Saint Petersburg : spring from roofs
russian version
This time it started much earlier than usual. If I have been actively got out of the home with a camera in April last years, this year - a month earlier. And if before I went only on the ground at first, but this time - at once on the roof!
This year dawned wonderful time, spring came early. And it was possible to walk safely on rooftops to make pictures. Then seeking out new test shots to the coming days photographing and then still to keep up to the beginning of the working day. We smiled among ourselves more than once that people are surprised looking at our pictures, “not St. Petersburg’s sky” or “it could not happen”. In fact this is exactly what happens very often: beautiful sunrise appears for 5-10 minutes shimmering with bright colors, metamorphosing all around, and then - the city again veiled by gray clouds. And we coming back home already on the gray weekdays, meeting recently awakened people who have not seen what we have seen and photographed. And I would hardly believe if haven’t documented “the catch”.
1.
Amusingly that during the winter I am very unused to shin, and at first time in a long period I realized that I feel somehow uncomfortable on a relatively flat and wide roof. However this discomfort was removed after the second or third hike.
2.
There is still some kind of romance - to shin up. But it is measured in different volumes, and probably someone’s does not measured at all. We have our reason: to make pictures, but in fact lots of people are roofing because of other reasons, and I think there are those among them who like just to shin up.
3.
So I was surprised to suddenly discover in this period that I emotionally return to the era of my childhood, when I do not need feed bread - give me trees to climb. I remember this inexplicable chill under the skin when you crawl up and you’re scared but interested, and it overpowers whenever in doubt: “maybe even a couple of tree branches higher, there’s more overview”.
4.
As Elena rightly noted in the case of roofs it somehow doubtful, they’re created artificially. Another feeling - when you have a stone rock under foot and a tree branch under hand. And that’s why there is less confidence and serenity in urban walking on roof height and overcoming its difficulties.
5.
Especially in our harsh times when the vast majority believes that walking on the roof - bad and illegal. And begin an endless dispute on this subject is useless and no necessary. I understand the tenants of houses who is much closer to their own comfort and safety than someone’s entertainment and hobby, especially when every day on TV there is a flow of hazard, crime and terrorism.
And while that happening, we all (by right or wrong) - shin up. There the city - on a palm. And like in a childhood, the higher climb - the more to see. By the way the very high is not always a good thing, at least for the photographing.
6.
It’s great that the historic center of St. Petersburg is still more or less at the same altitude, because the roof is often not only a way to climb, but also an essential part of the urban environment. Actually sometimes they are very beautiful themselves: steel on them is performed with different colors, depending on the aging and lighting. For example, I like the rust on them, it has many different shades - the eye is pleased.
7.
In general, many of us shin up to the roof because the sky can be seen much more than even on Nevsky Prospekt, and I don’t even mention the typical St.Petersburg’ “draw-well-yard”.
8.
There are quite a lot of guys (and girls) who walks on the roofs and photographs the beloved city. By their photos you can discover for yourself the city that you hardly ever see with your own eyes (unless you go roofing). Therefore, please, treat with understanding to their passion, they go to the roof each for their own reasons, but certainly not to bother you or plant a bomb on your attic. Although, Roofer reputation and the whole picture with roof-walking often spoiled by individuals who climb up to get drunk or partying (ten people, for example). But in fact they are enough on the ground. The result is that difficult to explain to anyone about soulfulness of your exalted intentions…
9.
This year I fixed opinion that the majority of Roofers are sincere guys. Just think about the great and serene level of confidence that exists between people who standing together at a precipice… because one awkward movement or sudden malice can change everything in an instant. But this does not happen. But despite that you can find a million of heart-rending pictures, people with a weak psyche just better shouldn’t see it, and even I have a very palms sweat when get the sight to such miracles fearlessness.
10.
As any subculture we, I mean photographers, have our superstitions. And it is such a laughter (very funny when it is possible to see from the outside): how we constantly foreshadow enchanting sunset or disprove its possibility, how we’re amazed when the Light came outta nowhere and we all are sitting home and looking at it in a tear-stained windows.
11.
Or if you do not say out loud that it’ll be “a fire”, the chances are greatly increased. Or if more than three come together with the aim to shin up - will be a chagrin. Or if you don’t go to the roof today, be sure that it “illumine”, and if you go - it seems hardly.
12.
But in practice it is always clearer and easier than we invent: if you want to catch the light it is only necessary to go out of home and walk every day. Till now from time to time only one assumption comes true, and it seems not only about the weather: when you do not expect anything, nothing portends indescribable delight - crazy sunset or sunrise appears, and when sun is just about to illuminate the sky and dawns over the head - happens nothing.
