Smolensk Cemetery, Leningrad 1987

Boris Smelov made this photograph, Smolensk Cemetery, Leningrad, using gelatin silver. Look at the way Smelov’s silvery grays capture the somber mood of this cemetery, with such sensitivity! The process feels so deliberate, almost reverent. The texture is what really gets me. Notice how the light glints off the metallic details of the headstones, and how the shadows cast by the bare trees create an intricate latticework across the scene. It’s all about how light and dark interact, creating a sense of depth and atmosphere. See the peeling paint on the buildings in the background? That one little mark speaks volumes about the passage of time and the fragility of life. Smelov’s work reminds me of the early photography of Eugène Atget, who also captured the quiet beauty of urban landscapes. Like Atget, Smelov invites us to slow down, to observe, and to find poetry in the everyday.