Farit Gubaev Biography

He is called a adherent of a black and white frame, a master of not only a portrait genre, but also an event, everyday photo report. Among the works of the photographer there are many beautiful landscapes, still lifes. Dozens of personal exhibitions, participation in significant projects of not only republican, but also Russian, world levels, publication of their own books and albums.

Farit is a photomaster who, with his talent, makes us not just admire the beauty of this world, but peer thoughtfully, see its depth, details, drama. One for all. " As a result, one hundred and fifty portraits of those who went through the roads of the war gave us victory and survived - now they are forever captured by the master and will remain in memory of our descendants.

About how this project was born and how work on it was going on, we asked to tell Farit Gubaev himself. What it began in the winter of the year I returned from one of the district centers of the republic from a celebration, where veterans of war and labor were honored. All two long hours of the road to Kazan were impressed by a meeting with the front -line soldiers there, in the hall, peered into their faces, listened to exciting memories, and in the car on the way I suddenly realized: how great it would be to make a series of portraits of war veterans!

There are already fewer and fewer of them. And in the year of the anniversary of Victory, this would be very significant. He shared his idea with Rimma Ratnikova, who then headed the Union of Journalists of Tatarstan. But one thing is an idea, another is the organization of the case. How to implement such a large -scale project, and even in such a short time, when only two months were left before the day of Victory?

.. A week later we met again, and Rimma Atlasovna said that in the Tatarstan branch of United Russia we reacted to the photo project and proposed organizational assistance. All local branches in the districts will prepare lists of veterans, and most importantly, they will provide me with transport for trips to them. And very soon my continuous two -month work began. On the eve of the trip, they called and warned: “Tomorrow at three or four in the morning a car will come for you, be prepared.” And sometimes I had to go around at once two or three districts closest to each other.

It was not possible to stay somewhere with an overnight stay, because in the morning a car would come for me and lucky in another area where they are already waiting. I didn’t get enough sleep at home, sometimes I didn’t go to bed at all-I was afraid to oversleep, and if I managed to take a nap, then for two or three hours, or already on the way, in the car. It was difficult not only physically-because of the injured legs, it was not easy to sit for several hours in cars for several hours-but psychologically on every shooting, communicating with veterans, could not remain indifferent, leaving them, for a long time experienced what he saw and heard.

That is why, having removed more than fifty portraits, he was already at the limit and felt that I could give up, enough of these filming, then thought then? Reported this to Rimma Ratnikova. She reacted with understanding, but convinced me to continue trips and filming. I myself understood that after a short rest I had to continue to work. It was a cut, and it was also required to process each shooting, print photos of the exhibition format.

And with each new shooting, the “second wind” was opened. There was confidence that by the anniversary date, all seventy portraits would be ready. And on May 9, they presented the exhibition! The path to the publication of the book "Victory. One for all ”was very difficult. Its release was planned even then, five years ago. There was a layout, but there were no sponsors, and, accordingly, funds.

For five years, many heroes of my project passed away. The widows of the front -line soldiers called me: “Where to buy, where to get the book? I decided to supplement the seventy ready -made portraits with new ones and bring their number to a hundred! I found the addresses of still living veterans and drove back to different areas for new filming. As a result, for printing the books was no longer a hundred, but one hundred and fifty photo portraits!

I am grateful to the fate that she brought me with a talented businessman, director of the Logos Publishing House, Maxim Andreev. Why black and white? Of course, color is beautiful, but it was important for me to maintain documentary, drama and at the same time avoid special attention to age -related changes on the face. I also shot women, so I wanted to show the beauty of their personality, and not the number of wrinkles, which in color photographs appear more strongly.

In addition, I am an adherent of the light truth, there should be air and natural light in the frame. Therefore, I do not use either the fowdering or studio lighting. When he went to his first shoot, the district head, out of good motives, proposed to bring veterans to the district administration of the district center. I immediately explained to him that I want to shoot only in the conditions that are familiar to the veteran, especially since it is already difficult for them to move.

Home interiors each time helped their reliability and creative finds. If I saw in the veteran’s house his old family photos, he always tried to take them into the frame.Such expressive details can not be artificially created ...

When the book was already Syrstan, I decided that under each portrait there will be the name of the hero, the place where it was born, the year of his birth, and there will be no year of death. For me, this is a symbol in this - these people have always been and will remain alive for us. As I find a perspective, I should enter the room, as I immediately scan my eyes with a living space in search of a better place for shooting.

This habit, developed for years, when it was required to quickly make a decision, always helps to find the desired angle for the picture. Sometimes there was very little time for shooting ... Unlike photographers, who for the sake of one successful frame can make dozens of takes, I try to catch my frame at once. This skill has been formed since my work in the Evening Kazan.

Then there were no “numbers”, and the time in the newspaper is always in the back. After the shooting, hesitate to show the film, dry, print photos, select the desired frame, give it to a mile. And they drive you all the time: “Where is the picture? Faster, faster! And then thirty -six frames of the same coil were enough to shoot three and even five events. I had to shoot less, but think more about the composition and the right angle.

My heroes have another shooting brought me to a small rural house where a war veteran lived. Already in the hallway he drew attention to the bright rays of the sun, which filled with bizarre glare. Immediately I decided that I would shoot here. True, she has not yet seen the heroine, but asked to invite her to this sunny hallway. The expectation dragged on, and I had to look into the living room myself, where the relatives hastily woke the summer old woman ...

In the depths of the room, I saw only a pile of blankets on the bed in great doubt returned to the hallway, it was no longer very believed that the shooting would turn out. But soon an elderly woman was introduced under his arms ... Excited, explained that I had to make only a few frames. A small pause ... And suddenly a miracle happens before my eyes. And her whole appearance speaks of what a strong person it is!

In the book you can also find portraits of marital couples: he is a veteran of war, and his wife is not a participant in military operations, but a faithful companion for several decades. And I always tried to shoot such couples. Every time he asked: “How many years have you been together? So, I say, I will take pictures of you together. The wife begins to brush up: “And why me?

I also had a mystical moment. The veteran lived alone in a small village house. I went to meet me all in orders, medals. And in a small room - twilight. He habitually led him to the window to catch the natural light, which was still a little saved by bright colorful Tatar curtains behind the veteran and a white village stove. I was not, I raise the camera, and at that moment the spray of the sun bursts through the window!

The rays run around his face, according to a rewards on a dark jacket and on the stove wall, all this lasts literally a moment, but I manage to do several shots - and again the twilight comes in the room ... Among the many portraits of veterans there is one picture in the book where there is no hero, but there is a memory of him. Once visiting friends, I met a woman who, having learned about my photo project, regretfully said: “What a pose that my dad is no longer alive.

He was a military aviation pilot and just a wonderful person. It is a pity that he will not be in your book. ” This conversation sunk into my soul. He began to think how, from a creative point of view, one can realize this idea in the picture - there is no person, but the memory of him is alive. He called this woman and asked to bring him a jacket with medals and old photos.

On the day she brought her father’s jacket and cap, I still could not fall asleep. It seemed that there was someone in the room, as if walking, grunting. In the morning, looking at the jacket with medals and looking at the old photos of the veteran, I already knew how I would shoot. He created a kind of homemade cozy tea party, and left his jacket hanging next to the table.

As if a person is here, but for a short while some veterans had been told by such amazing stories that you can’t believe in immediately.