Photography Lessons from Alexey Titarenko

Alexey Titarenko’s photography technique

Long Exposures: Titarenko’s signature style often involves long exposure times, which create motion blur and convey a sense of movement. To achieve this effect, you’ll need a camera with manual exposure control and a sturdy tripod to keep the camera steady during the longer exposure.

Selecting the Right Subjects: Look for scenes with dynamic elements, such as crowds, traffic, or people in motion. Urban environments with interesting architecture and strong contrasts can be particularly compelling for this style of photography.

Experiment with Exposure Times: Change the shutter speed based on the desired effect. Longer exposures (several seconds or more) can create more pronounced motion blur, while shorter exposures will freeze the action. Experiment with different exposure times to achieve the desired level of movement in your images.

Composition and Framing: Pay attention to the composition of your images. Consider the placement of elements within the frame to create a sense of balance and visual interest. Experiment with different angles, perspectives, and viewpoints to find unique compositions that convey the mood and atmosphere you wish to capture.

Post-Processing Techniques: Titarenko’s photographs often undergo post-processing to enhance the desired effect. Experiment with techniques such as dodging and burning to selectively adjust the brightness and contrast of specific areas. Black and white conversion can also help emphasize the textures and tonal range of your images.

Develop Your Personal Style: While you can draw inspiration from Titarenko’s work, don’t be afraid to infuse your own creativity and vision into your photographs. Experiment with different techniques, explore various subject matters and develop your unique style that reflects your artistic expression.

Remember, capturing photographs in the style of Alexey Titarenko requires practice, patience, and experimentation. It’s very different from the “classic street photo technique” that photographers like Bruce Davidson used - take the time to refine your technique and vision, and gradually develop your own voice as a photographer.

Who is Alexey Titarenko?

Alexey Titarenko is a Russian photographer known for his distinctive style of black and white photography, particularly for his long-exposure photographs of cityscapes. He was born on September 25, 1962, in Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg), Russia. Titarenko's work often explores the themes of urban life, isolation, and the passage of time.

One of his most famous series is titled "City of Shadows," which features haunting and poetic images of Saint Petersburg taken during the 1990s. In this series, Titarenko used long exposures to capture the movement of people and the flow of time in the city. The result is a series of photographs that have a dreamlike and surreal quality, with blurred figures and ghostly shadows.

Titarenko's work has been exhibited internationally and is part of several prestigious photography collections. His photographs are highly regarded for their artistic and conceptual qualities, and he is considered one of the prominent figures in contemporary Russian photography.

Facts about the Alexey

1. Started at Age 15 with a Propaganda Twist

Titarenko began experimenting with photography at 15, during the height of the Soviet Union. His early work often pushed against the boundaries of Soviet propaganda, which later influenced his deeply introspective and rebellious style.

2. Accidental Motion Blur as an Aesthetic

The signature blurred figures in Titarenko’s work weren’t initially intentional. Early experiments with long exposures to deal with low-light conditions evolved into his unique way of capturing the essence of urban life and historical memory.

3. Censored Early in His Career

In the Soviet Union, creating personal art was seen as suspicious. Titarenko faced censorship and suspicion for not adhering to the themes of socialist realism, which led to the destruction of some of his early works.

4. Hidden Political Commentary

Titarenko’s "City of Shadows" series was inspired by the fall of the Soviet Union. The ghostly figures in his photos symbolize the despair and dehumanization experienced during this period of societal collapse, making his art subtly but profoundly political.

5. Pioneering Use of Darkroom Techniques

Titarenko mastered darkroom manipulation to heighten the surreal, ethereal feel of his images. He sometimes altered tonal contrasts to make his subjects look even more like phantoms or memories fading away.

6. Influenced by Russian Avant-Garde

Titarenko draws heavy inspiration from early 20th-century Russian avant-garde artists like Kazimir Malevich and constructivists, blending their philosophies of form and abstraction into his photographic compositions.

7. Fascination with Time and Memory

His photographs are more than visuals—they are meditations on time. Titarenko has said his images aim to show how time flows and how memories persist, with his long exposures serving as metaphors for this flow.

8. Photographed a Post-Soviet Exodus

One of his iconic images, "Nomenklatura of Signs," portrays the migration of people in a collapsing Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) using blurred movement to symbolize chaos and uncertainty. This series gained critical acclaim for documenting a significant historical moment with an emotional and artistic lens.

9. Cinema-Like Approach

Titarenko views his work as deeply cinematic, often likening his sequences of images to scenes from films. His work is highly influenced by Russian and European cinema, particularly Tarkovsky’s poetic approach to storytelling.

10. Hardly Digital

Even in the modern era, Titarenko largely avoids digital photography. He prefers film photography, which allows him to manipulate images with his signature style, giving them a timeless and tactile quality.

11. Rare Photographic Themes

One of Titarenko’s lesser-known projects involved documenting the eerie industrial landscapes of coal mines and factories in Eastern Europe. While less celebrated than his urban series, these works explore the alienation of the industrial age.

12. Personal Archivist

Titarenko is meticulous about archiving his work and has a personal collection of vintage cameras, some of which he restores himself. He believes the tools used are deeply tied to the emotional quality of the art.

Make sure to watch my video on Vivian Maier too where I go in-depth about what made her photographs so special and study the great photographers of our time through these online photography classes.