13.
Oh, I’m not able to tell about all the fun incidents that happen to us, because it is slightly opens a veil of enticing mysteries that so many people are interested in: “how are you reaching the roof”. But now these memories are with me and I write it smiling. But I still have a couple to tell: first took place just early in the season and second have happened before we departured to Spain.
14.
I remember once early in the morning at a staircase in front of the attic the door was locked by vagrant lying across, and second had a warm from the first. The door itself is not locked, but it cannot be opened. Bodies are snoring, smells extremely. Low ceiling. We three stand bending double over them. Everyone is seems to be “illegally” here and now. But ones are sleeping while others are missing the dawn. 15 seconds later one decisive of us whispered: “Guys, let us go”. Vagabond without a word rolls onto a neighbor who does not move, but we crowding through the half-open gap trying not to step onto snufflers. And after half an hour the first spring picture from roof. Intense frost, even the air shivers with cold, icing over the surface and fortunately there is a fencing. Somehow with frozen hands I turn on ND-filter and make at once one shot that contains both: citylights and the dawn - great! Minimum postprocessing, to stamp wires is longer.
15.
The second incident occurred on the building of the Russian National Library. All similar stories starts suchlike. From the beginning I indeed did not want to go there, particularly bearing in mind that long and uncomfortable passageway. But for the company - why not, especially because boys insisted + explicitly enchanting sunset factors. From the Nevsky prospekt - that’s it longed roof, quite close at hand, but to get there it took us about 20-25 minutes. And here we are, now spend 10 minutes to specify the frame - there somehow uncomfortable and the sunset glows in full already, even starts burn out on the eyes. And only we took about five shots for three, one says “Oh, I think we’re being watched!”. But just yet I do not hear it because I stand aloof. I understand only that guys are discussing something. Well, I think, talking about the sky as usual. But no, the other turns in a couple of minutes with the words: “Hey, Alex, would we be taken?” (translator’s note - into a police office). Unsuspectingly (even more that the phrase is not new in our company) I do not react properly, grumbling under my breath “What for?” He turns to the first and they are again discussing something. After another minute or two they have already a heated dispute and the second friend turns to me, this time he was obviously excited, and I can hear again the same question. His intonation and frown are already different. I understand that it is hardly a joke. I ask again the first friend, specify, look down and realize that we are really like being watched. However I have no experience in this regard, so my hope for a positive outcome actively resists to my mind and to the words that I’ve heard for umpteenth time in the last five minutes. All stand stock-still, no one is in hurry. Then I said: “… so, maybe we will hurry up?”, but still I feverishly push on the remote control - my camera shutter confidently clicks new footage. In the upshot for a couple of minutes we had time to discuss: “should we stay till the beginning of city illumination”, “well, maybe it pass thru”, “not necessarily that it’s for us”, “exactly because of us” and “where to rush now?”. On the whole I drop a phrase such as “let’s tear away from here,” and we start packing backpacks. After all there is still a chance that we’ll escape from the library building and even if we’ll be seen by policemen, we will no longer on the secure institution and then make sail. At this thought I heard that fateful shout which does not need in explaining. And here for the first time in my life I see the police on the roof. All in all the next two or three hours passed pretty boring because the lion’s share of the time took the red tape: we’re recorded into all sorts of paper. Boredom was dispelled by a couple of interesting conversations between us and policemen. They turned out nice guys, just doing their job. We’ve shin onto a secure institution, were we? and alarm-call enrolled, and so on and so on. They said that if we were caught on a insecure roof, most likely we would have been released. Already in police office among drunks, homeless and other disturbers of order, when policeman asked his employees “why these were arrested?”, the reply hung in the air literally - “entry into the secure institution”. It sounded in some special way: silent hall at five seconds. And I felt how we threesome together standing in the middle of the room begin to straighten shoulders proudly. After all, it was very comically. Well, of course the administrative fine also attended. In the explanatory I wrote something alike: “walked in the city - saw an open doorway - went upstairs - saw an open attic - went inside - saw an open window - left to the roof - climbed to a pair of next - Beauty! Romantic! - I would like to make a picture from here - dawn is beautiful today - and 15 minutes later I heard someone calling me - turned out illegal - drove to the police office - understood that was not right.” Even in the next day news wrote about us. Such affairs. And such first ever “prinimalovo” (translator’s note - arrest). By the way this is the picture from there.
16.
