Draft - Russian and English Edition

Dmitry Markov: his name may not be familiar to you, but his photos will leave you in awe. Armed with a simple iPhone and a sharp eye, this 35-year-old Russian documents life in the former USSR without artifice or glamour. There is no staging in his photos, no models striking poses: only scenes of daily life that Dmitry captures on the fly, almost surreptitiously for some.

Before getting a smartphone, Dmitry volunteered for many NGOs, especially working with young disabled orphans; he quickly felt close to these aimless and lost youth. It was there that he began to hone his photography skills and learn the challenges of the trade: often self-contained, adolescents do not readily allow themselves to be photographed.

Starting in 2013, Dmitry Markov began capturing everyday scenes in Pskov: travelers, passersby, children playing, adults on their way to work, animals encountered on the streets. He initially posted his photos on Instagram, where he began to attract attention. In 2015, it was a breakthrough: he became the first winner of the Instagram-Getty Images award, which "supports authors documenting the lives of underrepresented communities around the world."

He then decided to publish his photographs in the form of a collection, #draft, which we are delighted to be able to distribute today. This book is divided into "series": #childhood #addiction #system #backcountry #sickness and #draft. Each is accompanied by an introduction in Russian and English. These haunting and original photos offer a new image of present-day Russia.

As Dmitry Markov himself writes, "I like traveling around the country and taking pictures of ordinary lives of ordinary people. It is sad to hear people say that I capture the seamy side. I don’t see anything horrible in these pictures of mine. They are not just 'social photography', as many people see them, they are my personal encounters and scenes. Every added picture is like another chapter in my own history. And when I get asked why I go after 'life’s unpleasant side', I reply: 'Because I’m part of it.'"

Dmitry Markov is the recipient of the prestigious Grand Prix "Silver Camera", PhotoPhilantropy Activists Awards and the Getty Images-Instagram award.

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