#draft - Dmitry Markov

You may not have heard about Dmitri Markov yet, but you will be astonished by his photographs! With a iPhone and a sharp eye, this 35 years old Russian documents life in the ex-USSR without any artifice. Nothing is staged, no models to strike a pose: just everyday life’s scenes caught on the spot by Dmitry. Before buying a smartphone, Dmitry was a volunteer for many NGO, taking care of disabled young orphans. He quickly felt close to this lost and aimless youth. There, he began practicing his photographer’s skills while learning the job’s difficulties: usually withdrawn, teenagers don’t let themselves be photographed easily. In 2013, Dmitry Markov started capturing daily scenes in Pskov: travelers, passers-by, children playing around, adults on their way to work, animals he crossed path with… At first, he posted his pictures on Instagram, which was quite a success! In 2015 he became the first laureate of the Instagram-Getty Image Award, which supports authors documenting the life of under-represented communities throughout the world. Shortly afterwards, he decided to publish a collection of his work, #draft, that we are delighted to distribute. This book is divided in different ‘series’: #chilhood #addiction #system #backcountry #sickness and #draft. Each one of them comes with a presentation in Russian and in English. These haunting original pictures offer a new vision of present-days Russia. « I like traveling around the country and taking pictures of ordinary lives of ordinary people. It is sad to hear people say that I capture the seamy side. I don’t see anything horrible in these pictures of mine. They are not just “social photography”, as many people see them, they are my personal encounters and scenes. Every added picture is like another chapter in my own history. And when I get asked why I go after “life’s unpleasant side”, I reply: “Because I’m part of it.” » Dmitry Markov Dmitry Markov is the laureate of the prestigious awards Silver Camera, PhotoPhilantropy Activists Awards and Getty Images-Instagram Awards Available on