XE-5+Viltrox 25mm f1.7: 10 days in Armenia. Exploring the moody side of the Caucasus.
Just back from 10 days in Armenia. I took over 1500 shots, but these few really capture the diverse (and often dark) atmosphere of the country. I was constantly blown away by how the landscape shifts from lush to brutalist within just a few kilometers.
First 7 photos felt different to me. I’ve named them after the songs and films they evoked while I was there:
1. \*When I see it I hear Candlemass - „Solitude“, There is one sentence : "My years have spent in grief and sorrow, I've seen them all. " That's why I named it "I've seen them all"
2. The Brutalist- This one reminds me of the dark, sweeping atmosphere of the movie *The Brutalist*.
3. I don’t think I need to explain the Rolling Stones Paint It Black reference for this one... the mood speaks for itself.
4. Burning man, named after Pink Floyd Wish You Were Here. Probably one of the best photos I have ever taken.
5. Armenian Abbey Road, Take a wild guess why! 😄
6. \+7. : Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. This represents the two faces of Armenia for me: the clean, modern, and calm side versus the messy, weathered, and soulful "old" side.
7. 8. Custodian of Dust... A moody almost post-apokalyptic theme park with older lady trying to keep it tidy even though everything is turning to dust. She is the last sentinel of the ruins, tasked with an impossible burden: to keep the path clear for ghosts, even as the very ground beneath her dissolves into grey ash. A Sisyphean cycle where the debris of existence returns as fast as it is cleared.
\*the needle is Tsitsernakaberd in Yerevan - a memorial to Armenian genocide commited by the turks. The mountain behind is Ararat in Turkey.
and the rest :P None of the photos are post-processed other than white frame. This is directly from the camera, mostly Vivid or little bit dark mood simulation from fujifilmsimulations subreddit.
After 5000 photos I'm getting a little bit more confident with the camera. The 25mm Viltrox is dead on. So much joy to use this combo and I enjoyed every single photo taken during the trip. This is EXACTLY what I expected from a camera. I don't need top notch parameters or pixel peeping or spotless result. I need a travel companion and I have found it.
