I love to wander about on my own when I travel. I didn’t get to wander enough when I was on a waterway cruise between St. Petersburg and Moscow. We’d stop at cities or villages and have a tour, but time was limited. Here in Yaroslavl, we had several hours and I headed toward these lovely onion domes that were visible from where the ship had docked.
Two churches stood near this cemetary. There was a service going on in the other church, but this one seemed unused. The brick facade, battered by the harsh weather and neglect, had lost many bricks which were strewn nearby. I didn’t go in, but I did enter the other church where several women were singing hymns. There was no priest.
I met a woman who lived nearby. She was sitting in an overgrown garden enjoying the wan sunlight. It was July and it was cold. She was willing to talk and she told me that she was Israeli. How? Did she speak English? Or did I just understand that one word? It’s funny how you can communicate with someone whose language you don’t speak. Afterwards, when someone asks you if you spoke English, you don’t know. You don’t know how you understood them, but you did.
It wasn’t easy to engage the Russians in rudimentary chit-chat. I’d say hello sometimes and get a blank stare. When I was in the market, they’d be forthcoming in hope of a sale. They tried to sell me dried fish or wild strawberries that had been painstakingly picked in the forest. Life seemed hard.
A good rule to follow when photographing a landscape is to establish foreground. I used the tombstones and the flowers. Without them the photo would not be as interesting. Another tip is to use a wide angled lens and your smallest aperture. That way you will get the maximum depth of field. Use a tripod.