My picture with the M6: Souls
My picture with the M6: Souls
Roland Kilimanjaro
November 17, 2022
Of people and feelings: the Polish photographer's analogue, contrast-rich and expressive series is born from chance encounters – and the portraits reveal a whole range of emotions that the photographer himself has internalised. In Berlin he met a loving couple, Ilya and Anouk.
“Ilya and Anouk – I saw this couple standing in a passageway of the Berlin subway. They seemed to be isolated from the crowd. Young, happy, in love, but also very mysterious. We talked for a while and then I took a picture of them – but not this one. This couple was special, and I kept thinking about them after I returned home to Poland. They intrigued me so much. I wrote to them and they responded quickly. The next time I visited Berlin, I met them again. Back then, we had time to talk and spent several hours together. It was a magical meeting for me. They let me into their lives for a while and I could feel the feeling that was between them. This true portrait of love is a memento of that meeting. The love that is no longer in them now … But photography stops time and allows you to remember. I love photography for that reason.
Ilya, Anouk, I thank you for opening your hearts to me.”
Issue 8/2022 of the LFI magazine carries a comprehensive portfolio.
“Ilya and Anouk – I saw this couple standing in a passageway of the Berlin subway. They seemed to be isolated from the crowd. Young, happy, in love, but also very mysterious. We talked for a while and then I took a picture of them – but not this one. This couple was special, and I kept thinking about them after I returned home to Poland. They intrigued me so much. I wrote to them and they responded quickly. The next time I visited Berlin, I met them again. Back then, we had time to talk and spent several hours together. It was a magical meeting for me. They let me into their lives for a while and I could feel the feeling that was between them. This true portrait of love is a memento of that meeting. The love that is no longer in them now … But photography stops time and allows you to remember. I love photography for that reason.
Ilya, Anouk, I thank you for opening your hearts to me.”
Issue 8/2022 of the LFI magazine carries a comprehensive portfolio.
Image and text: © Roland Kilimanjaro
EQUIPMENT: Leica M6 with Leica Summicron-M 35 f/2 Asph.
Roland Kilimanjaro+-
...was born in Puck, a small Polish town, in 1976. He studied at the Jędrzej Śniadecki Sportakademie in Gdańsk. His interest in people is reflected in his intimate portraits, which always capture a small part of himself as well. As a purist with a weakness for a natural style, he prefers to use analogue photography. He is the recipient of a number of awards, and one of his portraits was published in, among others, the book Portrait of Humanity in 2020. More