Photography! Baku! Arts!
October 13, 2009
On September 19th Azra, Javad and I opened ‘First Step’ at YarAdAn Gallery in Baku.
Showcasing the photography of youth from Seki, Zaqatala, Mingacevir, Goycay, and Xacmaz, the event was the first of its kind held in Azerbaijan. Part gallery show, part publicity event, part celebration, we estimated over 300 people visited over a 2 day period.
(Apologies for the somewhat blurry snaps)
Azra and I take a moment to shamelessly pose at the entrance.


Javad-gallery owner-artist-psychologist- extraordinaire interviewed by the press. (In reality, the youth that attended gave more interviews than Azra, Javad or I, however, no snaps of that)

The Xacmaz crew reprezents! H font and center and L on the right were amazingly bold in talking portraits in the community-they also swooped in to help endlessly with translating.

Chilling in the street front room.

Y-my self proclaimed ‘brutha’ from Seki next to one of his portraits.

A-the right hand man for Azra and I in Seki, he was the saving grace when working at the Yaddash Orphanage-if I could adopt brothers, A and Y would be top picks. A took some of the most original photos of the entire summer.

Mr. French next to Mr. J-my two aficionados of style, culture and hipster-ism-we have snooty conversations about snooty topics while waving around cheap smokes and making sarcastic jokes.

Sometime during the after party, Azra and I had an ‘Oh. Wow. We did it!’ moment and then followed up with a victory snap shot. Lovely.

Fresh Photography from AZ Youth
September 17, 2009









“First Step” – Exhibition of photography
September 15, 2009


YarAdAn project,
In cooperation with Azra Vardar (Germany) and Colleen MacDonald (USA)
With generous support from Union of Azerbaijan Photographers and Asiyat Fatullayeva
Over the 3 summer months of 2009, youth ages 13-21, in the regions of Mingechevir, Goychay, Zaqatala, Xachmaz and Sheki participated in an intensive one week introductory digital photography course. The course was taught by volunteers with the purpose of not only introducing photography, but also introducing and encouraging creative expression. For the youth, it was the first time they had used a camera. Learning how to focus, try different angels and frame, the youth spent a week in their communities photographing people, objects and themselves. The youth were bold in their approach; playing with everyday items to make them fantastic and fearlessly stepping in front of the camera themselves and to produce art that is both playful and relevant
eye candy while you wait.
September 2, 2009

Color from the BusStops on the Goychy-Ming. Yol.
(Lomo prints posted here in Dec.)











A Few Tasty Snaps!
August 24, 2009
The AZ5 Ladies in Ming, boasting mad jumping skillz.


Yes we do, the perfect rainy day: chocolate cake, popcorn, coke and movies.

Brainnnnnnnnnns, Yummy Brains!! (too bad H didnt see the funny in oozing chocolate)

Ming. Photo Class.
The first letters of all our names = friends (dostum)

Creative Center Ming. Azra, Kim, Nate

Bringing the mullet back to the playground!

The day we invaded da Lahood!

’I see your heart!’-K

Look what I found in Xcmaz, my very own, Mr. Clean! Think I’ll take him back to Izzy town…

Faux stars of the traveling circus.

