Capturing the Essence of Lviv

New Pathway’s Olena Wawryshyn speaks to photographer and cameraman Ihor Krut about one of his current projects–exploring and capturing Lviv in black-and-white photography.

 NP: Why did you decide to focus on Lviv?

IK: Lviv is a city with a lot of authenticity. It has a long history, and various cultures intersected there. This is reflected in the city’s interesting architecture, which is to a large extent still preserved.  For example, Virmenska Street (Or Armenian Street) was the centre of the Armenian community in Lviv and there is a beautiful Armenian Church there.

I was born not far from Lviv, in Chervonohrad, in Lviv oblast. But, Lviv, as I knew it, and the “old Ukraine” are disappearing quickly as Ukraine transforms into a capitalist country.  So, I felt it was important to capture Lviv now.  This transition period is a very interesting time for a photographer as there are many contrasts.

Also, local photographers tend to take photos of mainly architecture and landscapes. The images are beautiful, but interesting images of ordinary people and scenes of everyday life are overlooked.  So, a couple of years ago, I decided to explore the city with my camera and tell the stories of Lviv through black-and-white photography.

Once, when I was talking to a photographer living in Lviv, he suggested that I drive  to the Carpathian Mountains where he said there are more “exotic” characters. For local photographers, Lviv is too familiar. Since I have been living in Canada for many years, during my frequent visits to Lviv, I can observe the city through the eyes of an outsider.

I’m interested in also photographing Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities. I decided to start with Lviv because it is the closest city to me in terms of my origins and understanding.

NP: How do you choose subjects?

IK: French Henri Cartier-Bresson [considered to be the father of modern photojournalism] said:  “I observe people in the streets, in cafes, and they are natural actors.” 

When I walk around Lviv with my camera in a search of a unique moment I often feel as if I am watching a theatre performance. I avoid taking posed shots and don’t do much preparation. In most cases I have only a second or two to get my shot. I think that setting things up or moving subjects to get a “better” composition actually ruins the shot or makes it look artificial. I often say to myself:  “Don’t touch or adjust anything; everything is already perfectly designed.”  So, my job is a merely “attending” or observing.   

Compiling a decent collection of images is extremely difficult; it takes a lot of time and effort.  The challenge for a photographer is to find the unusual in the so-called “normal” or the everyday and to take a photo at exactly the right moment.  It’s a game of “candid camera” and sometimes I get tired of it and think to myself: “Ihor, you’ve seen all this hundreds of times; stop wasting film and money, and get back to doing something concrete.” And then I come across a situation, a perfect moment, which gives me no time for hesitation – and a great shot emerges.

I take pictures of Lviv people and their stories: workers paving roads, kids playing, people waiting at a streetcar stop, riding in taxis or browsing for books, men playing chess, women strolling along the main boulevard.  

I also photograph scenes or backdrops–posters and announcements, gates, buildings with advertisements, messages in phone booths and signs­– which in themselves also contain stories and raise questions.  I look for parallels and contrasts. But, I try to stay away from the obvious.

NP: How did you get involved in photography?

IK: I don’t have any formal training, but began taking photos at age 14. For many years, it was just a hobby.  In Ukraine I studied music (conducting) at a college in Lviv and later at the Kyiv Institute of Culture.  I then worked at the Lviv Opera and Ballet Theatre as a singer and in Kyiv with various choirs.   

After I immigrated to Canada in 1989, I worked for Ukrainian Television programs in Toronto and then as a freelance cameraman on documentary film and television programs and corporate videos. I also started communicating with professional photographers and learning from books and exhibits.  My essential lessons about photography I learned by studying the photographs of Henri Cartier-Bresson.

NP: What are your future plans?

IK: To organize an exhibition of my photographs of Lviv in Canada, the United States, Poland and, of course, Ukraine–if I am able to get enough financial support. In the meantime, I am going to be back photographing in Lviv next year to amass more material.