By now I will not go there anymore. Perhaps…
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Read also:
"Saint Petersburg : summer from roofs"
This time it started much earlier than usual. If I have been actively got out of the home with a camera in April last years, this year - a month earlier. And if before I went only on the ground at first, but this time - at once on the roof!
This year dawned wonderful time, spring came early. And it was possible to walk safely on rooftops to make pictures. Then seeking out new test shots to the coming days photographing and then still to keep up to the beginning of the working day. We smiled among ourselves more than once that people are surprised looking at our pictures, “not St. Petersburg’s sky” or “it could not happen”. In fact this is exactly what happens very often: beautiful sunrise appears for 5-10 minutes shimmering with bright colors, metamorphosing all around, and then - the city again veiled by gray clouds. And we coming back home already on the gray weekdays, meeting recently awakened people who have not seen what we have seen and photographed. And I would hardly believe if haven’t documented “the catch”.
1.
Amusingly that during the winter I am very unused to shin, and at first time in a long period I realized that I feel somehow uncomfortable on a relatively flat and wide roof. However this discomfort was removed after the second or third hike.
2.
There is still some kind of romance - to shin up. But it is measured in different volumes, and probably someone’s does not measured at all. We have our reason: to make pictures, but in fact lots of people are roofing because of other reasons, and I think there are those among them who like just to shin up.
3.
So I was surprised to suddenly discover in this period that I emotionally return to the era of my childhood, when I do not need feed bread - give me trees to climb. I remember this inexplicable chill under the skin when you crawl up and you’re scared but interested, and it overpowers whenever in doubt: “maybe even a couple of tree branches higher, there’s more overview”.
4.
As Elena rightly noted in the case of roofs it somehow doubtful, they’re created artificially. Another feeling - when you have a stone rock under foot and a tree branch under hand. And that’s why there is less confidence and serenity in urban walking on roof height and overcoming its difficulties.
5.
Especially in our harsh times when the vast majority believes that walking on the roof - bad and illegal. And begin an endless dispute on this subject is useless and no necessary. I understand the tenants of houses who is much closer to their own comfort and safety than someone’s entertainment and hobby, especially when every day on TV there is a flow of hazard, crime and terrorism.
And while that happening, we all (by right or wrong) - shin up. There the city - on a palm. And like in a childhood, the higher climb - the more to see. By the way the very high is not always a good thing, at least for the photographing.
6.
It’s great that the historic center of St. Petersburg is still more or less at the same altitude, because the roof is often not only a way to climb, but also an essential part of the urban environment. Actually sometimes they are very beautiful themselves: steel on them is performed with different colors, depending on the aging and lighting. For example, I like the rust on them, it has many different shades - the eye is pleased.
7.
In general, many of us shin up to the roof because the sky can be seen much more than even on Nevsky Prospekt, and I don’t even mention the typical St.Petersburg’ “draw-well-yard”.
8.
There are quite a lot of guys (and girls) who walks on the roofs and photographs the beloved city. By their photos you can discover for yourself the city that you hardly ever see with your own eyes (unless you go roofing). Therefore, please, treat with understanding to their passion, they go to the roof each for their own reasons, but certainly not to bother you or plant a bomb on your attic. Although, Roofer reputation and the whole picture with roof-walking often spoiled by individuals who climb up to get drunk or partying (ten people, for example). But in fact they are enough on the ground. The result is that difficult to explain to anyone about soulfulness of your exalted intentions…
9.
This year I fixed opinion that the majority of Roofers are sincere guys. Just think about the great and serene level of confidence that exists between people who standing together at a precipice… because one awkward movement or sudden malice can change everything in an instant. But this does not happen. But despite that you can find a million of heart-rending pictures, people with a weak psyche just better shouldn’t see it, and even I have a very palms sweat when get the sight to such miracles fearlessness.
10.
As any subculture we, I mean photographers, have our superstitions. And it is such a laughter (very funny when it is possible to see from the outside): how we constantly foreshadow enchanting sunset or disprove its possibility, how we’re amazed when the Light came outta nowhere and we all are sitting home and looking at it in a tear-stained windows.
11.
Or if you do not say out loud that it’ll be “a fire”, the chances are greatly increased. Or if more than three come together with the aim to shin up - will be a chagrin. Or if you don’t go to the roof today, be sure that it “illumine”, and if you go - it seems hardly.
12.
But in practice it is always clearer and easier than we invent: if you want to catch the light it is only necessary to go out of home and walk every day. Till now from time to time only one assumption comes true, and it seems not only about the weather: when you do not expect anything, nothing portends indescribable delight - crazy sunset or sunrise appears, and when sun is just about to illuminate the sky and dawns over the head - happens nothing.
