Richard Vanek - Black and White Photography

Yesterday was the last day of my first, non-solo, exhibition in The Netherlands. I went there and pick-up the prints. Results? Overall good feedback, more interest from the Dutch community (increase of web traffic from .nl by 300%), two orders. My feelings? Well, let's go on and make it next time even better.

To the France it is a long journey, especially when you are notthe young anymore. Looking through the window, talking to strangers and friends can make it shorter.

I remember myself, once on the way to Warsaw for long ten hours I was watching winter country. Snow on fields, changing passengers, but forgets to count hours. It was experience, experience that is daily life for some people. You do not move yourself from A to B, but you live, think and enjoy time between A and B.

I like that very much to enjoy what you are doing in every moment. Traveling never was my hobby, but in last few years this is changing and I remembering my travels to Prague, Warsaw, Brussels, London, and Manchester as a nice experience with a lot of nice moments.

That week was one of my best times with photography for a long time. I have chosen railway station as my documentary theme. The reason was simple. I was expecting to meet different people. Already from my childhood railway was for me something mysterious. Something with feel of leaving and silent waiting.

There was a group of workers doing some repair on rail track. I spent quite a time with them. Talking, taking pictures smoking. It was nice. They made sometime jokes out of me, but I didn't mind there were fair.

And there, as everywhere else people are working. They do day everyday work not because they love it, not because they earning money, but because they happened to be there in that time. As a time pass, everyday, step-by-step, they become part of their environment. Once, when they come for the first time, maybe they feel disoriented and unhappy to be here. Maybe they feel they are not fit here and they will be somewhere else in week. But at the end they become part of this world. As empty wagon with curled note, curled face.