult profession...

Professionalism, great love for his work, and correct principles made Igor’s work significant and internationally recognized. The photographer’s photographs were published in the world’s most prestigious publications: Paris Matsh, Le photo, Stern, Spiegel, Independent, Elle, Play boy – and many others. Nominated for "Best Photographer of the Year" by Time magazine. World Press Photo Award Winner.

The publication “Russian Reporter” published material for which they selected 50 shots of the photographer, taken by him in various periods of his life - from his student years to recent trips around the planet. Igor spoke about each photograph - sometimes in a nutshell, sometimes in detail, and sometimes with digressions into more general topics.

The result is a piercing story that makes you look at the photographs from a completely different angle.