13.
Oh, I’m not able to tell about all the fun incidents that happen to us, because it is slightly opens a veil of enticing mysteries that so many people are interested in: “how are you reaching the roof”. But now these memories are with me and I write it smiling. But I still have a couple to tell: first took place just early in the season and second have happened before we departured to Spain.
14.
I remember once early in the morning at a staircase in front of the attic the door was locked by vagrant lying across, and second had a warm from the first. The door itself is not locked, but it cannot be opened. Bodies are snoring, smells extremely. Low ceiling. We three stand bending double over them. Everyone is seems to be “illegally” here and now. But ones are sleeping while others are missing the dawn. 15 seconds later one decisive of us whispered: “Guys, let us go”. Vagabond without a word rolls onto a neighbor who does not move, but we crowding through the half-open gap trying not to step onto snufflers. And after half an hour the first spring picture from roof. Intense frost, even the air shivers with cold, icing over the surface and fortunately there is a fencing. Somehow with frozen hands I turn on ND-filter and make at once one shot that contains both: citylights and the dawn - great! Minimum postprocessing, to stamp wires is longer.
15.
The second incident occurred on the building of the Russian National Library. All similar stories starts suchlike. From the beginning I indeed did not want to go there, particularly bearing in mind that long and uncomfortable passageway. But for the company - why not, especially because boys insisted + explicitly enchanting sunset factors. From the Nevsky prospekt - that’s it longed roof, quite close at hand, but to get there it took us about 20-25 minutes. And here we are, now spend 10 minutes to specify the frame - there somehow uncomfortable and the sunset glows in full already, even starts burn out on the eyes. And only we took about five shots for three, one says “Oh, I think we’re being watched!”. But just yet I do not hear it because I stand aloof. I understand only that guys are discussing something. Well, I think, talking about the sky as usual. But no, the other turns in a couple of minutes with the words: “Hey, Alex, would we be taken?” (translator’s note - into a police office). Unsuspectingly (even more that the phrase is not new in our company) I do not react properly, grumbling under my breath “What for?” He turns to the first and they are again discussing something. After another minute or two they have already a heated dispute and the second friend turns to me, this time he was obviously excited, and I can hear again the same question. His intonation and frown are already different. I understand that it is hardly a joke. I ask again the first friend, specify, look down and realize that we are really like being watched. However I have no experience in this regard, so my hope for a positive outcome actively resists to my mind and to the words that I’ve heard for umpteenth time in the last five minutes. All stand stock-still, no one is in hurry. Then I said: “… so, maybe we will hurry up?”, but still I feverishly push on the remote control - my camera shutter confidently clicks new footage. In the upshot for a couple of minutes we had time to discuss: “should we stay till the beginning of city illumination”, “well, maybe it pass thru”, “not necessarily that it’s for us”, “exactly because of us” and “where to rush now?”. On the whole I drop a phrase such as “let’s tear away from here,” and we start packing backpacks. After all there is still a chance that we’ll escape from the library building and even if we’ll be seen by policemen, we will no longer on the secure institution and then make sail. At this thought I heard that fateful shout which does not need in explaining. And here for the first time in my life I see the police on the roof. All in all the next two or three hours passed pretty boring because the lion’s share of the time took the red tape: we’re recorded into all sorts of paper. Boredom was dispelled by a couple of interesting conversations between us and policemen. They turned out nice guys, just doing their job. We’ve shin onto a secure institution, were we? and alarm-call enrolled, and so on and so on. They said that if we were caught on a insecure roof, most likely we would have been released. Already in police office among drunks, homeless and other disturbers of order, when policeman asked his employees “why these were arrested?”, the reply hung in the air literally - “entry into the secure institution”. It sounded in some special way: silent hall at five seconds. And I felt how we threesome together standing in the middle of the room begin to straighten shoulders proudly. After all, it was very comically. Well, of course the administrative fine also attended. In the explanatory I wrote something alike: “walked in the city - saw an open doorway - went upstairs - saw an open attic - went inside - saw an open window - left to the roof - climbed to a pair of next - Beauty! Romantic! - I would like to make a picture from here - dawn is beautiful today - and 15 minutes later I heard someone calling me - turned out illegal - drove to the police office - understood that was not right.” Even in the next day news wrote about us. Such affairs. And such first ever “prinimalovo” (translator’s note - arrest). By the way this is the picture from there.
16.
By now I will not go there anymore. Perhaps…
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Read also:
"Saint Petersburg : summer from roofs"