We first ventured to Albania in 2019. A call from Elena, whose family comes from this mysterious land. “If you want to see Albania, now is the time.” We jumped. Landing in Tirana felt like landing in a lost world. There were few tourists. The city and the country felt like a flower beginning to bloom. This was, of course, a naive take on my part. Albania had been blooming since the end of the dictatorship, something Elena had been documenting extensively. In college, I’d found a book about the last remaining “holdout” countries. North Korea, Albania, others. Those pages had a haunting presence, and suddenly I found myself in them instead of on them.
A small group of us scouted locations from the cities to the high mountains.
There was laughter, junk food, a bit of photographic competitiveness, and the awe and splendor of place. The people were so nice, so curious, and so kind. This was also the first time I made multiple exposures. Before we left for Albania, after doing research, I was hunting for a technique that might encapsulate old vs. new Albania. I had the technique in mind, but on the first morning, I realized it wasn’t going to work as planned. So, I adapted. I found a different multiple exposure technique that hit the mark.
The Fuji cameras make these images relatively simple, but they require more technique to them than I first imagined. These images are a blend of density, form, and acceptable mystery. I realized the 2-3 layered image was the sweet spot. Editing and sequencing this work for publication was like learning photography for the first time. I went on to dabble with multiple exposures in Peru, Japan, and other places, but mostly kept this technique for my return trips to Albania.
As I do with all my work, I made printed pieces. The text came from overheard conversations and my imagination. This is one of my favorite things in the entire world. Sitting, watching, listening, and recording. The world is a goldmine. If we pay attention, the world will deliver. (Students, keep this in mind; it will impact your life when we land in the country.) The title “Declassified” came from a variety of sources. It felt like both the country and I were being deprogrammed. The country from fifty years of dictatorship, and me from the bias and naivete of an isolated American. (Again, this began happening in Albania long before I got there.)
For those of us who roam the world with cameras, this is one of life’s great pleasures. Watching and capturing moments we preserve for a later date when we become the pleasure of the cause. (More on this during a later post.) Albania is mountainous. Albania has water, incredible sea-scapes, and urban landscapes. Albania has 700,000 bunkers. There isn’t an uninteresting corner.
As we prepare for a return, I will continue with my multiple exposures. As you can see, I shoot straight images too, but the bulk will be layered, complex, confusing, etc. The printed piece is where I first begin to make sense of the mess. Clarity from the clutter. Simple: allow the images to speak, and then accentuate with copy and design. That’s the goal anyway.
As many of you know, Albania is in transition once again, as outside influence has reared its ugly head. Protests, rightly so. Their country is not for sale, especially to tone deaf colonialists who travel the world like vultures. Gaza, Venezuela, Greenland, Cuba, so why not Albania? Places to be conquered, developed, and spat out when no longer serving a purpose. This too is why we must document now. History. (These people actually admitted they didn’t even know Albania existed. And let us not forget their prior troubles in Montenegro.)
For those with curious minds, this is a simple Blurb Magazine. Roughly sixty pages, premium paper. A cost-effective, perfectly sized publication that works wonders as a field guide when someone asks, “So, what are you doing?” I made my first magazine in 1995, and my first print-on-demand magazine in 2007. Photographers so overlook this format that it boggles my mind. Many of us spent years trying to get published in editorial outlets, all the while we could have been making our own magazines. I’m slow, but what’s your excuse? Happy snapping. Look, learn, capture.
Comments 1
This workshop or rather this experience has been as highlight of my photographic journey. I still tell people about it to this day, no matter if they want to hear it or not. The goal of defining a clear project beforehand failed, at least for me. Foreign place, foreign people and 9 days time. I decided for color even though or maybe because I ususally shoot bnw. One camera, one lens (ok, it was two lenses overall). And I brought a Widelux just for fun. With no experience in journaling, editing, sequencing or book making, this trip meant work. But hey, I was never promised a wellness-ish adeventure at any time. If you have any chance to go, GO!