Vera Sytch's Posts
The eye of the beholder
"Would you like to come to Khmelnytsky with us tomorrow?" my brother-in-law Andrij asked me during my stay in Ukraine.
Khmelnytsky, a city with the largest bazaar in western Ukraine, was a two-hour drive from my husband's hometown. My brother- and sister-in-law always left before dawn on their weekly trips to the bazaar to get the best deals. Every year when I visit Ukraine, I tag along with them to shop and to photograph the market area.
"Sure!" I said. "Just tell me when to be ready."
Normally Andrij and his wife Ira rush to get to Khmelnytsky as early as possible. As they speed through the countryside, I would sit in the back seat of their car, snapping mental pictures of the scenery - the rising sun, the shepherds taking their animals out to graze, the dew-soaked fields... Only at the bazaar would I pull out my camera.
But this year was different.
"We're not in a rush. If you want to take a picture, just let me know and I'll stop," said Andrij.
What an opportunity! I try not to impose on my hosts, so I rarely ask them to stop when I travel with them. This morning's invitation was a special treat.
The morning was enchantingly misty.
We came upon peasants herding their animals.
Not only was the dawn light phenomenal, but we also came upon a field where farmers were cutting hay the age-old way: with scythes. I felt I'd stepped back in time.
That morning, the mist, the peasants, and the countryside were magical. Unforgettable.
Back at my in-laws' house that evening, I uploaded the pictures to my laptop and showed the family what I had photographed.
A week later, after their weekly trip to Khmelnytsky, my sister-in-law mentioned to me, "You know, after seeing your pictures last week, this week's trip was different. I could see beauty that I had never noticed before."
It's all in the eye of the beholder.
Comments
Posted By: Yuri Lev Hrynyszyn (7/1/2008)
Comment: This is some of your best work. Beautiful!
Posted By: Ally (6/6/2008)
Comment: I found your blog through sos ministries. My son will be working with them over the next week building homes and helping in the soup kitchens. He is very excited to serve. Your Ukraine photos are breathtaking and magical.
Posted By: Andy (6/2/2008)
Comment: Vera - I have been distracted with work and moving to a new (old) house so I have not visited this blog lately. My mistake. I have been missing a lot. These pictures from Ukraine are beautiful, and your story puts the exclamation point on my comments: I've been working too hard! I promise myself I will take time to check this blog for your posts more often!
Posted By: Roman (5/30/2008)
Comment: Vera, What a wonderful post, and incredible photos! Reminds me of some of my trips in the past, although my photos never looked as good as yours ;- ) I've missed your stories, glad to have you back. Hope it's not as long a wait until the next one!
Posted By: Vera (5/23/2008)
Comment: Thanks for your comments. Indeed, beauty is all around us. Paul, just let me know when you want to talk. I have some ideas, too.
Posted By: Paul (5/22/2008)
Comment: Wonderful atmosphere and feel to these photos. We should sit down and talk about the book ideas some more.
Posted By: Deanna (5/20/2008)
Comment: How touching, Vera. And how true! Beauty is all around us, but we often don't take the time to see it. My mother too could see the beauty in the simplest, ordinary things. A real gift to me from her. Thank you.
Posted By: Joel (5/20/2008)
Comment: Beautiful shots. They're like impressionist paintings.
Posted By: alexsandra (5/20/2008)
Comment: Beautiful, misty pictures from Ukraine. Magical indeed. Have missed your posts!
Posted By: Steve DiLullo (5/19/2008)
Comment: Vera - haven't seen anything from you lately so it's great to see more beautiful photos from abroad! The conditions definitely were right to capture a sort of magical side of things in Ukraine.