Playing in Baku with a Lomo and my red shoes.
‘…n I’m gonna run for as long as I’m allowed…’
August 19, 2009
It seems (due to the high volume of questions from various people) that the general opinion is that I’m staying here longer (a year or so) due to the presence of a significant other person. It’s probably a good time to point out that besides ‘lack of prospects in the AZ’ (and this I could care less about), living with roaches on steroids (who see all my major and minor appendages as tasty treats), no water (at. All.) and the general populous thinking I’m a lose woman (because I like to run in the AM), are not exactly circumstances I’d like to stay in simply because I was keen on a dude. Rumor has it though, that a lady in Peace Corps (near my own age) is staying in the AZ for precisely that reason, (engagement)- married bliss awaits around the corner for them, and I wish them many years of joy lacking any sort of gold grills or tight faux leather pants.
Rather, staying here was an idea that’d been running circles in my brain for a while(since last August actually) therefore, when given the opportunity to not only expand the Photography for Social Change project but also a chance to work on a few personal photography/documentary projects (generally associated with leftover Soviet Sanatoriums on the Caspian, Secular Islamic Rap Groups, and Bus Stops) it seemed like the right life choice-living for 3 years in a post Soviet, contemporary Islamic country discovering democracy is a photographic gold mine of adventures that doesn’t present itself often.
Of course, a month ago, while hauling boxes, and various personal items out to the street (to the sound of xanims cackling at my odd and so very ‘English Qiz’ possessions) due to once again being kicked out of a flat, I would have given anything to be back in Minneapolis at 3AM talking with Mark about the various ways we could defend our house against the battalion of drunk frat boys relieving themselves on our front door.
So, I’ve jumped in the work fray-frantically (I forgot to pack the Christmas Tree) throwing my possessions together (and the above mentioned high profile exit), leaving the most permanent ‘home’ I’ve had thus far in my 24 months, and depositing kitchen tools with another volunteer, I’ve been living out my pack since the end of June with my collection of film and cameras and a few horridly unfashionable clothing articles. But everything has sorted, as things do-given my summer work-holding photography day camps in various regions, I’d be traveling anyway-best not to have rent payment, and a mostly crazy, toothless landlady hounding you. In between imparting massive amounts of photographic knowledge to hordes of bright youth, (This is worthy of at least 3 posts.) Azra and I have been navigating new territory in the photo realm of ’Foreign Ladies in ‘Baijan Possessed of Charm, Wit, Mad Language Skills and Cameras’-which means, we made a list of places to see over 3 months, checked it twice and celebrated the warmer weather of June/Start of Summer Adventures by conquering ‘The Factory’, ‘Artyom Island’ and ‘Chicken Factory’ (all abandoned and guarded) in top form.
Since then Azra and I have managed to engage in all sorts of photo shenanigans (halved Lenin statues, traveling circuses, giant Soviet telescopes…) as well a few more sobering wanders-one in particular, which, found us in Mardekend (village north of Baku) was a shocking reminder of the mess left over when cultures, ideals, politics and a host of other human meddling converges and explodes. Several attempts have been made on my part to accurately convey (via writing) what we saw and its significance-however, it seems when I try to write, a bit of self doubt creeps in, that, if unable to thoroughly describe Mardekend, I would fail at making anyone see its importance-because somehow, I think Mardekend is important.
Also of importance are the half a dozen or so stories that are collecting dust/taking up hard drive space-eventually or when I find a home, they will make their way here…
Motivation, Goals, and General Ass-Kickery
June 18, 2009
In answer to the general question of what the heck I’m doing, find something on this list…I never listed my dream to be doing exactly what I’m doing now, teaching youth photography and living abroad in a crazy country-I honestly wasn’t sure I’d ever see that dream realized, everything else seemed easy to accomplish in comparison to what I’m doing now.
The list started in ‘06 and carries on to present.
Learn 2 other languages (French, Azeri, Spanish….)
Stay proficient in ASL
Own a DSLR and all related gear
4 gallery shows (at a minimum) of my art (painting, photography, mixed media)
Have my own studio space
BASE jump into Sotano de las Golondrinas
Climb Mt. Fuji
Run the Altitude marathon at Pikes Peak
Make it through the Peace Corps
Own sufficient rock climbing gear
Proficient in swing, salsa, tango and waltz. (Learn to belly dance)
Live in Paris and photograph the hell out of the place
Spend at least 6 months photographing the wild horses in SouthDakota
Burren, Ireland, hiking.
Broadway show of Beauty and the Beast and Phantom.
Hot air balloon ride
Get a tattoo
Be a mentor to a child(s)
Masters/PHD in foreign relations/advocate /photography/communication
Campaign against human trafficking
Deep sea dive (explore an ocean wreck)
Well read in theology of Christianity and other religions
Well read in classical literature.
Flat stomach.
Lead a detoxified, organic, clean lifestyle.
Travel to every continent
Pay Off Student loans
Travel/Boat the Amazon
Travel/Boat the Nile
Rappel out a helicopter
Published photography and writing in National Geographic
Create film/photography documentary on AZBoyz HipHop Group
Azerbaijan vs. Spain 0-6
June 10, 2009
This was the first football mach I’d ever attended, and it didn’t disappoint, hard core fans painted in Azeri colors(red, green, blue), a lone friend of mine proudly waving the Spanish flag, stern guards and free reign to photo whatever we wanted based solely on the fact that we were cute foreign girls! We had the police asking us to photograph them, were nearly trampled in a crowd rush at the gate, (que’ing has never been heard of), and then I caused 2 rows of mostly drunk Azeri/Turkish/Spanish men to fall silent/shamed/shocked when I turned and cussed at a deadbeat dude who thought blowing on my neck was the an appropriate way to woo me. Top night all around!
Yea, Real Madrid is not shabby looking. At. All.
(photos…eventually, as I was shooting with a LoMo likely wont have the funds to develop film for a while)












all of us figuring out how to communicate, eventually, we recruited Lili to translate, the boys stopped being scared, the girls stopped giggling and the group started snapping amazing pictures.

Summie WasteLand





